Statement on Statements

I'll admit it: I'm not a huge statement-reader. Part of that is because they're, well, boring. And part is because I tend to spend more than I care to admit, even to myself, and statements put it out there in black and white.

But last month, my credit card got hacked. Someone stole the number and started charging airline tickets to Thailand and Egypt on it. My card provider caught the charges, shut the card down, and issued me a new one.

Case closed, right?

Not quite. Because today, I decided to go online and read my statement. And lo and behold, I was never credited back for those charges.

A quick call to the card company seems to have fixed the problem--they told me to expect credit by next Tuesday for the fraudulent transactions. But it reminded me how important diligence is when things like this happen. Even the bank can't be trusted to do their jobs, sadly, and if I hadn't checked up on it, I'd have paid an extra $700 that I never even charged.

I learned my lesson. I'm a diligent statement reader, as of today. I hope you'll follow me.

Bad Policies

Two days ago, we got our first electric bill for the new/old house.

$427.

That sound you heard was my head thudding against the floor as I passed out. 

Once I woke up, I thought about things. We have a gas furnace (high-efficiency to boot), gas hot water heater, gas dryer, gas stove. And we weren't even living in the house for three of the four weeks included in the bill. The house is bigger than our last house (where the Pepco bills ran about $50 per month this time of year), but not massively so. It's about 2,000 square feet--not huge by any stretch.

Yesterday, I called Pepco. And spoke with a very nice lady who told me she'd put a hold on the account and launch an investigation. Said it would take three to four weeks. And when I asked her about the history of this house, told me the bill was high, "but not that high."

I thought about things some more. Had a bit of a panic attack, actually, wondering how we were going to afford this and still save for retirement and college and the things you save for while you're younger and working (you are saving for those things, right?) And then I called the previous owner of the house; Pepco doesn't know we were neighbors for nine years.

"Oh no," she said. "Oh no, no, no." She said her bills ran about $40 per month this time of year, and never reached $400, even in the heat of the summer. 

She also said the same thing happened to her during her last month in the house. She got a massive electric bill, called about it, and got a credit for almost the full amount. "Honestly," she said, "I don't think they know what they're doing."

I went and got the bill. Now, here's the kicker. The electric meter is about 10 years old. The reading on it was about 2,200. Pepco claims that last month--when we weren't even living here--we used an additional 725 units of power. That's nearly one-third the power that was used in the preceding decade. I think not.

That's where we are. I'm waiting for either a credit against my account, or World War III against the electric company. And I hate this.

One Woman's Opinion

Dear Starbucks:

First, start lowering the prices. $4 for a bit of espresso and some milk is awfully steep, even in good economic times.

Then, stop burning the coffee. Holy bitter, Batman! Turn that oven down a notch!

Turn the music down. Hard to chat when the stereo is blasting, no matter how good the tunes might be. 

And look out, my friends. Caribou is right on your heels. And this coffee lover far prefers both their beverages and their atmosphere.

Love,

Kim

And Then There Was Light

We moved Saturday.

Hoisted the big TV onto the wall, flipped the switch...and nothing. *heavy sigh*. Pulled it back down, checked the wiring, flipped again. Nothing.

Called Verizon. They said someone would call me within the day to set up a time to come out and service our connection.

That didn't happen.

Called the next day. Same spiel. Someone will be there.

Still didn't happen.

By now, I'm annoyed. I'm not a huge TV watcher, but I am paying for this.

So today, I called again. This time, a real tech (as opposed to Some Guy Off The Street) answered the phone. "The solution," he said, "is simple. They have you in here as having a DVR system. And your box can't read that signal." He said he'd call me back in half an hour.

Know what?

He did it. Miracles do exist. And when he called back and I flipped the switch, I had a TV picture. Multiple channels, even. On both TVs.

Needless to say, I thanked him profusely and asked who I call to recommend him for a promotion or raise or the Medal of Valor or something. I also asked him for his direct phone number, for next time.

More training, Verizon. If the guys who answer the phone can't solve simple problems, tech support is useless. And since they're the customers' gateway to your company, you can guess the impression they're making on the people who pay the bills. 

*click* Hello. This is...

Less than a week to the election, and know what I'm hearing a whole, whole lot of?

"If I get one more of those automated calls from somebody running for office, I am going to scream!"

The FCC did away with automated sales calls a whole long time ago. That's a good thing--they're annoying, time-consuming, and ineffective marketing. I have no idea why political candidates think they're a smart way to get the word out and collect votes. 

Does anybody even listen to the whole messages??

I'm going on the record as being in favor of a ban on all automated phone calls--sales, vote-getting, charity soliciting, and otherwise. At the very least, I'm in favor of candidates using some common sense and avoiding the dastardly things. If you want my vote, show me you can think a little bit.

Raise Your Hand If You're Not Here

I swear this is true.

I just got a letter from the US Postal Service confirming my change of address/mail forwarding information. The last line of the letter is:

"If you do not speak English or do not understand this letter, please take it with you to your local post office for assistance."

And they wonder why we joke about the post office...

Time

I screen contractors carefully. I ask for references, post about them on listserves, and check Angie's List and the local Better Business Bureau before I hire anyone. Generally, that gets me good quality work.

It's not getting me a lot of respect, though.

I'm having hardwood floors refinished this week. Three days ago, the guys left samples of colors on the floor. Two samples. Gee, thanks. We didn't like either. 

Yesterday, the sales guy was supposed to meet me at the house at 8 to see more colors. Mind you, I don't live there yet. So I went over, turned on the heat, and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Shortly after 9, I called him. "Oh yeah," he said. "The guys aren't there yet?"

Uh, no. Besides which, you were supposed to meet me. Not your guys. You and I were getting together to look at colors. 

Around 9:20, he pulled into the driveway.

I realize an hour and twenty minutes isn't the end of the world. But it's time I could have used to pack more stuff, make some money, or work on other things. Besides which, it shows a complete lack of respect to schedule an appointment and just not show.

Shockingly, the phone number he used to make sure I'd sign the contract would have worked to reach me to say he wasn't coming. You know?

It's really a turn-off, this kind of shoddy customer service. The floors look beautiful, but guess which company I won't recommend?