I’m sure anyone who deals with customer service in a large company will recognize the chain of events that took place during a recent call I made to the phone company.
June 26, 2001, 2 p.m.:
CALL NUMBER ONE
OPERATOR: Hello, this is [name] speaking.
ME: Hi. I have a question. I was looking at my April phone bill and the total was $22. The amount of the bill comes out of my bank account each month. But when I looked at my April bank statement it looks like the phone company only took $20 out of the bank. I’m wondering why there’s a discrepancy, because I want to make sure that something like that doesn’t happen in the future in a worse way.
HIM: You have automatic debt?
ME: Yes.
HIM: I mean, automatic debit. Ha ha ha, it’s the same thing, I guess. (Pause.) Well, the amount of your bill shows $55.88.
ME: That’s this month. I’m talking about my April bill.
HIM. Oh, right. (Sighing.) It’s 2:00. (Pause.) Not that I can use that as an excuse.
ME: You can’t. You can say that it’s either too early or too late, but you can’t use 2:00 as an excuse.
HIM: But I haven’t had lunch yet.
ME: Well, I hope you have it. I’m tired, myself. It’s too hot to work.
HIM: It’s the heat that does it. Do you have air conditioning?
ME: Yes.
HIM: I can’t go back all the way to April. I can put you through to collections.
ME: Okay.
HIM: Well, thank you, Miss Lissner. Hold on one moment. I’ll transfer you to collections.
ME: Thank YOU, sir.
CALL NUMBER TWO
HER: This is operator [number].
ME: [I explain the situation again.] Not that I mind; I’ve saved two dollars, but if this can happen, then it seems like it could happen again, for a bigger amount.
HER: I can only go back to May. But May will show me the amount of the previous month. Let’s see. We show that you made a payment of $66.40.
ME: That’s the wrong month. It’s $22. The bill is dated April 13.
HER: Oh. Well, that’s your March bill. Your March bill is due in April. I can’t really go back that far.
[Long bout of silence.]
ME: I’m waiting for the part when you tell me who can.
HER: (surprised) Oh! Well, you can speak with direct debit and I’ll transfer you. (Pause). Miss Lissner, that line is busy. You can try that number for yourself.
CALL NUMBER THREE
2:15 p.m. Busy.
CALL NUMBER FOUR
2:18 p.m. Ringing….
HER: Verizon, direct debit, [name] speaking
ME: Hi. I was looking at my April phone bill and it says that I owed $22. But when I looked at my April bank statement it looks like they only took $20 out of the bank. I’m wondering why there’s a discrepancy, so that it won’t happen again.
HER: All the way back in April?
ME: Yes.
HER: I don’t know if I can go back that far. Let me check. What’s your number?
(I give it to her)
HER: Hold on, please.
HER: Hello, Ms. Lissner. (Pause). You got a credit on your bill, that’s why. It looks like you talked to customer service and you got $2.50 taken off and $4.50 taken off.
ME: That happened this month. I’m talking about a bill from April.
HER: I can’t go back that far. (Pause). You would have to check with the business office. But it looks like you just talked to them. It probably is a credit on your bill. I have nothing to do with what’s on your bill. I only have to do with what comes out of the bank.
ME: Well, why would the amount be different?
HER: I’m very ignorant, to be honest, about that part of the bill. You’d have to check with the business office, but it looks like you just talked to them. I think the service told you to call us in error. It would definitely have to be an adjustment because once the bills go out, if the charges get reduced, they only take out the amount that’s due.
ME: Oh. So you think probably they sent the bill out and then I got a $2 credit or adjustment before it got taken out of the bank. Do you think they would ever give me a credit themselves without telling me?
HER: I don’t know.
TIME: 2:24 p.m.
TIME ELAPSED: 24 minutes.
– Caren Lissner