It MUST be March Madness!!

{paper by Graphics 45}

(warning...a small but tasteful venting session ahead)

Has anyone
ever
had a "good" phone
conversation with one of our leading telephone companies??
I mean...
a really satisfied..".Gee I'm glad I called them" feeling?

Well, after spending over an hour
(75 mins. to be exact)
I was frustrated...
worn out
shocked

...did I mention frustrated?

Especially after listening to that
awful background music!!

Desperately trying to find out
WHY my 87 year old mother
had a charge of $ 257.87 on her phone bill.

It was....(are you ready for this one?)
My mother chose to use operator assistance to dial
a long time girlfriend in Ashland Massachusetts. Some how
she was connected to ....
Ashland MAINE. After giving her the wrong connection....
the operator then connected her
to the right one.
...in Massachusetts! The cost? "$200.00" !!! What?????? Really?????????????

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And you might ask Why such a steep, over inflated phone charge ( that of course had NOTHING to do with this Atlantic telephone Co.)
It was , in fact (per the customer service rep.) an "International call".

International?????? Maine is NOT international...like in another country...international!!!! (I said not believing what I had JUST heard!)

Yes...that's right folks! Who knew Maine was NOT part of the United States! She then added..."but Alaska is still considered part of the
United States. "
Whew! Now that's a relief!

After several bouts of Maine IS part of the US (and therefore this "International" charge is completely bogus!) with several replies of "No... (this Atlantic telep. co.) has a policy that it is NOT"
She finally said. "ok...it is part of the US...BUT...the charges remain the same"

(right about NOW...I want to just bang my head against the wall!) The "supervisor" comes on and I get transferred to billing.
I'm now listening to their terrible music; thinking about my Mother who only wanted a little help from the operator...to make a call to a friend back home and bring a little joy into her life. There in her little 3 room apt. in an Assisted Living facility, with a cat named Tibbs. (a FAT, long haired, Mr Wide body himself...cat). And...in a couple of weeks she will be celebrating her 87th birthday. Will it be phone less???!

In the end. The solution was simple and did not deviate from the initial reply of 74 mins. earlier. Pay the whole balance. Mother's phone line will be restored (for a fee of course...don't worry it won't show up until the next bill)...And life is good again! "Thank you for choosing %&*##@### and have a nice day" (I don't think she heard my reply b/c all I heard was a dial tone)

(BIG heavy sigh...) It's only money right?

But MAINE !!!!!

has departed from the US and is now INTERNATIONAL????!!! Where do they come up with this stuff??

OK...I'm done venting! Thank you for those that actually read all this. I'll leave you with a joke my brother made in reply to my rather long email regarding this conversation.

"...I'm sure you have heard that At&t wireless is buying T Mobile. Actually, it is a wedding....with no reception following the ceremony"

(HA!)
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