Where I'm from the late fee is only a dollar or two. I try my best to pay on time, sometimes things happen and it isn't always easy to pay on time. Since the late fee is so low, it doesn't bother me when I have to pay my bill late. I do believe that if the late fee was higher I would do everything I could to pay on time to avoid the late fees.
I I hate the stress of knowing that I owe the utility company money. My roomate is on oxygen and it would be a disaster if we were cut off. Even without him...they are quick to send out disconnect notices around here...and I think that is terrible with a utility as vital as electric. My house is totally electric and literally nothing would work in here if my power was cut off.
It has been my practice to always pay even before the due date comes. I just hate paying late fees because I just feel like the late fee charge can still be used for other things instead of spending them on surcharges. I also feel lighter and burden free if I know that my bills have already been paid before the due date.
I pay everything generally on time. Sometimes life gets in the way I'm just like "Oh God!" But it is not more than a day or two. The only one I have ever been kind of late on is my internet. But I don't believe in waiting too long to pay bills because it just hurts you in the end having to pay more.
I am really trying hard to do this now. Just recently I misplaced my water bill and was charged at late charge. That really burns me that I have to pay extra so when I get my bills now I highlight the due date so I know when to pay it. All that money you pay in late charges adds up unnecessarily. I think it's a matter of being organized about paying bills. One way to prevent this would be to have your bill debited right from your account each month. I know some of our utility companies will do this. I might look into this option so I'll never have to worry about missing a payment.
I'm from the Philippines. Our economic system isn't heavily influenced by capitalists so I guess there is still a degree of humanity left especially when it comes to billing consumers. The government also regulates the transactions of companies that serve basic services in lieu of the government. A society governed by capitalists is usually characterized by what you termed as "catch 22" - or the inability to escape highly exorbitant fines levied on consumers who're just slightly late with the payment.
Yes I am very particular about this because I have an intense hate on late fees. For me it's like paying for something that I should have done anyway and it feels as if I did my financial state a disservice. As much as possible, I make sure that my monthly fees are automatically deducted from my bank account so that I don't need to go to the payment place anymore. It's less hassling and it will save me the trouble of always checking my due date for my utility bills.
I am so bad about paying my utilities on time. They usually hit the same day rent is due. I push my utilities to the end of the month and then my rent will be in the beginning of the month. It helps with my pay schedule and with my fluctuating schedule as well. @Lushlala , where are you from that you can prepay for your electricity? Water is rare? I'm guessing you may not be in the United States, right? Not that it is a bad thing, just never heard of anything like that before. How do you all keep your utility costs down? Do you keep everything off during the day? What is the best temperature to keep your AC at? I'm always looking for the best tips to cut costs, so any advice helps
I would encourage anyone as long as they are to do so, to pay their utility bill on time in order to save them from having to pay a late payment fee. They could the implement the challenge of saving the equivalent of the late charge fee and have it to do something useful at year end. It should also be noted that paying in time would also eliminate the risk of disconnection of the service and the accompanying fee.
I am very prudent to pay utility bills on time. When I get cash, I don't get peace of mind since in the area I come from, utility companies may hastily send officers to disconnect water and electricity citing non payment. To restore the same, you require a reconnection fee which can be prohibitive. Bribing company officials is not my forte since in any case, its an extra cost.
Well we too are struggling here in Hawaii. We have LIHEAP program that we're under and for about 6 months we don't have to pay our electricity. They cover either gas or electric too. Good to see if you qualify so it helps your household get by.Log In.
Yes, I try to pay my bills on time..sometimes it isn't possible, and I end up being late by a few days. I am not sure if they are charging me an additional premium or not..but it doesn't really matter. As long as I get it paid in its entirety and avoid any possible hint of disconnection is all I really care about.
The way I avoid being late on payments is by signing up for the automatic payments online. That way, I just receive the paper statement by mail and they just withdraw the money from my bank account automatically so that I don't have to worry about it. It's a great system because I'm prone to forgetfulness especially when it comes to bills. I certainly don't want to have to pay late fees! The only thing I have to be careful about is to make sure that there are enough funds in my bank account, which there are thanks be to God lol.
I have been running behind in the bills for the water and the electric, the late fees do add up quickly. When I get caught up it will not get behind again. It seems like I am always 2 months behind in one of these bills. When I get caught up I will pay in advance to have some cushion for my self.
I do try and pay them on time and if I can I pay them earlier than necessary because I'm usually very forgetful so if I forget to pay I know I'll have to live with the consequences. I've already felt the stress because some of my family members and relatives have once or twice forgotten to pay for electricity before and their line was cut off for a day or two and that was just way too much stress than I myself would be willing to put up with. Not to mention that as you e said, those late fees can add up as well if you keep on paying it late.
Yes, I always try to pay as early as possible. At first I was pretty forgetful, so I know first hand it's better to avoid the threat of service shutdown. But writing a early due date on the calendar has helped me keep it on the radar, and forego the warnings.
I have them paid automatically. If that needs to change, I change it. There are no late fees this way, and I always am aware of how much they cost because I'm like wooooooah what happened to that $400 OH I remember.
I just recently found out that my local utility company has done away with the late fee too. However, I always tried to pay my bill on time to avoid giving away more money, but there have been a few times where I had to pay a late fee too.
It really doesn't matter if you're made to pay a late fee as long as the amount isn't unreasonable. Most private utility companies overcharge even though they already get the upper hand through an area monopoly compared to government-operated utility services.
I always pay my utility bills on time to avoid late fees. Sometimes I even try to pay too early so that I am eligible for discounts. However, I am prone to forgetfulness. Thus sometimes I forget to pay the bills and I have to pay late fees. In the recently time, I am trying to join a company that pays utility bills for me. All I have to do is create account and deposit balance. My bills will be paid via my deposits.
