Yesterday, I was talking a walk, listening to a podcast of The Clark Howard Show. During the show, he talked to a caller who got a letter from a collection agency. The man was certain that he did not owe the debt, as he is meticulous about his credit. In the usual boiler-plate text, the letter explained that the man has 30 days to dispute the validity of the debt, after which the collection agency would continue in their attempts to collect it.
Although the call wasn't about the validity of that 30-day dispute window, it was that part that got me to thinking.
I'm terrible about opening my mail. It's never anything I want. If I could "unsubscribe" from the U.S. Mail, I would. I keep my bill payments on auto-pay, and I subscribe to the "average-my-payments" utility plans so I don't usually need to look at bills. A mere clerical error could cause such a letter, which I would ignore. It would only be months later that I would be likely to discover the damage, and while I probably could eventually fix it, it would be much more of a hassle.
A few weeks ago, I gave Lucy and Desi their flea treatment -- it was my last vial of Frontline Plus. I save about 60% on it by ordering it on eBay, and I buy a year's supply at a time. I tried to pay for it, and my credit card was declined. Hmph! I dug out my debit card and paid using it, instead.
My card should not be declined! I'm not near my maximum, I hardly use the thing. So, I logged on to the Credit Union's website which also confirmed that I'm not near my maximum and that I hardly use the thing. However, going back a couple of months, there are two charges that I didn't make. One says "ORANGE (AE EQ 02) EQUIPMENT" for $445.03 and one says "ORANGE (AE PG 02) PAY AS YOU GO" for $20.23. There is also an International Transaction Fee for each charge.
I've been sick -- way too sick to travel. What the hell is Orange? Turns out that Orange is part of FranceTelecom specializing in mobile phone service. This apparently was the purchase of some phone equipment and pre-paid service.
On a credit card, you have 60 days to dispute a bogus charge, which I have now done. What most likely happened was that my Credit Union put a hold on my account when they saw the international charge, suspecting that it was used illegally. Still, I called the Visa Lost/Stolen Card Toll-Free number, and told them that my credit-card number was out there having a great time without me.
I vow that I will always open my mail every day. In fact, I'll probably move the shredder to a new spot for this daily duty, (next to the toilet).
Although the call wasn't about the validity of that 30-day dispute window, it was that part that got me to thinking.
I'm terrible about opening my mail. It's never anything I want. If I could "unsubscribe" from the U.S. Mail, I would. I keep my bill payments on auto-pay, and I subscribe to the "average-my-payments" utility plans so I don't usually need to look at bills. A mere clerical error could cause such a letter, which I would ignore. It would only be months later that I would be likely to discover the damage, and while I probably could eventually fix it, it would be much more of a hassle.
A few weeks ago, I gave Lucy and Desi their flea treatment -- it was my last vial of Frontline Plus. I save about 60% on it by ordering it on eBay, and I buy a year's supply at a time. I tried to pay for it, and my credit card was declined. Hmph! I dug out my debit card and paid using it, instead.
My card should not be declined! I'm not near my maximum, I hardly use the thing. So, I logged on to the Credit Union's website which also confirmed that I'm not near my maximum and that I hardly use the thing. However, going back a couple of months, there are two charges that I didn't make. One says "ORANGE (AE EQ 02) EQUIPMENT" for $445.03 and one says "ORANGE (AE PG 02) PAY AS YOU GO" for $20.23. There is also an International Transaction Fee for each charge.
I've been sick -- way too sick to travel. What the hell is Orange? Turns out that Orange is part of FranceTelecom specializing in mobile phone service. This apparently was the purchase of some phone equipment and pre-paid service.
On a credit card, you have 60 days to dispute a bogus charge, which I have now done. What most likely happened was that my Credit Union put a hold on my account when they saw the international charge, suspecting that it was used illegally. Still, I called the Visa Lost/Stolen Card Toll-Free number, and told them that my credit-card number was out there having a great time without me.
I vow that I will always open my mail every day. In fact, I'll probably move the shredder to a new spot for this daily duty, (next to the toilet).
Current Mood: 
calm
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