You're a Drunk and a Liar and a Thief!

We got our first electricity bill for our new apartment. It is sent out bi-monthly. I looked at how much we were being charged and I was floored. It was a few hundered shek more then our bill used to be in our old apartment! After a few minutes of heavy panicking, it suddenly hit me. How can they know how much my electricity bill is, if the meter is in my apartment?? So I went over to the meter, and it was nowhere near what they had billed me for!! MyShan, being much better at arguing with bill people then I am, called them up. First the lady starts yelling at her, telling Shan she doesnt know how to read the bill. After a few minute of fierce argument, the lady finally calmed down and listened to what we had to say. Then she checked the record, and turns out, when the meter-reader came by, noone was home, so he came up with an estimate how much he thought it should be. She didnt say if the estimate was based on how much the neigbors are paying, with their 3 or 4 kids, or on the last bill to this apartment, when we didnt even live here, but whatever. So we told her the actual meter reading, and she said theyd send out a new bill. Even after hearing all the stories, I was still so shocked at the level of dishonesty in such a major corporation.
Our bill is still pretty high even after fixing it, so we started seeing what makes the meter run faster. Firstly, the dud makes the meter run so fast, it must cost a shek a minute to turn it on. Next is the light that is a dimmer (halogen maybe?) Nothing else by itself really makes it run, but with three lights on, radio on, oven, fridge, microwave, computer, phone plugged in, it is moving at a slow but steady pace. Maybe this month we'll try cold showers and flashlights and see how well we do...