Namaste Readers,
I finally received my utility bill, and I was baffled to have 2 billing stamenents for June. The first thing that came to my mind was moving in 3 days early before my contract began; but to my understanding, those 3 days were based on a daily rate, which covered everything.
With a tight budget, of course I was defensive, and because I'm not used to the Philippine system, I felt I was taken advantage of ( so I was ready to use all my rhetorical skills to fight this injustice ). It was then clarified to me that the "cut off" date of the electric meter began on the 5th day and ended on the 25th day of the month ( for me it didn't make sense why the electric meter didn't coincide with the month ).
In a way, I felt cheated. I'm paying for a month's rent, but my electric and water bill will be measured 3 times ( before the 5th, during the 5th-25th, after the 25th ). I have a feeling that a little extra energy is generated everytime the meter restarts. ( I'm thinking of the "bulk principle:" cheaper to buy in mass quantity ).
Even with this additional information, the bill still didn't make any sense. There was only a 100 peso difference between the first 3 days I stayed (pre-5th) and the 11 days I stayed ( the 5th-25th period: weekends away from the dorm were deducted ). How can I generate that much energy in less days, diba? The person, annoyed at my inquiry, said that air-con usage may be the factor ( even so, I was only in the room 3 days out of the 20 days ). Why should I be paying half of the bill when I only used 1/6th of it?
We concluded the talk; she told me that she'd check the discrepancy and get back to me. I edited Runner J's MA thesis, and went for a run. When I got back, she acknowledged their mistake. I'd still have to pay, but at least the bill made more sense because the energy used was proportionate to the days spent ( using the ratio of 1-3 ).
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