Fun with the Folks in Accounts Receivable
Remember that day back in April when I got a check for $744.31 in the mail and couldn't figure out why?
Well, we figured it would be foolish to actually deposit the check unless we knew for sure that it was, you know, not a hoax.
So we called.
And we asked.
And were told that, in fact, it was not a hoax.
And that we could, in fact, deposit the check.
And that no one would try to take it away from us.
You can see where this is going, right?
A bit more background: The nice man at the hospital explained to us that the check was for the $784.31 hospital fee that we had paid on egg-retrieval day, minus $40.00. Turns out that my insurance company paid the hospital all but $40.00 of its fee, which is why it refunded the difference to us.
OK. Makes sense. (Except for the part where the insurance company sends the money to the hospital instead of to us, but we didn't quibble.)
So we deposited the check.
Then, a few weeks ago, we got a bill from the hospital for the forty bucks. (I confess that I did not leap to pay this bill.)
And a week later, we got another bill from the hospital, this time for $784.31. (Good thing I hadn't leapt.)
And tonight I got a call from the hospital about the $784.31.
What did I do?
I said, in my friendliest, most credulous voice, "I'm so glad you called." (How often do you think the folks in billing departments hear that?)
Then, in the nicest possible tone of voice, I related the chain of events and explained that I wasn't about to part with seven hundred-plus dollars when I had no confidence whatsoever that I actually owed it.
What did he do?
He put me on hold.
He stared at his computer screen.
He came back on the line.
He stared at his computer screen some more.
And then he agreed that I didn't owe $784.31.
And said that I owed only $40.00.
And told me that he'd send me a bill to that effect.
I reminded him that I already had a bill for $40.00.
Plus the one for $784.31.
He said, "This will be the FINAL bill."
"Promise?" (OK, I was laying it on a bit thick. But can you really blame me?)
"I promise," he said.
So I'll wait for the second $40.00 bill.
And then I'll call back and convince them that I don't owe that either.
(Because, in fact, I don't.)
Well, we figured it would be foolish to actually deposit the check unless we knew for sure that it was, you know, not a hoax.
So we called.
And we asked.
And were told that, in fact, it was not a hoax.
And that we could, in fact, deposit the check.
And that no one would try to take it away from us.
You can see where this is going, right?
A bit more background: The nice man at the hospital explained to us that the check was for the $784.31 hospital fee that we had paid on egg-retrieval day, minus $40.00. Turns out that my insurance company paid the hospital all but $40.00 of its fee, which is why it refunded the difference to us.
OK. Makes sense. (Except for the part where the insurance company sends the money to the hospital instead of to us, but we didn't quibble.)
So we deposited the check.
Then, a few weeks ago, we got a bill from the hospital for the forty bucks. (I confess that I did not leap to pay this bill.)
And a week later, we got another bill from the hospital, this time for $784.31. (Good thing I hadn't leapt.)
And tonight I got a call from the hospital about the $784.31.
What did I do?
I said, in my friendliest, most credulous voice, "I'm so glad you called." (How often do you think the folks in billing departments hear that?)
Then, in the nicest possible tone of voice, I related the chain of events and explained that I wasn't about to part with seven hundred-plus dollars when I had no confidence whatsoever that I actually owed it.
What did he do?
He put me on hold.
He stared at his computer screen.
He came back on the line.
He stared at his computer screen some more.
And then he agreed that I didn't owe $784.31.
And said that I owed only $40.00.
And told me that he'd send me a bill to that effect.
I reminded him that I already had a bill for $40.00.
Plus the one for $784.31.
He said, "This will be the FINAL bill."
"Promise?" (OK, I was laying it on a bit thick. But can you really blame me?)
"I promise," he said.
So I'll wait for the second $40.00 bill.
And then I'll call back and convince them that I don't owe that either.
(Because, in fact, I don't.)
posted by Jody Rosen Knower at 4:23 PM
2 Comments:
Jody,
LOL.
:)
now if anyone wrote that into a play, the audience would say "awwww, c'mon!"
man, you can't make this stuff up! too funny.
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