Phones make me sad

I got mad.

I yelled.

I was hung up on by one rep.

I hung up on the second.

The automated menu disconnected me once. Yes even that computerized man hung up on me.

Yeah, good times. The second rep even asked if I was on a cell phone because he was having problems understanding me. No, I am talking on my home phone through your company, so if you can't hear me, its YOUR fault.

So for the last hour I have been on the phone getting lectured about how the FCC is charging me for this streaming radio. Yes, that's why AT&T sent the bill. After all, AT&T is the government. Oh, no wait they are just a giant phone corporation.

Then I called the radio people. They said on June 20th (could not provide a time or an IP address) I, Rebecca, signed up for streaming Internet. I told them they were lying. I told them that the phone bill is in Daniel's name. The charges on the phone bill, are listed separate from the rest of the bill, and they say his name.

She read off my email address as if that was proof that I signed up for the service. Um yeah, my email address must have done that.

I took the address down for the company and I will be requesting the IP address and time. Its $.43 cents that will give them more paperwork to deal with, and that makes me happy. I am also tempted to send in a small claims court form as I read on the internet that someone did it and the company offered then $200 plus their refund to not file a court case. Also, I am pretty annoyed that they said that I had already been charged a second month and that it would likely take 2 months for the refund to even show up on the bills coming from AT&T.

That means I have to actually send in a letter with my payment stating that I am not paying for the streaming radio thing. By the way, its 700 channels Commercial free! I was so glad they told me, maybe I will go click on some junk mail so I can get signed up for it again.

I was also told by Linda #319 (that's what she said was her name) that I may have been signed up by filling out a survey online, or some offer for a free gift card. Well, now that sounds like one heck of a scam right there. Everyone knows that those gift card things are strange, and if they are going to be charging you they have to say so. I have read their privacy statements and their terms of service. I know. I sort of sounds like pfishing. Now granted our web history is maybe a month old, so I have no CLUE if it was or not.

I did file a complaint with the FCC though. I also stated that they said I was getting a refund, but I had not seen it, and I believe its fraudulent anyway. I even told them, that if they do get into some loophole, its still bad business practice.

I am drained. I want to shut down. I want ice cream. No, I actually don't. But I want to do something mindless. Perhaps play Final Fantasy. Perhaps even Daniel's game.

5am Rants for $15

Its hot. Hot enough that I woke up and couldn't sleep until I got a drink of water. That was over 30 minutes ago.

When I got downstairs the light from the computer that was left on beckoned me. Come, see the world.

OK, not really, but I figured I would pay our phone bill and see if we had any moeny to pay it with. I.e. Daniel who has been told he deserves a raise since January is actually expecting one. Now I checked with the bank, and I can't even tell if he got the raise or not. It seems to be more that the last few checks, but he might have done more OT. Well, expect an update on that.

Anyway.

Back to why I blog.

The phone bill.

It was $72. No, seriously, thats like almsot twice our typical cost.

So I began the whole, what the heck is my username and password to actually get the bill. I usually get the total from the email and pay them through bill pay, no need to look at the bill when its the same within $1 every month, right?

So I admit, I am partly at fault. You see, Rachel came home from her mission. I like Rachel. Call it good times/family bondage/memories. So yes, I racked up $20 worth of long distance in a month. ONe phone call was almsot $10. Thats pretty impressive actually.

But there was this other charge...for streaming radio??? What the heck. I googled "OAN Services Inc" because the bill lists them way after all the regular phone bill stuff. Its some third party company that seems to have been signed up for everyone with AT&T home service. Um, for real now thats fraudulent. I can also expect them to read off my name, phone number and address and email address as if I had set up the service myself. (well technically Daniel as his name is on the bill) I am not even that angry, but I do sort of want to call them myself and get angry. Its just too strange.

ok, its 5:15 and I am out.