Paying the Bills
When I lived in Canada paying the bills was not really a complicated process. You wrote a cheque to your landlord; you made a phone call to your bank or you signed up for automatic withdraw. Living in a foreign country sometimes makes the simple things complicated. SO goes our story with our internet bill.
For those who follow my facebook feed you may recall the day when we finally got internet set up in our new apartment. This was a joyous day, as we had waited over two and a half weeks and had made 3 trips to the O2 office, awaiting for this somewhat simple task to be completed.
On September 14th the peasants rejoiced over the functioning of our internet.
Usually when one receives a service the one providing the service seeks payment. We waited for a bill indicating this request for payment. October arrives and on October 7th our internet goes out. Surely this is a result of not paying the bill we had not received. So off we trek to O2, our internet provider, to speak with a service rep, the O2 guru they call them. He has so/so English skills, though his English is much better than my Czech. It is during this visit we discover that our internet interruption was not one of lack of payment, but a technical problem on their end in need of fixing. When asking for the bill they said it had not been issued yet. Well it wasn't a complete month since we had started so we will wait.
.... We waited....
End of October ... No Bill
Beginning of November comes.... No Bill...
So we trundled back down to the friendly faces at our local O2 store ... asking to pay our bill.
"Hmmm" says the O2 guru... (indicating there is no bill listed...)
"No Bill." "Internet is free!" He declares.
"Ummmm... that would be nice," I say.... "But No, nothing is Free." (Actual conversation)
This rep was surprised that we were coming in to try and pay our bill that we had not received. Apparently our behaviour was not normal in wanting to pay our bills. However, with past experiences with O2 I have learned that a missed bill, even when it wasn't your fault, could result in fines and we weren't willing to take this risk. So after he made a few phone calls we were assured a bill would come to us.
End of November comes... still no bill. Since I would be leaving the country for a month and I was the one with the name on the contract I wanted the bill payed before I left. So off we go again to see the same faces at the same office.
Still no bill is recorded on our account. Now this should have thrown up some red flags on their end. But nope. They thought it was stranger that we were still trying to pay! So a couple phone calls again and I am told:
" Someone who speaks better English will call you in about a week."
No one calls...
I leave on December 3rd to Canada.... no phone call... we wait....
I return from Canada on January 4th to discover no phone call and still no bill!
3 months... no bill... All we can think is how big this bill is going to be when we finally get it. SO the "pay the internet bill" tin can was started. This time I decided to forgo our local office and try one in the city centre where English speakers are more common. Just in case I bring a Czech speaking friend with me after school, although her services were not needed this time. We get to the teeny tiny office (room for like 5 people to stand in).
I am noticing a trend when after I share my story with this Guru he asks why I want to pay my bill. People don't do that he tells me.
*Unfortunately I missed this opportunity to share why I was different, beyond just being a foreigner. That I pay my bills because I love Jesus.
When he looks up our account he discovers that there is no bill listed. He also makes the comment that our internet must be free. There was another girl from the UK in the store, who bust a gut at this moment, because she and I had the same conclusion... nothing in this world is free!
He informs me he has to call the billing office but it closes at 5pm and it was 5:02pm.... so come back tomorrow before 5 and I can help you.
So with the 3 trips in September, and the 3 trips since September we are embarking on my 7th trip to the O2 regarding my internet woes.
7th time is a charm as this rep was willing to go the distance though he told me most normal people would just give up and if a bill ever did come they would blame O2 for not sending it sooner and refuse to pay. In my experience not only does this not work it is also wrong. I receive a service so I should pay for it. Perhaps a foreign concept.
In the end after 2 different phone calls and long waits on hold listening to elevator music we get an answer.
"An English speaking rep will call you." he tells me.
UGH!
However, this guy at the office was kind enough to inform me of the actual problem. After my contract was drafted another company is contracted to set up the internet. They are required to send paperwork to inform the O2 billing office as to when our internet was set up and when billing can commence.
Since our internet was delayed being set up in the normal time frame in the beginning, things got lost in the shuffle and this important detail never made it to the billing office.
Offices here never talk to one another. The right hand never knows what the left is doing.
"You could have had free internet forever." the rep informs me.
Indeed it could have been free. No one would have known. But we knew.
So it is a week later and I just got my phone call from O2. They thanked me for coming in and correcting their mistake. They would begin billing us from the 21st of November. SO we did get 2 months free internet.
However, I still haven't gotten a bill!
So we wait...
Reaching the 100th day of school is a landmark day that is longingly anticipated. In grade one we count up to the 100th day of school with great enthusiasm. We count the days, we chart them, we place a stick in the pocket for each day and we show different ways to make the number of the day until we reach 100 and then we celebrate!
