Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

$17,000 phone bill!

Collapse
This topic is closed.
X
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • $17,000 phone bill!

    Well these are sort of co-workers but I felt that this should go here.

    Ok almost exactly a year ago the library I work at the cleaning contract came up and a new company won it, let's call them "Buzz" cleaning. Now with only one or two exceptions the cleaners who clean all speak little to no english and were born in African country's. Now about 1 months ago the library noticed that there phone bill for the period of November - February was abnormally large by about $6000 in long distance including one $750, 13 hour long distance call , They determined that they we being made after hours and at first the library looked at us the security staff but quickly dismissed us because every long distance call was to places in Africa like Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya. Turns out one or more of the cleaners had been using a phone in the staff area to call long distance to family. The library decided to look back further and discovered that the calls started just after "Buzz" cleaning started and that the grand total in long distance calls was over $17,000 . After much pressure and threat of legal action one cleaner came foreword and claimed she thought she was using a phone card. So she will most likely get stuck with the entire $17,000 bill. feel a little bad for her as seeing I highly doubt she could of racked up such a high bill on her own and her "co-workers" are letting her take the fall

  • #2
    A few years back at the Medicine Hat, I heard about a pharmacist who was using company phones to call similar places. The thing is, there's no actual work-related reason to call other countries, since we cannot transfer prescriptions internationally.
    Osoroshii kangae nimo osoware masu...

    Comment


    • #3
      Don't feel bad for her, she made her bed and can lie in it. And personally, I think Buzz cleaning should get stuck with the bill. It'd be hard to force a cleaner to come up with that kind of cash.

      A hotel I used to work at had a similar problem. Mysterious charges started showing up on customer's room bills and always to the same country. We found out a housekeeper was making calls when she was supposed to be cleaning rooms. I feel for the poor guests getting stuck with those outrageous phone bills before the hotel clued in.
      A lion however, will only devour your corpse, whereas an SC is not sated until they have destroyed your soul. (Quote per infinitemonkies)

      Comment


      • #4
        Quoth Iris Kojiro View Post
        A few years back at the Medicine Hat, I heard about a pharmacist who was using company phones to call similar places. The thing is, there's no actual work-related reason to call other countries, since we cannot transfer prescriptions internationally.
        One of my coworkers ran up the office phone bill calling betting tip lines. He genuinely didn't know they charged huge amounts per minute

        He's very good at his job, and well liked by the manager, which probably helped him keep his job. He did immediately pay back all the money of course.

        Premium rate calls aren't barred from our phones. I know because I did call a premium rate number in the line of duty (The American Embassy of all places for an elderly client having problems with a visa. Quite a story there actually and I should post about him sometime).

        The manager doesn't know if international calls are barred I wanted to know to see whether I could call a client on their mobile. They were currently in the UK but the mobile was registered in Ireland. They can be made from the phone of the coworker in the first story though - he does need to call abroad sometimes (does immigration advice and needs information from various embassies etc).

        Quoth bainsidhe View Post
        Don't feel bad for her, she made her bed and can lie in it. And personally, I think Buzz cleaning should get stuck with the bill. It'd be hard to force a cleaner to come up with that kind of cash.
        The person who made the calls should ultimately have to pay. But if I was the library (I'd have lots of books inside me and) I would want to take action against the cleaning company if possible for negligence in supervising employers or background checks or whatever I could argue. And hope to get a nice lump sum and leave them getting a pittance each month from a probably now unemployed ex-cleaner.

        Victoria J

        Comment

        Working...
        X