If you perform a quick Google search of tenants being overcharged on the cost of their utility bills, you’ll find a plethora of posts from people who suspect they’re getting conned.
Canadian TikToker @knithoe is convinced that this happened to them as they received a utility bill for a period where it was physically impossible for her to use any of said utilities listed in the invoice, as she had them disabled.
She says she ran a restaurant business that ultimately had to be shut down because it was costing way too much to run, especially when it came to her operational costs. Upon closing her business, the TikToker says she was shocked to see that she was being charged nearly $600 for a three-day period of utilities, which occurred during a timeframe when her utilities had been disabled.
@knithoe #greenscreen ♬ original sound – Knit Hoe
She explains how she had all of the appliances out and everything shut off by Feb. 20, yet she received a billing period from Feb. 25 to Feb. 28. “Want to know how much they charged me?” she asks in the clip.
The video then transitions to the TikToker showing off the invoice, which, according to her, is entirely bogus, seeing as she had all of her services shut off.
“For gas, they charged me $87.12. And for fucking electric they charged me $510.17 for three days,” she says before showing the calculations of a total cost of $597.29. “That’s this much for three days in an empty restaurant with nothing on.”
In a follow-up video, the creator notes the original total didn’t include some “oopsie-daisies” credits from the previous bill cycle, which amounts to about $400.
“So it’s realistically $1,000 for three days,” she says. She adds how she was also charged $91.88 for a carbon tax levy, which is a tax levied on carbon emissions produced by businesses as per Canada’s obligation to the Paris Agreement.
“So you’re telling me that in three days of this billing cycle, my empty restaurant used 1.4 tons of Greenhouse gases?” she says in the video. “I’m calling bullshit. I’m calling hard bullshit.”
@knithoe #stitch with @Knit Hoe #greenscreen ♬ original sound – Knit Hoe
The Daily Dot has reached out to @knithoe via TikTok comment.
One user speculated that she may have been covering the cost of utilities for another unit on the premises during her time renting the building.
They wrote, “You had to be paying for your neighbors electric too.”
The creator responded to the comment in a follow-up video, clarifying how she checked whether she was paying for any other units.
@knithoe Replying to @firetresses ♬ original sound – Knit Hoe
“We found absolutely nothing,” she claims in the clip.
Someone else wrote that @knithoe was more than likely forced to close down her business because of the upcharges that kept being tacked onto her bill.
“Explains why you closed — they were screwing your business,” they wrote. The TikToker responded, “I couldn’t keep ‘pass it onto the customer’ it’s one thing to see inflation of 6-10%, a whole other thing for it to be 400-600%.”
Another commenter asked if @knithoe was renting a unit at a strip mall, and they also surmised she was “paying the neighbors utilities for sure.”
@knithoe confirmed that her business indeed used to be located in a strip mall. Renters paying for their neighbors’ utilities seems to be a common complaint folks have made online, but it could be difficult to surmise who used what utilities in these instances if they are placed on shared meters.
