Personal Finance & Money Stack Exchange
Personal Finance & Money Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [utilities]

31 questions
21
votes
3 answers

Automatic payment *after* payment due date: why?

My water bill has an option for automatic payment, which I would like to enroll in (as it would be convenient), but something it mentions about the dates gives me pause: on the page to set it up, it says [emphasis added by me]: Automatic Payment…
ShreevatsaR
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20
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5 answers

Is there any risk in sending copies of my ID and utility bills to a company that cold-called me?

I'm shopping around for solar and a company called me. I'm a bit suspicious, due to some what I think might be red flags: The first caller could answer few questions, spoke with a heavy accent, could not tell me details about their physical store…
Village
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16
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7 answers

Switching ISP to save money good idea?

My ISP (Spectrum) recently raised the price of my monthly internet bill to $70+. There are competitors in my area going for the $50 range with equal or faster speed. Is it possible to "haggle" with spectrum to lower the price by calling them, or…
Lightsout
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8
votes
5 answers

How do I budget for heating & cooling?

I'm revisiting my budget and the amount I have slated for electricity was off by roughly 30 dollars or 50 percent. I live in an all electric apartment, no gas or fireplace. Here in Kansas we get cold winters and hot summers, but I've always had a…
jldugger
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7
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3 answers

What happens if I don't pay a utility bill on a house I've already sold?

I recently sold a property I used to own, and was told that the new owner had transferred all the utilities. I followed up on all but one (which were transferred), however it seems that the water utility was not, and I received a bill for a period…
Nicolas Holthaus
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7
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8 answers

Is a fixed-price natural gas or electricity contract likely to save money?

Is a fixed-price natural gas or electricity contract likely to save money? These types of contracts are often marketed to homeowners to save $$ on their utility bills. When would such a contract make sense for a homeowner? What are the "gotchas"…
bms2
6
votes
3 answers

How can I get my incompetent utility company to remove late payments on my credit report?

My FICO score dropped 100 points after my incompetent utility company posted false late payments. It had been 780 prior to the late payments. I have a legitimate case but they are so bureaucratic and slow, my repeated calling and writing if proving…
Chirag Patel
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6
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5 answers

How to divide up utilities when one tenant's rent includes utilities, but others' don't?

This is an extension of my question asked here. Four roommates are living together. Two are co-tenants, who hold the lease, and the other two sublet from the co-tenants and pay rent and utilities to one of the co-tenants. Subtenant A has an…
Bigbio2002
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6
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3 answers

How do "past due" utility bills affect credit rating?

I received a utility bill which is clearly in error. It claims that a previous payment is "past due", when the bill claiming this is dated before the due date on the supposedly past due payment it refers to. So, I am wondering, can the fact that the…
Matt Mizumi
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5
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1 answer

Are you better off going with the BIG energy provider in town or a smaller competitor?

I live in Maryland and we have our energy delivered from BGE (Baltimore Gas & Electric). That means they manage and service the power lines and I have no choice in that matter. We do however, have the option to have a different energy supplier.…
Joel B
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5
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5 answers

Better to rent with or without utilities?

By the end of the year, I will be renting a small apartment with one other person and we will be splitting the costs. I am a college student so I've only lived either at home or in dorms. In general, is it usually cheaper to rent an apartment with…
atlantiza
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4
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1 answer

Rural home purchase contingent on Internet access availability?

I'm considering a move to a rural area where there are only two internet service providers. The only information we can get as to the availability and performance is from the home owners who are selling and the companies providing the service, but…
ctorx
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4
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2 answers

I am moving to a new city. How do I plan and prepare - financially - for the move?

I am planning to move to either Maryland, near D.C., or Boston at the end of the school year for work. I have salary quotes for both jobs already, so I can plan around a specific income number and how much I want to save, invest, spend,…
foobarfuzzbizz
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4
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1 answer

14 year old charge on utility bill

I recently bought a house and signed up for utilities. I then go to sign up for automatic payments on their webpage, and it says I owe over $400 from when my account was last active in 2004. I know exactly where the $400 comes from, as in 2004 my…
fishybell
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3
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3 answers

Paying off someone else's utility: whose credit score improves?

Person A signed a utility contract (say, electricity). Person B set up a direct debit to pay for that. In the UK, whose credit score improves in that situation? Is there some way to have both persons' credit score improve? This assuming everything…
Hangus Sotrmbunter
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