Money problems again
Before I left Houston, I was living with my cousin, her boyfriend and her boyfriend's cousins. The deal then was that I can take care of the electric bill and the water bill while my cousin and her boyfriend take care of the lease. Fair deal, especially with the position I was in. Skipping ahead to the time I moved out and left Houston. I talked to my cousin about what she can do about billing and such when I'm gone and she said she could manage it. And to make it simpler on her, I told her that it was okay to leave my name under the electric bill.
I thought I could trust her...
Fast forward to a few months ago, I got a call from the electric company that the bill was late and they were gonna shut everything off if they don't pay. I told them that I'll talk to the home owner, which I called my cousin and informed her. She said okay and she'll take care of it.
That was the last I heard of her and the electric company.
Now, a few days ago, I got a call from the collections company telling me that the electric bill has been so far behind that it's now in collections.
What was the amount due?
...$4594.xx...
WHAT. THE. FUCK?!
First off, how the hell did an electric bill get that high?! Were they doing some nuclear testings in the house?! I mean, even if the bill came in unpaid from month to month, I still can't figure out why it's so high. Secondly, how could they just have ignored the electric bill?! They have a few kids inside and my cousin was bitching at me the first time when I failed to apply for the electricity correctly. I really didn't get it.
I told the collections agent that I'll have to look into this and see what the hell is going on. So for the last few days, I've been trying to get in touch with her. As you probably figured, she disappeared from the face of the Earth. Fortunately, I did get in touch with her sister and got a few glimpse of what happened after I left. Apparently, my cousin broke it off with her boyfriend and left the house to her ex. If anything, I assumed she forgot that my name was in the electric bill and left it there. And I guess the boyfriend is so self-centered that when he saw the bill under my name, he was like, fuck it, it's his problem now.
Yeah, it's really my problem now.
So what am I gonna do from here? I've considered a few things. First off, I could prove to them that I have not been at that residence for long time and when I did leave, there was no balance. But on the other hand, because I didn't specifically call and change the name, the fault lies with me. The other the thing I could do is get all this information together and take this to court. A few things can fall through here, especially with my knowledge of the legal system goes as far as L&W:SVU and Phoenix Wright. But I could try to gather what I can and bring forth anyone that resided there at the time that this amount accumulated. I know it's cruel to bring a blood relative to court over a financial matter, but isn't it even more cruel for her to go against my trust?
But the fact of the reality is, I'm gonna have to end up paying for the entire amount. God knows when the hell will I be able to get myself out of all financial holes and get into some sort of stability, but just pray that I don't end up shooting myself in the head over this. Because needless to say...
I AM FUCKING SICK AND TIRED OF MY LIFE LIKE THIS!
tl;dr - I am stupid and now I owe $5k. =\
I thought I could trust her...
Fast forward to a few months ago, I got a call from the electric company that the bill was late and they were gonna shut everything off if they don't pay. I told them that I'll talk to the home owner, which I called my cousin and informed her. She said okay and she'll take care of it.
That was the last I heard of her and the electric company.
Now, a few days ago, I got a call from the collections company telling me that the electric bill has been so far behind that it's now in collections.
What was the amount due?
...$4594.xx...
WHAT. THE. FUCK?!
First off, how the hell did an electric bill get that high?! Were they doing some nuclear testings in the house?! I mean, even if the bill came in unpaid from month to month, I still can't figure out why it's so high. Secondly, how could they just have ignored the electric bill?! They have a few kids inside and my cousin was bitching at me the first time when I failed to apply for the electricity correctly. I really didn't get it.
I told the collections agent that I'll have to look into this and see what the hell is going on. So for the last few days, I've been trying to get in touch with her. As you probably figured, she disappeared from the face of the Earth. Fortunately, I did get in touch with her sister and got a few glimpse of what happened after I left. Apparently, my cousin broke it off with her boyfriend and left the house to her ex. If anything, I assumed she forgot that my name was in the electric bill and left it there. And I guess the boyfriend is so self-centered that when he saw the bill under my name, he was like, fuck it, it's his problem now.
Yeah, it's really my problem now.
So what am I gonna do from here? I've considered a few things. First off, I could prove to them that I have not been at that residence for long time and when I did leave, there was no balance. But on the other hand, because I didn't specifically call and change the name, the fault lies with me. The other the thing I could do is get all this information together and take this to court. A few things can fall through here, especially with my knowledge of the legal system goes as far as L&W:SVU and Phoenix Wright. But I could try to gather what I can and bring forth anyone that resided there at the time that this amount accumulated. I know it's cruel to bring a blood relative to court over a financial matter, but isn't it even more cruel for her to go against my trust?
But the fact of the reality is, I'm gonna have to end up paying for the entire amount. God knows when the hell will I be able to get myself out of all financial holes and get into some sort of stability, but just pray that I don't end up shooting myself in the head over this. Because needless to say...
I AM FUCKING SICK AND TIRED OF MY LIFE LIKE THIS!
tl;dr - I am stupid and now I owe $5k. =\