Cable company billing my credit card incorrectly
By blog on May. 23, 2009.
I have a rather good cable deal. My phone which runs off my modem, TV, and broadband internet access, all with the same company. This is all well and fine with me. I also have a credit card, which I have to use to pay my cable company – one of the company’s stupid rules. I pretty much only use this particular credit card for paying my cable bill.
More than once I have been offered higher credit limits on this card, but I have turned them down, and kept a limit of just £1000. I suppose that I am a bit cautious, and figure if the card is just there to pay my monthly cable bill, then there isn’t any need for a higher limit, and in the case of someone getting a hold of it, it isn’t nearly as bad as it could be. I do, however, keep it in my wallet for emergencies, unlike my other credit cards with higher limits on them. See, cautious.
The other day I was logging in to check my account online, and happened to check that particular card too. I found it overdrawn with nasty bank fees on to of that! First thing I did was check that the card was still in my wallet. Yep. So what the heck was going on!? I then took a look at the transaction history, and saw to my shock, that my cable company had charged me £1128! 88| Now, keep in mind, I pay for cable internet, cable TV, phone line and calls. This has never been more than £150 per month, ever. I looked at the bill the company had sent me, I don’t bother doing this usually until the end of the month when I transfer money from my normal account to pay off my credit card bill, and it was only £128. Bingo, there’s your issue. Someone had input the wrong figure as the billed amount, two 1’s, leading to all this mess.
I got on the phone with the company right that minute, and after being on hold for 36 minutes I finally got a hold of someone in billing, who went to check it out. I was on the phone for over an hour, all up, and spoke to that initial person, their manager, and then that person’s manager, and in the end, I was reimbursed for the overcharged amount, the nasty bank fees, and 20% off that month’s bill. I think it was the barely restrained anger over the phone that made them throw in that extra bonus.
Anyway, I will be keeping a closer eye on these bills in the future, but I suppose, all’s well that ends well.
Category: Technology