Thursday, November 09, 2006

The Walking Dead Have Dollar Signs For Eyes

Yesterday, I had a breakdown of miniature proportions.

It started when I realized I need to switch my student loan payment withdrawal from my California bank account to my Washington bank account but before I could do that I had to remember where I put the paperwork and even worse, which loan it was. Then I had to call the 800 number just to be told that it would take 30 days for the process to be complete and that I had to go on line and print the form out. How helpful.

The website makes you enter you "PIN" even if you just want a stupid form. I haven't been on that website in about 2 years so it goes without saying I couldn't remember my PIN or if I ever even had one. When you register for a PIN it takes 3 days and they email it to you. Awesome. So this process will take 33 days. Meanwhile, I am stuck depositing money into my California account for another month to cover the deduction. It takes at least 7 days for my check to clear when I make a deposit into my CA account from WA.
It is the SAME BANK, people.

I checked my mail and yet again my refund check had not arrived from my car loan company. I need that $200! So I call to investigate and a woman with the SHRILLEST voice imaginable scraped her words on the chalkboard of my mind. Pure inescapable pain. She informed me that the form I had downloaded and faxed over a week ago had not been processed because I had selected wrong payment to be refunded. Gee, it would have been VERY helpful had the previous, non-shrill voiced customer service representative clued me in on that. Apparently when I make a payment from my e-bill pay it goes through some company called "Check Free" and if I request a refund of that payment the check would have to be cut to Check Free. And I have to get some sort of bank authorization for that. Fuck. Fuckity. Fuck.

And so I begin the whole process again. Ah, the ease of customer service. Ah, the joys of being a financial nincompoop.

Don't get me started on the Lab that has -for four months- called and threatened to put me in collections for a bill I have ALREADY paid. And each time they accuse me of giving them my incorrect address. Hello! Idiots! I have received your bill and I have paid it. WTF?! Please bugger off.

I clearly haven't been focused enough on my financial situation because trouble is rearing up like dead corpses from the ground. The zombies of my debt are after me!

10 comments:

Mrs. Ca said...

Eek! Financial troubles are always a big pain, and don't even get me started on the student loan people and how inefficient they are. I had to call them every day for a month to get something cleared up once. Good luck on slogging through it all.

I suggest calling your mom. Whenever I'm about to lose it talking to my mom always makes me feel better.

Bone said...

Ah, Night of the Living Debt! I think I remember that one ;-)

I was harrassed by a collections agency a few years ago. Never received a bill from the original company (or threw it away because I didn't recognize who the mail was from). Just straight to a collection agency. That was fun.

matilda said...

As a former bill collector and now as sugary coated customer service rep for the same bill collector company....Let me just apologize in advance. We get crap pay, we are treated like donkey dong not only by the customers but also by the people who write our paychecks. We really are doing our very best. Or at least, I am. When in doubt, always ask to speak to a manager on duty.

Anonymous said...

I hate customer service reps. Hate.

Circe said...

Oh man, that so bites! I hope you get this snarl straightened out soon. TBC has tried to let our insurance company know our address has changed (haven't moved, just new numbers thanks to 9-1-1) and they cannot get it through their heads and keep sending bills to old addy. HELLO, we have "new numbers. Please get this updated before they quit forwarding and start tossing them."

Anonymous said...

i'm with matilda, ALWAYS ask for the manager! not that they can really fix things but, at least it makes you feel better talking to someone with authority.

JustRun said...

This reminds me of a joke that was told a lot right around the time the war started. It was something like "If they can't find Osama, they really ought to send the student loan people over there. Those bastards will find anyone."

Not exactly pertinent but I think it's a good joke, just the same. :)

Anonymous said...

at least you can pay your student loans... :(

Anonymous said...

How did you pay the bill? If by cheque, fax a certified copy of the returned cheque to them. Or a copy of your bank statement (with secret info blacked out). In other words, prove you paid them. Keep records of every call you make or receive, and all mail, regarding this issue. If you get no satisfaction, get yourself down to a university with a law school and get some free legal advice from students (many law schools run free clinics for folks without money).

Claire said...

You may be able to transfer money electronically from your WA account to your CA account. Or via their phone customer service. It'll still take a day or two or 3 to clear, but it should be faster than mailing a check.

I've been harassed for bills that I've paid too. It sucks. Jessica's got it right...keep track of all the calls you make, dates/times/names of people you talk to. I got better responses when I could recite my litany of calls/payments/etc. Good luck with it!