Okay. So here is the situation. Allow for sufficient backtracking.
In the beginning of June 2001, I had to relocate because my apartment building was struck by lightning, caught on fire, and suffered extensive fire/water damage. Because I had just signed another year's lease, I relocated to another apartment in the same complex. This apartment had a faulty phone jack.
This faulty phone jack, even though it wasn't being used, created a heinous amount of line noise. In July 2001, Ameritech came out and repaired the jack, for a total of $126 that appeared on my 25 July statement. I paid the entire bill, submitted it to my Facilities Manager, and was reimbursed.
On my 25 October statement, the $126 jack repair charge mysteriously reappeared on my phone bill. I called. The nice phone person marked that charge as 'disputed' and told me to continue to pay current charges only until the situation was resolved. In October, November, and December, I paid current charges. When I would call the automated system (because the charge was continually showing up as 'past due'), it would remind me that $126 was being disputed.
In January, I received a notice that if I did not pay my past due amount, I was going to be sent to collections. I have never, I do repeat never, been sent to collections in my entire life. I pay my bills, nearly without exception, on the day I receive them. I am, some would say, fanatical about money. So in January, I called Ameritech again. After many apologies for the long wait, I spoke to someone who identified herself as a manager who had me call the "Repair Truck Foreman" to verify that no one had been out to my apartment to repair anything in October. This was done, and I was assured (via three-way calling) that the credit would appear on my bill in 4-6 weeks and I would never have to worry about this again.
Three days ago, I received my 25 January statement. I paid, as has become my custon, the current charges - $75. (A. used the phone a lot this month, I guess.) Today, I received a disconnection notice. If I did not pay my past due amount of $126 (which was quoted as $48 in local charges and the remainder in long distance charges), they were going to turn off my phone on 11 February.
When I called today, I learned several things. First, every payment of my 'current charges' actually was paying back charges first, to the point that I was continually 'past due' rather than 'in dispute.' Second, my dispute period ended after 90 days and I immediately went to collections. Third, the Repair Department never removed the charge from my account. Fourth, my credit has already been smeared over this.
So today I talked first to collections, who transferred me to billing. Billing sent me to Repair. Repair told me that I needed the charge investigated by a "Repair Specialist" who will call me by 9pm tomorrow and tell me whether or not they will remove the charge.
In the meantime, I will get peeved about this smear on my credit history for a bill that I have religiously paid the day it arrives in my mailbox. The kicker? I don't use this phone line. This is A.'s landline, and I only use my cell. So I have a bill in collections in my name that belongs to me ex-spouse.
Charming. Happy Wednesday.
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