November 6, 2010

Timely Bills

Some of you readers might remember I wrecked the wife's SUV back in January. It was on January 7, 2010 to be exact. The car was totalled as I slid off an icy snow covered country road and hit a telephone pole. Fast forward to yesterday.

I brought in the mail as I usually do and threw it on the table. I refuse to open the bills.  In the stack was a water bill, a bank statement and our telephone bill (do not even ask why we still have a land line...it is a long disagreement around here). The wife came home from work and opened the bills. When she got to the telephone bill she cried a WTH? Then she started laughing.  AT&T billed me for the telephone pole. The have given me thirty days to cough up $1,239.23 or they are turning it to collections! This is the first statement we have received. It only took them TEN MONTHS to bill me.

I called Geico. The very nice claims specialist told me the claim was closed in May. She read over the claim report and said they had tried to contact AT&T for months.  The record showed over THIRTY phone calls, and three letters (including one certified) to find out what my insurance owed and to pay the claim. She told me to send them the bill and she would take care of it.

AT&T does not have time to bill debts, they are too busy calling me, sending me letters and coming to the door several times a week trying to get me to sign up for their AT&T Universe. Sometimes they have come twice in one day. I told the asshole last time if they come to the door again I was cancelling all my phone service.

Very long-time readers might remember that before AT&T bought Ameritech, I had repeated problems with AT&T "slamming" my phone bill charging me for long-distance service I did not sign up for. If I were to make a list of the worst companies in America, AT&T would be pretty high on that list.

We got some snow flurries last night, enough to stick on the grass and top of cars. It melted soon enough, but the reality of fall and the coming winter was sent home. I guess the Christmas displays in the stores do not seem so out of place when it is snowing.

Have a great Saturday.

3 comments:

  1. Finally got rid of AT&T. Will be glad when Verizon get the Iphone but might have to go Droid happy. AT&T coverage in SC sucks big time.






    James Old Guy

    ReplyDelete
  2. To get rid of the landline, I have to buy a wireless extender from Verizon as I have poor reception at the house. It serves as a mini cell tower and connects through my internet connection, which is DSL through: ATT.
    AGGGHHHHH.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I got rid of my land line about three years ago. Haven't missed it at all. I just used it for a backup connection to my remote servers and FAX, and with the stability of my broadband connection, (I prefer Cable over DSL) I no longer needed it. With a scanner and PDF stuff...no reason to have one.

    Many people don't like AT&T, but I've been using 'em for over 20 years...no problems, but I'm not one to change plans to save 5 bucks a month. From Seattle to Miami and San Diego to Bangor...Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. I'm also on the national "no call" list, and it works with the exception of an occasional mis-dial. I'm damn near invisible. 99.99 % of my calls I will take.

    Also, I don't do Facebook...if I want to find someone, I can find 'em.

    You can lose your land line without a bump.

    ReplyDelete