wolfsbride (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
wolfsbride) wrote2010-01-25 07:57 pm
wolfsbride) wrote2010-01-25 07:57 pm
Day 25 - My Life is a Roller Coaster
I was tempted to post earlier today - round about 4:30pm because fool that I am, I thought SURELY NOTHING ELSE WILL HAPPEN THAT IS OF NOTE! I was so wrong. Let me tell an amusing tale.
This morning at 9am, I phoned the contact number for my file worker to find out what the next step is since I was denied an extension of my credit limit. My file worker was not in but the lady that answered said she could help me. So I explained what I had done so far and then asked her what the next step would be. So then she asked me what sort of payment schedule I wanted to propose. I said I'd like to pay it off by the end of April in seven post dated cheques.
That was my first mistake. Apparently, when they grab your money and run away with it, they do not consider that as payment against the balance owing. No. Whatever money they grab at the time is held. If you then choose to arrange payment, they make you pay the TOTAL BALANCE OWING and THEN they will REFUND YOU THE DIFFERENCE! This means they get to keep that original grab for as long as it takes you to formally pay it off.
IF, HOWEVER, you choose to ignore them completely and just keep letting them take money out of whatever account they have their claws into, they CAN ONLY TAKE AS MUCH AS THEY ARE OWED. Thus, they don't get any extra bits. I can imagine how many people this procedure encourages to phone and organize formal payment schedules. So, my payment schedule of seven post dated cheques becomes a payment schedule of nine post dated cheques.
In order to expedite this matter, I arrange to fax them copies of the nine cheques as well as a copy of the stamped Xpresspost receipt so that they can see I did actually mail them the cheques. The cheques will reach them in two days. The lady says that's great as soon as she gets my fax, she will call and have both accounts unfrozen. When I get off the phone, I am somewhat pleased. Nine cheques is more than I wanted to stretch it, considering the big fuss they made that I was paying them too slowly but I can handle that no problem.
A half an hour or so goes by. I'm feeling pretty up beat. This is the point at which I thought to post. Then a little voice said, wait a second. You should go check and see if the holds are off your accounts. I thought it would be the next day but the lady seemed to indicate that it would be a matter of minutes once she made the call. So I go to check.
I assume it was a matter of minutes, yes. A MATTER OF MINUTES TO CLEAN OUT MY OTHER ACCOUNT! I'm sitting in my chair staring at the big fat red zero showing that of the almost one thousand dollars I had in my account, I now have zip. Zilch. Nada. Null. NOTHING!!! I now have no money ANYWHERE!
I start to laugh. It's all I can do really.
So tomorrow, I will phone the lady to find out what the hell is going on because THAT IS NOT THE ARRANGEMENT I agreed to, nor is it the arrangement that was presented to me. I'm no longer optimistic. I'm fully expecting they will keep my money AND my cheques and what they will tell me is, oh well you have another lot of GST due at the end of June, we'll just hold this for that. I WAS making instalments against my 2009 GST but if that's going to be the case I will promptly cease and desist.
At this point and time, I just want them to release my account so my rent cheque doesn't bounce at the beginning of February. The one authorized payment I had on my account has already bounced and I'm already late paying my other bills so I, like Rhett Butler, no longer give a damn.
This morning at 9am, I phoned the contact number for my file worker to find out what the next step is since I was denied an extension of my credit limit. My file worker was not in but the lady that answered said she could help me. So I explained what I had done so far and then asked her what the next step would be. So then she asked me what sort of payment schedule I wanted to propose. I said I'd like to pay it off by the end of April in seven post dated cheques.
That was my first mistake. Apparently, when they grab your money and run away with it, they do not consider that as payment against the balance owing. No. Whatever money they grab at the time is held. If you then choose to arrange payment, they make you pay the TOTAL BALANCE OWING and THEN they will REFUND YOU THE DIFFERENCE! This means they get to keep that original grab for as long as it takes you to formally pay it off.
IF, HOWEVER, you choose to ignore them completely and just keep letting them take money out of whatever account they have their claws into, they CAN ONLY TAKE AS MUCH AS THEY ARE OWED. Thus, they don't get any extra bits. I can imagine how many people this procedure encourages to phone and organize formal payment schedules. So, my payment schedule of seven post dated cheques becomes a payment schedule of nine post dated cheques.
In order to expedite this matter, I arrange to fax them copies of the nine cheques as well as a copy of the stamped Xpresspost receipt so that they can see I did actually mail them the cheques. The cheques will reach them in two days. The lady says that's great as soon as she gets my fax, she will call and have both accounts unfrozen. When I get off the phone, I am somewhat pleased. Nine cheques is more than I wanted to stretch it, considering the big fuss they made that I was paying them too slowly but I can handle that no problem.
A half an hour or so goes by. I'm feeling pretty up beat. This is the point at which I thought to post. Then a little voice said, wait a second. You should go check and see if the holds are off your accounts. I thought it would be the next day but the lady seemed to indicate that it would be a matter of minutes once she made the call. So I go to check.
I assume it was a matter of minutes, yes. A MATTER OF MINUTES TO CLEAN OUT MY OTHER ACCOUNT! I'm sitting in my chair staring at the big fat red zero showing that of the almost one thousand dollars I had in my account, I now have zip. Zilch. Nada. Null. NOTHING!!! I now have no money ANYWHERE!
I start to laugh. It's all I can do really.
So tomorrow, I will phone the lady to find out what the hell is going on because THAT IS NOT THE ARRANGEMENT I agreed to, nor is it the arrangement that was presented to me. I'm no longer optimistic. I'm fully expecting they will keep my money AND my cheques and what they will tell me is, oh well you have another lot of GST due at the end of June, we'll just hold this for that. I WAS making instalments against my 2009 GST but if that's going to be the case I will promptly cease and desist.
At this point and time, I just want them to release my account so my rent cheque doesn't bounce at the beginning of February. The one authorized payment I had on my account has already bounced and I'm already late paying my other bills so I, like Rhett Butler, no longer give a damn.