Pexels/Reddit

Bureaucratic headaches are frustrating, but taking that frustration out on a stranger isn’t okay.

One man still had lingering access to his former apartment’s WiFi account two years after moving out, resulting in recurring billing texts despite multiple calls to both the property and the internet provider asking to be removed.

Instead of continuing to push for an actual resolution, he started remotely restarting the router just to see what would happen, disrupting service for whoever currently lives in that unit.

The apartment even sent out an internet technician to investigate the mysterious outages, unaware the real cause was a former tenant with unresolved access.

Reddit had some strong opinions on this one — keep reading.

AITAH for restarting my old apartments router because they won’t remove me from the acct

So I moved out of some apartments about 2 years ago now.

WiFi from this place was included in rent but I still had an account with the internet company.

Then came some password issues.

I particularly was given access to the account because we had to reset the WiFi password, and the apartment triggered a link via the WiFi company that allowed me to reset the password.

So when the tenant finally moved out, they still seemed to have some ties to the account.

Well, I moved out and still have access to that account. I probably wouldn’t care, but I get monthly text messages that my bill is ready for that WiFi.

This is starting to grate on the tenant’s nerves

And immediately think, oh crap, someone is using my info for something.

But no, it’s the old apartment still having me on file. There is no charge, but for some reason I get that text.

They tried to do their due diligence by reaching out to the apartment, but they don’t seem to care to resolve the issue.

I have called the apartment asking them to remove me and they said it was done, but I’m still getting the text messages. I’ve called the internet company, told them to remove me, but still getting the same text messages.

So the tenant wonders if they’re wrong for taking matters into their own hands.

The thing is I can restart the router on command.

I did it a couple times and I saw that they had an internet rep come out to take a look, lol, but it was just me.

AITAH for doing this, or should I keep doing this?

Yikes.

What did Reddit have to say?

This user doesn’t think it’s fair to whoever is currently occupying the apartment.

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This commenter thinks this tenant is going about this all wrong.

There’s an easier way to do this.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a home buyer who was surprised to learn his neighbors were upset about him removing a fence.

The phone number seems to be the core issue.

The real issue isn’t that he’s annoyed. Most people would say that annoyance here is completely justified after multiple failed attempts to fix a simple account error.

The issue is who actually pays the price when he acts on that annoyance, and it’s not the negligent company, it’s a stranger just trying to use their internet at home.

Sometimes the most satisfying response isn’t the most fair one.

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Author

Benjamin Cottrell

Benjamin Cottrell | Assistant Editor, Internet Culture

Benjamin Cottrell is an Assistant Editor and contributing writer at TwistedSifter, specializing in internet culture, viral social dynamics, and the moral complexities of online communities. He brings a highly analytical, editorial voice to his reporting on workplace conflicts, malicious compliance, and interpersonal drama, with a specific focus on nuanced stories that lack an obvious villain.

As a published author of rhetorical criticism, Benjamin leverages his academic background in human communication to dissect and elevate viral social media threads. Instead of simply summarizing events, he provides readers with balanced, deep-dive commentary into why the internet reacts the way it does. In addition to his cultural reporting, he is an experienced fine art photography essayist and video game reviewer.

When he isn’t analyzing the latest viral debates, Benjamin is usually chipping away at his extensive video game backlog, hunting down the best new restaurants, or out exploring the city with a camera in hand.

Connect with Benjamin on Instagram and read more of his essays on Substack.