But I just paid!!

[Pinkie]

So I work on a call center for a local utility company (gas & electric) and I got the following call today.....

SC: You got it!
Me: That's right!

SC: I just brought my 2 year home from the hospital, and you guys turned off my power again (this is where I knew it would get interesting...)

Me: I can help you with this, may I have your address and name please?

**I get the standard information then let her know I'm taking a quick look at the account...While scanning the account, I see that just 6 weeks ago, she was turned off and arranged for social services to pay $1100 to get her service back on....at the time, $1100 was just the past due and not the full balance. She is now two months past due again. **

Me: Well Ms. SC, I see that your service was turned off today for non-payment.

SC: You've got to be kidding!! (I just love it when they say this!) I **JUST** paid you guys $1100 to get my service back on! I haven't even received a bill!!

Me: **At this point, I explain to her that we've sent two notices by mail (she claims she never received) and we tried to call twice (her phone number changed and she didn't notify us) She also goes on and on about how **SHE** just paid us $1100!! I point out that at the time her service was restored, she had a remaining balance of $XXX.XX and that it's been **6 WEEKS** since then and if she hadn't received a bill, she should have called us.

THEN, she says those magic words again....

SC: But **I** just paid you guys $1100!! My daughter is sick, what am I going to do??

Me: Ma'am, I show that **SOCIAL SERVICES** paid $1100 to get your services back on 6 weeks ago, and I suggest that if you need electric because your daughter is ill, you contact social services as soon as possible because your service will not be restored until $XXX.XX is paid in full. Deposit and reconnection fees are **NON-NEGOTIABLE** Is there anything else I can help you with?

SC: <gasp> ......<click>

I guess I told her!

[Becks]

Ah, the SC timewarp. Be afraid. Very afraid.

:howling in the distance:

[myswtghst]

Way to go you for calling her on it and not caving in.

[karma_gypsy]

SC: But **I** just paid you guys $1100!! My daughter is sick, what am I going to do??

You should have paid the bill in the *first* place instead of buying hair dye and cigarettes. . .



Honestly, she has a sick child at home and she isn't capable of paying her bills on time (or even kinda late)? What kind of irresponsibility is that?

[BookstoreEscapee]

Honestly, she has a sick child at home and she isn't capable of paying her bills on time (or even kinda late)? What kind of irresponsibility is that?

Well, there is the possibility that the sick child is why she doesn't have the money to pay the electric bill...but then if that was the case you'd think she'd try to explain that and see if something can be worked out instead of just yelling "But *I* just paid you people!!"

[Pinkie]

Well, there is the possibility that the sick child is why she doesn't have the money to pay the electric bill...but then if that was the case you'd think she'd try to explain that and see if something can be worked out instead of just yelling "But *I* just paid you people!!"

I've become so jaded at this job, that I have a hard time believing she even has a sick child. Looking at her payment history, 4-5 payments are made each year, and they are always large amounts, which leads me to believe that agencies are always getting her out of a tight spot. She's not making any effort to pay. Not even small $20 payments. I have a lot of customers in similar situations, and they at least try, they call us, make arrangements....not like some of the other deadbeats I deal with.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I've become so jaded at this job, that I have a hard time believing she even has a sick child. Looking at her payment history, 4-5 payments are made each year, and they are always large amounts, which leads me to believe that agencies are always getting her out of a tight spot. She's not making any effort to pay. Not even small $20 payments. I have a lot of customers in similar situations, and they at least try, they call us, make arrangements....not like some of the other deadbeats I deal with.

Well, that changes things...I would imagine the people who really are legit are the ones who try to calmly work out a solution...

[friendofjimmyk]

Yeah, that's the problem being on your side of the situation - well, not necessarily a problem, so to say - but you have access to her account which means account history too and you can see what has been going on. I, too, would have a hard time buying the sick kid bit when she has a history such as hers.

When I was a mere roadside assistance call taker, I loved the folks that tried to pull fast ones on me when I had all this information in front of me and try to treat me like I was the one in the wrong!!

[MrSunshineState]

I've become so jaded at this job, that I have a hard time believing she even has a sick child.

Ding ding ding!! Exactly!

[CancelMyService]

SC: I just brought my 2 year home from the hospital, and you guys turned off my power again (this is where I knew it would get interesting...)

That's what pisses me off, it's always the company's fault someone's service gets shut off, those little pieces of paper that come in the mail with dollar amounts on it that get ignored have NOTHING to do with it.

[greensinestro]

SC: You've got to be kidding!! (I just love it when they say this!) I **JUST** paid you guys $1100 to get my service back on! I haven't even received a bill!!


SC: But **I** just paid you guys $1100!! My daughter is sick, what am I going to do?

I love these quotes being I also get them every day. First, these people always think that because they made this nice, huge payment on a huge past due amount, nothing else can touch them. And then, when they bring their kid into the equation, it makes you want to say something like "Well, why didn't you think of this before?" In many of these cases, people either are using their child as a bargaining chip because the child is not even sick, or these people are making up an imaginary family to get the rep to cave in to them.

Also with the I never received a bill bullshit, these again are the people who believe that because I never received the bill, it discharges me of any obligation to pay, let alone it discharges me of the responsibility of calling the company to find out why I never received it. You know they received it, and you also know they received the past due notices, but these people always pull this one to buy time. I'm sure they got all of their other pertinent mail.

A few years back, in the Miami area, they had a story on the news about a woman whose electricity was shut off and was on oxygen. She even had the news crew brought in to her home to show this on TV, but the electric company still did not cave in. During an interview, a spokesman for the company said that this woman was consistently late with her bill and would pay it only after she received a notice regarding this. She not once called up about it; she just paid the bill. And, not one time was there any mention about her having a medical condition, nor was there anything about this woman being on oxygen. This was finally brought to the electric company's attention only after she lost her power, and only after she decided to get the media involved. Some people also thought she somehow scraped up the oxygen tank and other equipment, then faked being on it. We'll never know for sure......only she and probably a few of her scheming buddies know for sure.

[Mongo Skruddgemire]

Indeed. one time when I was out of work and I finally got a new one I made a deal with the electric company to pay off my $500 arrearage by tacking on an extra $50 per month till it was paid. The company agreed and I paid it off in 10 months.

I made an effort and I was nice about it. YOu know...that whole flies with honey thing.

M

[Banrion]

IA few years back, in the Miami area, they had a story on the news about a woman whose electricity was shut off and was on oxygen. She even had the news crew brought in to her home to show this on TV, but the electric company still did not cave in. During an interview, a spokesman for the company said that this woman was consistently late with her bill and would pay it only after she received a notice regarding this. She not once called up about it; she just paid the bill. And, not one time was there any mention about her having a medical condition, nor was there anything about this woman being on oxygen. This was finally brought to the electric company's attention only after she lost her power, and only after she decided to get the media involved. Some people also thought she somehow scraped up the oxygen tank and other equipment, then faked being on it. We'll never know for sure......only she and probably a few of her scheming buddies know for sure.

If ALL she had was an oxygen tank then yes, I call BS! Oxygen tanks do not require electricity. The reason those who need oxygen need to have a stable power supply is because when they are home, and free to be tethered to a small area, there are machines that can take normal air and concentrate the O2 levels to a theraputic point. THESE are what use electricity. Bottled oxygen can get pretty pricy, so if it is a constant need, you get the machine, and in my experience insurance will usually cover it. You only use the bottles to travel. You also still have the responsibility to notify the utility companies that loss of power and/or hear could have serious life threatening consequences.

[greensinestro]

Got that right. When I worked at Bellsouth, the same policies came into effect. If you were a person with a handicap or life threatening ailment, it was up to you to notify the company so they would not shut your service off completely. Or, in other cases, such as blindness, you still had to notify the company regarding this so you would not pay an additional charge for operator assisted calls.

I can understand getting upset if you have done everything in your power to prevent incidents like this. However, if you've decided to wait until the company shuts you off because you simply did not think they would really do it, then retaliate by bringing a news crew into your home and so forth, well, you've done it to yourself. And what is even more sickening are the people who use their children, ie "My son is on life support" when he really isn't, those people should be shot down.