Check Your Bill…
April 17, 2009
I know a lot of businesses are struggling right now. Some may be tempted to “start bending the rules” just a bit, violating my own personal guidelines of not doing anything in my business that’s illegal, immoral, or unethical. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, but recently it’s become more and more difficult. Let me explain…
It was spring break from high school last week, so my wife and daughter went up to New York for a “girls-only” trip to visit family. We had booked a car for her to pick up at the Albany airport for four days for a total of $101.65. Not bad – a little over $25/day for a car.
But when they arrived at the counter, the agent handed Lorie a contract indicating a total price of over $240.00. Without missing a beat, she stood up ramrod straight, and said in an almost defiant voice, “Uh uh – that’s not even close!” She then produced the printout of the confirmation showing the correct amount, at which time the agent apologized and said that he didn’t see the discount code in the record when he printed the contract.
Okay, innocent mistake #1.
While they were enjoying the beautiful “mid-30s and sleet” weather of upstate New York, a similar situation was unfolding down in “sunny and mid-70s” North Carolina…
When I had broken my foot last year and wanted to get back running as quickly as possible, the doctor had recommended a “bone-growth stimulator” – a device that uses ultrasound waves to speed up the healing process. But when we checked with the insurance company to see if it was covered, we found out that we’d be on the hook for about $1,200 in deductibles and co-pays. I told them, “thanks but no thanks,” I’ll just take my chances with the normal healing process.
The manufacturer of the device then called us to say that if I wanted to use the device, it would be covered at 100%. Well, this was good news. Just to be sure, I confirmed – about five different times – that we wouldn’t have to pay even one dime for the machine, and the person on the phone confirmed this.
So you can imagine my surprise when I received a bill from the manufacturer for $741.53, While leaving several messages with both the manufacturer and my doctor, I continued to receive bills, each with more urgency (and an increasingly threatening tone) – three bills, to be precise.
When I finally got through to them, they apologized and said it was an error. The next day, they called me back from the doctor’s office and said the manufacturer had some rule where they had to bill the patient three times before they could write off the balance.
Innocent mistake #2. Or was it?
You see, no one told me about the “three bills and you’re out” policy. Had we not been paying attention, or if it hadn’t been for such a large amount, it might just have slipped into the “bill pay” pile and gotten paid – for an amount we weren’t even supposed to be charged!
And had Lorie not been alert and attentive at the rental counter, she would have been on the hook for more than double the correct amount for the car.
There’s an old expression that says, “If one person calls you a horse, you figure he’s a fool, and send him on his way. If two people call you a horse, you assume they’ve been drinking, and laugh it off. If three people call you a horse…buy a saddle!”
In just the last week, we’ve had the equivalent experience of “two people calling us a horse.” When it happens a third time, I’m going to assume these situations – and others like it – are being done deliberately to try and squeak out some additional revenue.
The bottom line for you: assume nothing – double check everything. It’s probably just an innocent mistake, but you never know…
Comments
One Response to “Check Your Bill…”
Got something to say?
Ron:
Are you sure this won’t show up somewhere in your credit report? I’d be very leery of a “write off”. I had a simular experience where I got a bill for a piece of equipment that was supposed to be taken care of by the insurance company. I inquired as to why it kept showing up on my report after the medical problem was long over. There was nothing in the paper work that indicated that this piece of equipment was rented and they were still billing for a rental. We finally got it taken care of but you need to check to be sure it is not “written off” against your credit.