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Bank
Statement Blues
by Peary Perry | |
I
don’t care what anyone says, life is tough. You roll along everyday
trying to get things done and have some sort of peace and quiet, but then bam,
out of the blue something just manages to dump on you and ruins your day.
Now, I’m not talking about some major catastrophe or illness, nothing like that.
I’m talking about one of those little sniggly things that we all have to deal
with from time to time that make no sense and eats up a lot of time that we could
use elsewhere to do something like have fun, or play golf or walk or read a book.
Case
in point.
Last week, I was looking over a bank statement for our general
account at the office. I happened to notice a charge for $28.90 to a national
internet service provider (ISP) who I won’t identify, but whose name starts with
an “A” and ends up with an “L”. This wouldn’t have been any big deal except that
we had just got through looking for a company to use at one of our offices out
of state. I wasn’t aware that we even had an account with these people.
I started checking and come to find out no one knew anything about this or why
we were being charged.
I first called the internet company and tried
to find out what we were being charged for, but without an account number they
couldn’t help. Or should I say, they wouldn’t help.
I then called the
bank and found out they had no idea who charged it since they had an authorization
form on file from the ISP to deduct the $28.90 from our checking account each
month and send it to them.
Well, as you can see this is going to be a
problem. I then called the ISP and get an opportunity to speak to someone who
is closer to New Delhi than I am. I’m thinking this guy should be in bed about
now, since it has to be early in the morning over there and he’s probably talking
like this since he’s sleepy, but no matter. He can’t help since I don’t have the
aforesaid account number and he can’t tell me why my account is being drafted
and how it got started since he doesn’t have the paperwork, which is at their
offices somewhere in the United Sates, which he isn’t. All he can tell me is that
I don’t have any service, but while I’m on the phone would I like to sign up for
their special?
I am getting very frustrated, because I am trying to explain
that I don’t need the service….I just need to know why they are charging me and
who authorized the charge in the first place and how did they get my bank account
numbers?
Once again, he can’t tell me since I don’t have an account number,
but he can get one for me if I will just tell him how I want to pay for it….never
mind that I am already paying for it and don’t have it. He wants me to pay for
another account and then he can talk to me about my new account. I finally obtain
the number of his supervisor in the United States and call him to discuss this
account that I don’t have.
From this person, I am directed to the fraud
unit. They are able to locate my account, which has been closed since 2004 but
is still being paid for from my checking account, but they cannot tell me who
opened the account and gave them drafting instructions to withdraw money each
month. They said it was against their policy to disclose this information. When
I told them it was my account and I wanted to know why they were drafting on it,
they said they could only tell me if I had a court order to do so.
Now,
isn’t this great?
Here
I’ve been charged nearly $360 bucks for a year and the company taking the money
needs a court order or a subpoena from an attorney in order to tell me why they
have been charging me in the first place. So what would that cost? More than the
$360 several times over. This makes no sense at all, does it?
I finally
hung up in disgust, called my bank and had them stop the drafts from being honored
(another $25) and asked them if this happened very often.
“Every day”
was the answer.
I know from experience that the local cops and district
attorneys wouldn’t do anything even if I could prove someone illegally signed
me up for something that cost me $28.90 a month. They have bigger fish to fry.
So my efforts to secure justice are a pipe dream.
This is a result of my
stupidity for not watching my statements each month. Do you? It’s your money and
there are folks out here trying to take it away from us.
© Peary
Perry
Letters From North America
- February 1, 2006 column
Syndicated weekly in 80 newspapers
Comments go
to pperry@austin.rr.com | | |
