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It all began when I tried to call the bookstore about an order I placed on the 2nd of May.
The book is still not here, although it was supposed to take six to eight weeks (or possibly eight to ten weeks) to arrive, but that's not important right now. What's important is that when I tried to call their main store number, I got a recording saying calls from this number are barred. 'How strange', I thought. 'I wonder why a retailer would publish a number on their website, but not let people call it.' So I called the number they specifically identified as their customer service number. Calls from this number are barred. 'Even stranger', I thought. 'And I wonder how they know it's me. I don't think I've ever called them before, so how can they be blocking my number?'
I sent them an e-mail about my inquiry instead, and I mentioned that I hadn't been able to get through on the phone, and they called me to say they were looking into the special order question but what was this about not being able to call them? Both those lines have been working fine, they said, and in fact they've taken incoming calls today, so if they were in my place, they'd see if something was maybe wrong with my phone.
'Hmm', I thought. 'I seem to remember that when B was out of minutes on his pay-as-you-go phone, he got a calls are barred recording when he tried to call someone -- but I'm on monthly now, so what gives?' I decided to try to call Queen P, who is out of town and whose phone is therefore off network, so I knew I wouldn't be bothering him with a dummy call.
Calls from this number are barred.
Right, then. Off I go to the Local Wireless Carrier website, to see what I can find out about my account. It turns out that my account has an overdue balance of £73.06, as a result of which online access has been suspended. All I can do online is pay the bill. No, I lie -- I can also arrange to have future bills paid by direct debit. But not, I suspect, until I have paid this one. I can't, for example, look at the bill, to see why on earth it is so high. £73.06, y'all. That's a lot of money. (about $130, according to today's exchange rate according to www.xe.com.) My plan is £25 a month, and (a) I've only had it three months and (b) I paid last month's bill two weeks ago, so WTFF, right? How can the current bill be £73.06 ( -- and how can it be overdue when I haven't even received it yet? )
The problem, he says, is that this doesn't seem to be an address. As far as the system is concerned, it's not an address. And I've had the account such a short time, there are flags going up now. Okay, I say, but this is my address, and my difficulty is, if you don't change the address, ( I don't get the bills. )
It's only a minute before I decide you know, I'm going to ask the guys at the store about it tomorrow when I go in to pay the (£29.76) bill. And once I've paid it, the block will be lifted, right? I won't have to wait seven to ten days? I'll have the receipt from last month, so someone will be able to show that I'm all paid up? Because if this doesn't work, you know I'm going to have to climb all around my building and find someone whose phone I can borrow again, since I CAN'T EVEN CALL CUSTOMER SERVICE TO UN-BLOCK MY PHONE when there's a block on it. Sean thinks so. It should be quick. And the guys at the store, I say, the ones who still do work there, they'll be able to tell me what's what and it'll be true and this whole thing will get fixed?
I'd think so, says Sean.
Well. You know, I'd think so, too, but that was before the time I went crazy and they put me in a rubber room.
The book is still not here, although it was supposed to take six to eight weeks (or possibly eight to ten weeks) to arrive, but that's not important right now. What's important is that when I tried to call their main store number, I got a recording saying calls from this number are barred. 'How strange', I thought. 'I wonder why a retailer would publish a number on their website, but not let people call it.' So I called the number they specifically identified as their customer service number. Calls from this number are barred. 'Even stranger', I thought. 'And I wonder how they know it's me. I don't think I've ever called them before, so how can they be blocking my number?'
I sent them an e-mail about my inquiry instead, and I mentioned that I hadn't been able to get through on the phone, and they called me to say they were looking into the special order question but what was this about not being able to call them? Both those lines have been working fine, they said, and in fact they've taken incoming calls today, so if they were in my place, they'd see if something was maybe wrong with my phone.
'Hmm', I thought. 'I seem to remember that when B was out of minutes on his pay-as-you-go phone, he got a calls are barred recording when he tried to call someone -- but I'm on monthly now, so what gives?' I decided to try to call Queen P, who is out of town and whose phone is therefore off network, so I knew I wouldn't be bothering him with a dummy call.
Calls from this number are barred.
Right, then. Off I go to the Local Wireless Carrier website, to see what I can find out about my account. It turns out that my account has an overdue balance of £73.06, as a result of which online access has been suspended. All I can do online is pay the bill. No, I lie -- I can also arrange to have future bills paid by direct debit. But not, I suspect, until I have paid this one. I can't, for example, look at the bill, to see why on earth it is so high. £73.06, y'all. That's a lot of money. (about $130, according to today's exchange rate according to www.xe.com.) My plan is £25 a month, and (a) I've only had it three months and (b) I paid last month's bill two weeks ago, so WTFF, right? How can the current bill be £73.06 ( -- and how can it be overdue when I haven't even received it yet? )
The problem, he says, is that this doesn't seem to be an address. As far as the system is concerned, it's not an address. And I've had the account such a short time, there are flags going up now. Okay, I say, but this is my address, and my difficulty is, if you don't change the address, ( I don't get the bills. )
It's only a minute before I decide you know, I'm going to ask the guys at the store about it tomorrow when I go in to pay the (£29.76) bill. And once I've paid it, the block will be lifted, right? I won't have to wait seven to ten days? I'll have the receipt from last month, so someone will be able to show that I'm all paid up? Because if this doesn't work, you know I'm going to have to climb all around my building and find someone whose phone I can borrow again, since I CAN'T EVEN CALL CUSTOMER SERVICE TO UN-BLOCK MY PHONE when there's a block on it. Sean thinks so. It should be quick. And the guys at the store, I say, the ones who still do work there, they'll be able to tell me what's what and it'll be true and this whole thing will get fixed?
I'd think so, says Sean.
Well. You know, I'd think so, too, but that was before the time I went crazy and they put me in a rubber room.
