Sometimes, being neighbourly can do more harm than good. Part of living in a community involves being there for the people around you. You don't have to be best friends with your neighbours, but saying hello when you pass each other on the street or doing them the odd favour, like holding onto their parcels when they're not home, is considered common courtesy. One man is learning the hard way, however, that some people go too far with the things they expect their neighbours to do. His neighbour has asked him to help out with something that could land him in big trouble, but he's not sure how to say no to their demands.
In a post on Reddit, the man said he has a neighbour named Doug whom he gets on well with. However, Doug's daughter, son-in-law, and their four children have recently moved into his house because they "lost their home". While the move technically breaks the lease of Doug's flat, the man hasn't said anything because he knows "how hard it is" to be homeless. But what has irritated the man the most is the family's outlandish request they made to him. Doug doesn't have an internet connection at his property, so they've asked him if they can use his Wi-Fi. They claim it's so that the mum can continue to homeschool their four children, but he believes they "just want to mooch" free Wi-Fi without paying.
He said: "His son-in-law came down to our apartment a couple of days ago while I was at work and asked my fiancée if he could use our Wi-Fi sometimes so that his wife could continue homeschooling their kids. She was caught off guard by the question as we've never met the guy and don't even know his name.". The man's partner told him to come back when the man was at home, but the next day, they found a note pushed under their door that reiterated the question.
He wants to deny the family access to his Wi-Fi but asked Reddit users if that was the right call. Many commenters agreed with his stance, pointing out that if the family were to do anything illegal on his Wi-Fi, he may face fines as the billpayer. One person said: "It's your internet service that you pay for, so you make the rules. How in the world is this your responsibility?" Another added: "There's Wi-Fi at the local library. The kids can get their homeschool assignments there.".
A third noted: "It's generally against the terms of service to extend your Wi-Fi to those outside the household. Sharing your wifi with your neighbours could kick you off your service at worst and degrade your service at best. You don't know what he will be doing with your access. You can't be sure if he's being responsible, hacking, downloading illegal content, or hosting malware. Just tell him no.".
