Complaints

about Chase Bank have inspired me to relate a financial glitch of my own.

I seem to keep having problems with my Verizon cell phone bill. I try to pick a plan that will fit our needs, only to find we're 500 text messages over our limit (damn kids!) or have used too many minutes. At one point I thought I might have to declare bankruptcy over my cell phone bill! JK, but still.

So I finally got a plan that seems manageable, but every nearly every month the bill is more than I think it should be. I then have to delve into the cryptic details of my phone bill. I've had to call to find out what a mysterious "data" charge of $9.99 is 3 or 4 times now, it's been a cell phone subscription to some "service" that none of us ever knowingly signed up for! Like a horoscope or weather report, but we don't actually receive any service. And every time I have to dispute this charge and send a STOP message to a certain number.

So I'm alerting anybody who reads this blog, that apparently there is a way for these services to force through a subscription to a phone number, and get that "service" onto your phone bill!

------------

Then, the other day I noticed that our Charter bill was too high. It suddenly jumped $60 higher, and I called to see if we had exhausted our previous contract with them. I got someone who sounded like she was in India, and she kept asking me security questions and repeating everything I said. This drove me crazy!

In the end, I found out that our contract did indeed run out, and the price for our current services jumped $60. I asked her if there were any new contract specials that would be more affordable. She came back and said all she could find was that if we upgraded our internet service, we could have it for the same price of $60 higher.

I said no, we didn't need better internet service, what we need is a lower bill! She advised me to try again later in the month, when more promotions might be available. I told her I was disappointed, and would have to check with AT&T now.

So I got onto the computer, and checked out AT&T's specials. The only problem is that they only offer DirectTV, and K doesn't trust satellites. The only other option in our area seemed to be Charter.

Then I checked out Charter's web site, and found that they had plenty of packages that were more affordable than our current $60-inflated rate. So K called Charter back, and asked if we could get that rate instead. The agent said she had to check and see if we were eligible, and luckily she found that we were.

She checked on some specials, and it seems that if we were to upgrade to DVR, our rate would go down to the previous affordable rate! Also, we were able to add a set of channels we were supposed to have LAST time, for $10 more a month.

So somehow we ended up much better off than before, for only $10 more a month! I finally get DIY and BBC back! Now I can watch crafting shows and Footballers Wives again!

The Girl keeps saying, "I haven't seen this show in a year!" Plus now we can record things to watch later, just like 80% of the rest of the country.

Yay for the internet, and perseverance.