Grrrrrrr.... with a happy ending

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-05-2004
Grrrrrrr.... with a happy ending
Tue, 02-01-2005 - 3:17pm

Two weeks before the end of the year, I called to cancel my trash pick-up. We have several companies to choose from in our area, and our company was raising our rates $20 per quarter. So I called to cancel them as of December 31st, since I was paid up through then. They said it was no problem and someone would be out in a week or two to pick up their rolling trash can. At the same time, I called our new trash company and hired them. I figured all was fine.

Fast Foward to today. I called my old trash company to inquire when they would be coming to pick up their can, as a friendly reminder that it was still in my driveway. My jaw dropped when I heard the customer service lady say, "You cancelled service? We have no record of that. It shows here in our system that you're still active...but you're 30 days past due on paying us". I told her that I "had" called to cancel service, and that I had hired a new company the same day. She said that since it was my word against the computer's (Grrrrr....), I would have to have my new trash company fax a paper to them showing when my start date was with them...proving that I had actually switched companies before the end of the year. How annoying is this??

Luckily, my new trash company was wonderful about it, and they faxed over the paperwork needed. I called around lunchtime to my old trash company to make sure they received it, and they had. My account is now closed, with a zero balance, and I am on the list to have my trash can picked up. I inquired if their mistake could have ruined my credit somehow, and the man I spoke to the 2nd time around said that they don't turn anything over to collections until it's about 6 months late, so I was ok. My credit wouldn't be affected.

Talk about frustrating, though! I immediately called my long distance company (MCI) that I had recently cancelled, and made sure they also had a zero balance listed for my account. I'm going to start double-checking on everything I do over the phone from now on.

Glad it worked out well in the end, though. Whew! :-D

Pat