Dear all,

I was in need of a room around Zurich to move in for my studies when I found this WG in Winterthur (through a youth agency). I signed the contract on 01/09, which included NK but no internet connection, and everything was fine. I got an internet contract from UPC, which started on 03/10 and only knew that I have to pay that money (50 chf/mo). In the meantime the composition of our WG changed (somebody came, somebody left, both people with TVs along - I don't have one) and now I received a bill from UPC for Kabelanschluss, for the period 01/10-29/02, 136 chf. To keep it short, the owner asked them to send it to me. I don't have a TV, my roommate "blamed it on me" and the youth agency said he should pay it, because of the TV usage (but their say was something like "ask him to pay and then to call and change the name"). Until they make up their minds, I have a bill waiting for me. Maybe I'm paranoid, but I like to keep track of what papers I sign, bills and receipts, especially that I have no experience with local laws and regulations; I guess I can't just leave it to be payed by somebody else in my name, and then to have no control over what's happening to my debt.

Therefore, my problem has 2 parts: whether the owner has the right to throw this to us, since the contract clearly said NK included (and other information was not available for us), and what am I supposed to do with the papers and the money. Also, if I choose not to pay a dime and they block the socket, therefore I can't go on with the internet contract (which was made for 12 months at least), will this penalize me?

Please help me, it will be highly appreciated. I'm doing geology, so legal aspects are not quite my thing. Thank you big time!

The bill is actually for your cable connection to the internet it seems. If you are the only apartment with this connected it may be that the owner was not consulted and did not agree so they have adopted approach of you being the onl one so it has been passed on to you.

Usually when a number of internet connections exist this is included in the NK.

In terms of legal it depends a bit on whether there are others if you are the only one they may be quite right to do it.

Also you have not mentioned billag which you should be paying also since internet allows you to receive TV and radio therefore you are liable to pay this especially as you have TVs at different stages. The rule here is that capability to receive TV is the test and your internet cnnection can deliver it.

The charge of 136CHF foir kabelanschluss sounds like the annual amount that buildings need to pay to receive which is additiaonal to the monthly plan. As this is not a large amount just pay it.

For you, perhaps not. For a student it might well be.

I don't know what to do going forward as I'm not sure what that bill is all about. But you should divide it by the number of people the bill relates to ask them to pay their share (depending on what it is exactly).

Then if it's in your name, why not call and cancel? Or call them and tell them that you are not responsible but the landlord is and give them his/her name.