My neighbor was secretly charging her electric car from my outdoor socket every night — instead of involving the police, I decided to take another step to teach her a lesson.
Being a 60-year-old widow living alone in a small suburb house, my electricity usage and bills are consistent. So it baffled me when I received a bill that was twice my normal amount last month.
There was no reason for the spike. I hadn’t added any new electronics and nothing changed at home.
One night I just couldn’t fall asleep, not even with my medication, and I heard odd sounds out by the window.
Glancing outside, I was taken aback.
My neighbor Monica had pulled her Tesla beside my driveway, drawing a cable from the car to my garage’s outdoor outlet, pulling electricity from my house.
I ran outside and said:
“Monica, what are you doing?”
Monica just shrugged:
“Charging my car. What’s the big deal?”
I could barely hold back my anger.
“But you’re charging your car FROM MY HOUSE!”
She sighed, treating me as if I was unreasonable.
“Oh, come on. You live alone. How much electricity could you possibly need? Don’t be so stingy! I have three kids, and I always have errands to run. And you? You’re retired. You just sit at home.”
I was speechless.
Monica had three children, a new home, a gorgeous yard and a Tesla. She was well-off.
She was just thrifty with her spending.
Previously she had borrowed my lawn mower from the garage without asking. Another time, she took my garden gnome, saying it “looked better in her yard.”
Small incidents, but they revealed her habits. Still, I tried to remain civil.
When I informed her about my electricity bill doubling due to her, she burst out laughing:
“It’s probably only a few dollars. God, you’re greedy!”
That was the last straw. Monica was not open to polite conversation.
I gave her a smile and returned inside.
The following day, I did SOMETHING near my garage.
When Monica came to charge her car again in the evening, she screamed so loudly that the whole street came out to see WHAT WAS GOING ON.
Being a 60-year-old widow living alone in a small suburb house, my electricity usage and bills are consistent. So it baffled me when I received a bill that was twice my normal amount last month.
There was no reason for the spike. I hadn’t added any new electronics and nothing changed at home.
One night I just couldn’t fall asleep, not even with my medication, and I heard odd sounds out by the window.
Glancing outside, I was taken aback.
My neighbor Monica had pulled her Tesla beside my driveway, drawing a cable from the car to my garage’s outdoor outlet, pulling electricity from my house.
I ran outside and said:
“Monica, what are you doing?”
Monica just shrugged:
“Charging my car. What’s the big deal?”
I could barely hold back my anger.
“But you’re charging your car FROM MY HOUSE!”
She sighed, treating me as if I was unreasonable.
“Oh, come on. You live alone. How much electricity could you possibly need? Don’t be so stingy! I have three kids, and I always have errands to run. And you? You’re retired. You just sit at home.”
I was speechless.
Monica had three children, a new home, a gorgeous yard and a Tesla. She was well-off.
She was just thrifty with her spending.
Previously she had borrowed my lawn mower from the garage without asking. Another time, she took my garden gnome, saying it “looked better in her yard.”
Small incidents, but they revealed her habits. Still, I tried to remain civil.
When I informed her about my electricity bill doubling due to her, she burst out laughing:
“It’s probably only a few dollars. God, you’re greedy!”
That was the last straw. Monica was not open to polite conversation.
I gave her a smile and returned inside.
The following day, I did SOMETHING near my garage.
When Monica came to charge her car again in the evening, she screamed so loudly that the whole street came out to see WHAT WAS GOING ON.
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