The Cable Bill
I picked up the mail last night but didn’t open it. Good thing I didn’t, or I might have had a little freakfest at 2:00 in the morning.
So I opened the cable bill this morning, hoping that I’d paid it last month but not remembering if I had.
What was staring me in the face? A bill for $642.30. A cable bill for $642.30.
I immediately thought, “OMG, didn’t I pay this last month?” “No, wait a minute, for it to be that high, didn’t I pay it for the last two months?”
I looked at ‘Balance from your last bill’ and it was $0. Yes, I was good, I paid it for the last few months. Then I looked at wireless services – you know, my son’s cell phone. Wireless services total – a mere $530.72.
I looked at the page with all the phone calls listed on it, it said $389.35 total. I added them up myself and the charges came to $40.35. *whew* Oh, they’ve just made an error, I thought, so I phoned up Rogers, waited on hold for the usual 15 minutes and finally spoke to someone.
I asked what this was all about. I said something to the effect of, “WyTF would the charges be $500 when the total here is $40.35?”
She asked if I was looking at all the pages, that was just one page. I said, I’m looking at page 7 of 7 – there are no other charges listed on any other pages. She said there were other pages and I said, “how can there be other pages when it shows that I have 7 OF 7 – wouldn’t it then say page 7 OF 8? or 7 OF 10?”
No, she said, the other page is 7a. I said that I didn’t have page 7A, just page 7 showing the charges.
She told me to look at the front page where it showed that my son had gone 588 minutes over his allotment of 50, and 829 minutes over his evening/weekend allotment of 1000.
I told her to mail out the other pages. I just can’t fucking believe that I’ve got a $500 and something cell phone bill that I have to pay before November 2nd. I know my son won’t have the money to cough up. That’s almost a week’s pay to pay for his cell phone bill.
I changed the plan. I would have cut it off totally but I figured I’d never get paid. I’d tell him he had to pay this now and he’d say he didn’t have it and I’d have Rogers up my ass telling me to pay off the cancelled account right away.
I switched his plan to 700 day minutes and unlimited evening/weekend minutes for $57 a month. But when I look at page 7 of whatever, they’re all long distance calls that total the $40.35. So his plan is going to cost $57 + long distances plus taxes.
To switch this over into his name would be a few hundred dollars because of his credit rating. I’m going to be working at this new job starting next week and the money I thought I’d be making to try to pay off my overdraft will be going to pay off a cell phone bill that’s not even mine.
I hate life. I can’t seem to win. I don’t know WTF I’m supposed to be doing.
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Comments
Sons, yep I have two, twice the costs. Although to be more accurate son2 has racked up bills that eclipse that of son1 by thousands.
The only option is to stop paying for his phone. Make him get his own pre-pay and then he will begin to understand the reality of his usage. It hurts and there will be screaming and name calling, but in the end it is better for both of you. As for the car situation, I don’t lend my car to my kids, if it costs to transfer the Rego, so what you don’t have the on-going speeding tickets red light fines etc. and they learn when the cops take-away their license. son 2 was within one point of losing his due to speeding tickets and driving a car with no wof.
Tough love, but its best for him.
Don’t be such a girl, oh I forgot you are one 
Trust me with boys its best to begin saving for these extra’s from the age of two.
idiotonastick
Minna
Dave Barker
I used Moneris for over two years. I recently terminated due to a merchant compliance requiremen t – Moneris began...
Maria
just another
Female, taken, fire, Sagittarius, Monkey, Toronto, two kids, one grandson, IT.
55
is the new 30. I want the world to close their mouths when they’re eating or chewing gum. If they don’t, I want to elbow them in the face.
Hi.. me again. Sorry to hear about your rogers bill troubles. I have been readin’ your blog for last month or so and I decided now would be a good time to say ‘hey’. Read you soon.