Hell's bells....

How many call centre people does it take to screw in a lightbulb. None...but they sure screw over customers.

Imagine my surprise when I checked my phone bill invoice online... I had received the usual notice that my One Bill was available for viewing. Even though I get a paper version in the mail, I still get a notice via email. Poetic justice this time.

The balance said $175.92! I am thinking, what the F.....! My phone bill (with one phone line and no frills, plus internet) always comes to $68 to $70 a month. So what the hell was this?

I dutifully called a "help" line...waited and pressed buttons before getting anything resembling a homo sapiens. I had asked for billing. Of course, that was too simple. Turns out billing doesn't really take care of billing...not if the overcharge is on the internet part of the One Bill.

OK? Then what is the point of One Bill?

I refused to dial through again and insisted the boob I had on the line patch me through to the internet boobs. That took several minutes...and I am being generous here. I listened to music for a long time!

Finally I get an officious sounding woman on the line. And believe me, I know officious when I hear it....since it is one my own favorite modes!

"What the heck is this $175 phone bill all about...?", I asked." She started to "look into the matter", to quote her highness, and determined that when I called last month to ask about a reduction in internet costs, the call centre drone at that time had cheerfully given me a $5 a month bundle discount...but had marked me as disconnected and then put a $100 reconnection fee on my bill. Huh? I moved house a year and a half ago and didnt go through this..so why after a simple call seeking a discount? The world is full of unanswered questions...

The error was found, of course. But why am I still ticked off? Because I still have to pay the $175 this month. The phone company can't credit my bill this month or it will "confuse" the billing department. This is what Miss Officious told m e. So whether paying the $175 this month is a hardship or not...tough cheese for me. I am supposed to get it credited back next month, and probably the following month. But what if I or another customer doesn't happen to have twice the amount of the normal bill just hanging around? No matter, the phone company gets my money, not to mention interest on the extra money that should have stayed in my bank account for another month. And I get not even an apology.

With the unemployment so widespread in this country, you would think those who are lucky enough to have jobs in this economy would at least do them right. Instead they penalize the very customers who keep them in work.

Sometimes You've Gotta Laugh...this wasn't one of those times!