No contract.

[canuck]

I'm a Louisiana college student who was given the unique opportunity to live in a house owned by the university for free. Since I have a free board scholarship, I was told that I would recieve all the services that students in dorms recieve at no extra charge (including free cable and utilities). Well, when I moved into the house, where several of my friends had been living for the past two years, the phone lines were already active. I was told by my roommate that in two years, they had never recieved a phone bill and that he thought that the university was paying the bill through some fund or endowment. Since people at the house had been making calls using the same phone line for the past two years without seeing a bill, I naturally assumed that it would be ok for me to make calls as well. When I moved into the house, the university never offered me a housing or phone contract (which is given to every other student on campus) and I was never given an ID for my phone to prevent other people from using it. The phone was never mentioned so I was not aware of the rates. Well, an entire semester since I moved out of the house, the university has just charged my account $1200 for the phone bill. I never recieved monthly bills, I was never told I would have to pay. I was not charged the same rate students pay on campus (about $0.13/min) but was rather charged about $0.40/min. The phone line is listed under the university's name as a commercial line, not as student housing, so we were forced to pay much higher rates. I think that since I was never presented a phone contract, I shouldn't have to pay their rates. I should only be charged at the same rates other students were. The only problem is that the university has called my ROTC unit and tasked them with forcing me to pay. The university refuses to negotiate with me and has placed this charge on my account, which will prevent me from graduating if I don't pay it off within five weeks. What should I do?

 

[I AM ALWAYS LIABLE]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by canuck:
I'm a Louisiana college student who was given the unique opportunity to live in a house owned by the university for free. Since I have a free board scholarship, I was told that I would recieve all the services that students in dorms recieve at no extra charge (including free cable and utilities). Well, when I moved into the house, where several of my friends had been living for the past two years, the phone lines were already active. I was told by my roommate that in two years, they had never recieved a phone bill and that he thought that the university was paying the bill through some fund or endowment. Since people at the house had been making calls using the same phone line for the past two years without seeing a bill, I naturally assumed that it would be ok for me to make calls as well. When I moved into the house, the university never offered me a housing or phone contract (which is given to every other student on campus) and I was never given an ID for my phone to prevent other people from using it. The phone was never mentioned so I was not aware of the rates. Well, an entire semester since I moved out of the house, the university has just charged my account $1200 for the phone bill. I never recieved monthly bills, I was never told I would have to pay. I was not charged the same rate students pay on campus (about $0.13/min) but was rather charged about $0.40/min. The phone line is listed under the university's name as a commercial line, not as student housing, so we were forced to pay much higher rates. I think that since I was never presented a phone contract, I shouldn't have to pay their rates. I should only be charged at the same rates other students were. The only problem is that the university has called my ROTC unit and tasked them with forcing me to pay. The university refuses to negotiate with me and has placed this charge on my account, which will prevent me from graduating if I don't pay it off within five weeks. What should I do?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


My response:

See my responses to your buddy, "Borboleta" to this same issue; however, I would add for both of you, that you had a duty to inquire. The phone line and monthly service fee for the line may have been free, but would you expect them to pay for YOUR calls? What about to other countries? If the University gave you a refrigerator to use, would you expect them to pay for the food? People, you've got take responsibility for those things you use.

IAAL


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[This message has been edited by I AM ALWAYS LIABLE (edited April 12, 2000).]