The prosecution: Billy

double quotation markUnlike 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