I totally sympathize, that really sucks. Obviously the OP wasn't paying 0 on her utilities before - apartments always have heat, some electricity, etc running. They just owe more now. And since they now owe more, they could have easily saw how big their bills were early on and adjusted their habits to compensate. The OP may now be unable to just pay that money; maybe it's been spent on other things. Yes, technically the OP is responsible, unfortunately. But if you moved into a new apartment and saw your bill, would you look at your first month's heat bill and check to see how many kwh you were using, to see if it looked right compared to how much you thought you were using? Even if you call the utility company and ask, "I just want to verify that the amount I'm being billed for is correct; I cannot afford to pay any more so if this is not correct I will adjust my usage habits to compensate," you are still liable for their mistakes. What is the OP realistically supposed to do? For me, I've always lived in apartments where my rent included utilities. I don't even really know how much this stuff costs normally, so I wouldn't even have a reality check to use. Seems like a pretty crummy situation to me =/

Why should you pay for their billing mistake?

he's probably some kid that just moved out and had no idea utilities were supposed to cost >$30. or if he knew, he's pissed that they found out and now he has to actually pay

you can tell how many teenagers post here by the fact that so many posters don't seem to know that a utility bill is never at zero, even when an apartment is not being lived in. There are service charges just for having things hooked up, anything that is plugged in and part of the unit takes up electricity and landlords will leave the heat on in empty units to prevent damage to the unit caused by cold and fluctuating temperatures (burst pipes, peeling paint, mold, etc).

ps let this be a lesson, kiddies - when you move into a new unit, ask the company for the previous tenants usage - this is not private information and it gives you a rough idea how much you will be paying.

Lol, I like how you're calling all those against your view assholes because they aren't as cheap and as much of a cheat as you. What a winner.

I am the first occupant in this unit--it's a brand new compex. The utility company told me that my complex gave them the wrong meter number (and has more than once before with other units), hence the mixup... No, I did not switch the labels. Guess again #68... My bills have been consistently low since I've lived here. It's not like they were normal, then suddenly dropped.

Sue for everything they're worth.

its called sueing them !!!!! duhh

op you do understand you owe them that money? There asking you for the money that you were supposed to be paying for months sure they messed up but you still owe them that money