Cash Grab...Why Me? "Law Of Attraction"

Im sitting here quietly composing a "Thing's To Do List" for the day...or perhaps till the end of the year...or just in general.  There is so much to do at the Wolverton House.  I have one sitting on my table everyday.  If the phone rings, I add messages, write little notes or just doodle while on the computer.  But today  instead of jumping into a project, I started to think about all the things that I have done over the past six months to dodge those people and/or companies that are after the fast cash grab.

For those of you who dont know, I closed down my bridal business 18 months ago.  In that time I have desperately tried to tie up all the loose ends and pay out all the outstanding debts occured during the last months before, during and after the business closed.

I am hoping that today is the day I can say, all debts are settled and no more hands out to take.  I am constantly wondering why there are always, "Hands In My Pocket" to grab that last dime.  For instance, let me describe some of this year's "Grabs".

I will start with my experience in the summer.  It was August, I was driving somewhere (?) and the cell phone rang (yes I am in the car with a phone to my ear).  It was the local utility company letting me know that I was going to have my electricity and water services shot off by morning if a payment of $1,200 was not paid immediatly.  Not a good statement to hear while driving.  I managed to temperarily loose focus of the road and looked at the phone thinking she had the wrong person.  So composing myself briefly, asked the obvious questions.  Unfortunately she had the right person who lived at the right address.  Afterall, I own the Wolverton House, and, well, there is the "law of attraction" to grab money. 

I know I have been paying my bill faithfully and recently discovered that these services were getting more expensive each month.  I know I am using a heat gun daily to remove paint or water to wash debrie from the floors, but this was way too much to be sitting on an outstanding debt.  I told her I would call her back immediately when I returned home.  I wanted to look at my bank statements and IB receipts first.

So I collected these papers and called her back immediately.  It would appear that all of my payments that were paid through the bank machine were being redirected to the old account...our previous address of almost 2 years past.  At that point, I scooped up my bank stubs and utilitie receipts and marched down to the bank.  Flagging these papers in hand, and a few unfavored colourful words asked "what the f~!@ where they doing with my payment".  The girls polietly ushere me to an empty office where we sat to unravel this mistake.  I run a B&B and what would the guests think coming to a house with candle light and chamber pots, not to mention the boiled grass soup and dandilion salad for breakfast.  The manager phoned the utility company and explained that it was their error and they would deal with it and I went home.

The next day I called the gas company, and sure enough they too were showing a delinquent payment to the account.  Another visit to the bank, and yes, they immediately escorted me to an empty office before I uttered more colourful words.   But this time, they had no record of where they posted the payments.  I had my receipts and this was for them to correct.

September I decide to revise my debt load and decided to cancel my Moneris system.  This is the little machine that everyone is familiar with because it swipes credit/debit cards and takes your money at the retail level.  I had one for the bridal business and kept it as it was convenient for the B&B business.  I worked out the math and discovered that it was costing me 35% of my profits and made the executive decision to shut it down.  That seemed like a reasonable thing to do and with a simple call to the service center I was going to have it cancelled.  I had a pleasant conversation with the respresentative that said it would be cancelled by morning.  She want to explain that there would be a charge of $300 to cancel the account.  "What!"  I asked if I could have the account transferred to the B&B business instead.  So we chatted about that and discussed the details of having the company name changed.  It would be as simple as pulling up the existing account and typing in a name change.  The bank account, and all details would remain the same.  The rate would drop also because of the business differences.  So I decided to do this and all was arranged.  She went on the explain that there would be a charge of $300 to set up a new account.  "What!"  "This is a cash grab".  I had to think about this or...just react..."I want to speak to your supervisor".  I asked for my original contract to verify that I had signed an agreement that would get my money 'coming and going'.    However, in the meanwhile from the first conversation, Moneris had already put out the request to debit my "newly closed" business account for the $300.  Of course there was no money, there was no account.  The bank forwarded this debit the the master card service that held the business line of credit account.  But I had recently cancelled the credit card too.  Low and behold....hands in my pocket again!  The bank (with signed contract in file) had the ability to set up a new credit card account, activate it and bill the card for $300.  I was screwed...damed if I did and damed if I didnt.  Now there were flamed shooting out my nostrils.  I called the bank..."sorry, no can do".  I called the credit card company..."sorry, we have your signature".  I called Moneris and started going up the corporate ladder until finally the upper management agreed to credit my "non existing business account" with $300.  Three weeks later they finally send a cheque for $256.  Where is the other $44?  Dont know, dont care, I will run with what I have in hand.

So life is good again.  Hubby and I decide in October to pay out all credit card balances and life with cash only.  This sounds like a very practical plan to work out of debt.  What we cant afford with cash we cant have.  Makes a lot of sense.  We write out three cheques, one for his, two for mine (personal and business).  I put both cheques in the same envelope and mail them out immediately.  The end of October I get two statements; one is paid in full, the other, same big balance with interest,.  "What!#$%^%^"  Im on the phone again asking what they did with my "big" cheque to pay the account in full.  They dont have it because they are suggesting I didnt mail it or it got lost in the mail, or some other excuse.  "sorry", I said, but both cheques were in the same envelope.  Now I am really concerned and dont want to pay any more money to the bank than I have to.  It is a cash grab everywhere I turn these days.  I tell them to put a note in file that a second cheque is in the mail and to hold the other when and if it is found.  The end of October I receive the new statement.  They cashed both cheques! and I have a huge credit on the account.  No @#$ way they are keeping this!  So I phoned again (this is now a full time career for me).  They promise to issue a refund cheque, and it came 10 days later....with a new statement asking for $13.34 because payment was late.  F#$% this and fired off a cheque to get this out of the way for ever. 

Statement arrived friday....$25 service fee and requirement of minimum payment of $10.  Guess what...more nostril flames and a call to CIBC credit card services!  Roger answers, listens to my lengthy story and...sorry mam but you owe this amount for having an invalid account for this auto payment plan.  I explained that in October the card was paid off...etc, etc.  Sorry mam, you will have to pay!  So I hung up and immediately called the 800 number back, knowing a new operater would answer.  "Hello Neil", I said and explained how angry I was becoming and I wanted to be reimbursed for this terrible error on CIBC's part.  He put me on hold and....disappeared.  Im slowly turning into the Green Hulk and decided they were not going to get the better of me, I was going to call back a third time.  Tammy answered this time.  She listened with empathy and said, yes, they would reverse the charge of $25.  Sorry for the inconvenience and have a good day.

Life if good today!