You be the judge: should my flatmate stop using my details to sign up for free trials?

3 hours ago 2

The prosecution: Billy

Unlike the kettle or the wifi, my contact details aren’t for communal use. Plus it’s annoying

My housemate, Ronnie, is a cheapskate. In this economy, I get it, but sometimes he takes it too far.

He always uses my phone number to get a second free trial with gyms or streaming services, and I can’t stand it. He’ll just shout from the other room, “Hey, what’s that login code?”

Unlike the kettle or the wifi, my contact details aren’t for communal use. I want to protect my good name, but he thinks it’s funny. It got particularly annoying recently when he started using my email to get discounts aimed at new customers. My inbox is flooded with welcome emails, and reminders that “my” trial is about to expire.

I get texts at odd hours confirming sign-ups to services I never joined. It’s as if my identity has been franchised without my consent. I’m not against a good freebie, but once I’ve had my run, I’m done. Ronnie, however, loves rinsing everything. He uses my Netflix as well. He boasts that he never pays for streaming.

The worst part is how casual he is about it. He’ll laugh, say I need to relax and that everyone does it. But I think it’s embarrassing that at 33 years old, he’s still asking his mum for her number for a meal delivery freebie.

Ronnie creates multiple fake names tied to my number and his mum’s, as though we’re running some low-stakes scam operation. I find myself wondering if companies flag this kind of thing and if my number is now associated with dodgy behaviour.

It makes me feel complicit in something I didn’t agree to. I feel protective over my good name. I got a letter in the post recently about a second free bootcamp class – again, I knew nothing about it.

It’s not about the money or even the principle of free trials; I just don’t want to have to explain Ronnie’s lies. I need to stop being so accommodating. We live together, so it’s hard to have boundaries as everything is shared. It’s a free-for-all in our flat when it comes to cleaning products, clothes and food, but I’d like my name to be off limits.

The defence: Ronnie

I’m trying to stretch things a bit as money is tight. That doesn’t cost Billy anything

Life is expensive for so many of us right now: rent, food, everything. If there’s a way to save a bit of money, I’m going to take it.

These companies aren’t struggling; they want people to sign up for free trials in the hope that we forget to cancel. I’m just playing the game a bit smarter and using my name and also everyone else’s. I’ve never put in Billy’s actual credit card details, just his phone number and email. What’s wrong with that?

It’s not as if I’m being too pushy. I did try to get him to sign up to a credit card once using my referral link and he refused, so I left it there.

None of this costs him a penny – it’s just his name, which, no offence, isn’t some big thing. He works in admin; it’s not like he’s a famous detective. If he had a serious issue, he could just say no clearly instead of acting as though I’ve committed some kind of crime after the fact. Half the time he just sighs or rolls his eyes.

We share wifi, milk and our living space. From my side, using Billy’s name and email for extra sign-ups is practical. Why pay twice for something when there’s a workaround?

He says I will get him in trouble. For example, he might go to a gym I’ve already signed up for, and they’ll discover his phone number is in the system under my name. But no one’s watching that closely.

We also have different interests, so that doesn’t really happen. He doesn’t want to do bootcamp. Years ago, I used my brother’s gym membership, and eventually we were both caught and banned, but I wouldn’t do that to Billy. I know where the line is with him.

I do get that the constant emails might be annoying, that’s fair. But that feels like a solvable problem – just unsubscribe. It doesn’t have to turn into this whole thing about “respect” and “boundaries”, as if I’m some kind of villain.

Honestly, I’m not trying to take advantage of Billy. I’m just trying to stretch things a bit further while everything’s tight.

The jury of Guardian readers

Should Ronnie be named and shamed?

What’s Ronnie’s number? We should spam him with verification codes and offers to see how much he enjoys it. Personal information should never be shared without explicit consent. Protecting Billy’s “good name” might seem frivolous, but it is not up to Ronnie to decide. His number is up.
Abigail, 35

This economy is not so bad that a 33-year-old needs to use other people’s identities to get freebies. Billy is right, his contact details aren’t communal property. It’s time for Ronnie to set Billy’s inbox free (and maybe get multiple email addresses for himself).
Charlotte, 32

Ronnie’s level of entitlement is outrageous. He doesn’t understand that personal details are not his to abuse, nor that his behaviour shows a lack of respect and awareness of boundaries. Time to grow up and pay your way Ronnie. Nice things usually cost money – that’s life.
Sonia, 46

Ronnie should 100% stop doing this. Personal details aren’t a shared resource, and Billy has a right to choose who his are shared with. It’s not just about the extra inbox admin – Ronnie being careless with Billy’s details could leave Billy vulnerable to fraud.
Kim, 44

You don’t even have to read beyond the headline to know that Ronnie is guilty of impersonation and fraud.
Letetia, 55