So last week I was on the phone with the electric company. They had left a message that my service would be shut off the next day unless I paid my bill in full. I explained to the young woman that, being self-employed, my checks don’t always come in on a regular basis. Could she extend the shut off date for two weeks? She gave me an unequivocal no. Well, could I pay a portion of the bill now and the rest in two weeks. "Ma’am you would have to pay 75% of your bill -- $600, and I can’t guarantee shutoff would be postponed." Ok ... was there anyone else there with the authority to postpone shutoff for two weeks?
That’s when I heard, “Ma’am, there is no one here who can help you unless you make a payment of $600.” With her tone, I almost expected her to add, “so stop whining #$*&@”
Really? A company that received a rate increase recently giving them an additional $100 million in revenue and with whom I had been a customer for 35 years wasn’t willing to help me? Somehow I didn’t think this particular phone representative was a reputable spokesperson for the company, so I made another phone call – to the Board of Public Utilities. And just let me say, the utility company will now be getting the partial payment in two weeks and the rest will be put into a special payment plan for 6 months. My thanks to the gentleman at the BPU and the lovely lady in customer relations at the utility company.
I have to wonder why this just couldn’t be done first time around instead of wasting everyone else’s time, and raising frustration levels? Surely there’s a lot of truth to one rotten apple…..
“No one here can help you” are not words I’m accustomed to hearing. Obviously I’ve been spoiled. My friends and family would bend over backwards to do whatever they can to help in any situation. For the past 16 years I have worked in some capacity for the Church, and in spite of the consistently negative press, I was always confident that if I needed help I would get it, and I was never disappointed.
But struggling financially puts you in a place where people are not always so quick to be gracious or generous. You are often treated rudely, with disrespect, and with a real lack of concern. When you can’t pay your bills, suddenly your status changes.
Years ago, when I was writing for a Catholic newspaper, I interviewed a number of homeless men at the Catholic Charities shelter. It was a trailer, actually, with bunk beds arranged neatly throughout, and a small kitchen and office space. The men had been business men, teachers and laborers. One was an engineer. Some had been dealing with family issues, which made a sudden decrease in salary a death knell. For others, there were medical issues and mounting bills.
I remember walking out of that trailer and thinking to myself, “This could happen to me; to any of us, really.” Then I was thinking of the material losses. Today, I am thinking about the loss of respect and dignity. Thank God, Catholic Charities was able to provide some help during a tough time and, most especially, help those men maintain their dignity. At least these few didn’t hear, “Sir, there’s no one here who can help you.”
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