On Friday, I called the Sears billing services to inquire about the statement I received. According to their customer service, payment hadn't been received. They suggested I called the bank to see if the check cleared. So, I called the bank and, yes, the check cleared two days after it was issued. I got some additional information and called the billing services, again. This time, I got a really nice person who looked up my account information and asked me if I had another account with them. Yes, I do; I have a regular store account and their credit card. The purchase had been made on the credit card. Well, guess what? The payment had been applied to the other account! Why? I didn't have an outstanding balance on the store account. Human error, I guess. I don't know. I have to admit that I didn't verify that the payment was applied to the correct account when I went to pay the bill - I just assumed the cashier would apply the payment to the account specified in the statement! Next time, if there is a next time, I will ask them to verify the payment was applied to the proper account! Anyway, I was transferred to customer service and the person I spoke to assured me that the correction is being made and they will waive any late fees, etc. Yes, please.
I have one other bill I need to call about, from one of the doctors' offices, but I am waiting till Monday, on that. I can only handle one bill at a time.
On Friday, I was grateful for:
- Managed to get the bill and payment straightened out
- Helpful customer service people
- Tylenol for aches and pains
- My gardener friend tidying up the back garden for me
- Chatting with my daughter
Plans for Saturday include some housework, laundry, grocery shopping, and some cooking.
How was your Friday? What are your plans for the weekend?
It must have been a relief to get your bill payment sorted. I know I would have felt unsettled until I knew it was OK. X
ReplyDeleteJules, yes, it was a relief. I don't like being told I owed a payment when I know I paid it off in full!
DeleteI'm glad that you got the Sears bill figured out. My husband and I have separate credit cards (different accounts and different numbers) with the same company that were issued at the same time. More than once they have credited a payment to the wrong account. That is definitely human error, just not sure whose--mine or theirs. Annoying all the same.
ReplyDeleteI guess I was lax in that I just assumed they'd apply the payment to the account on the bill statement. Obviously, it was too much to expect. I won't make that same mistake again.
DeleteWell simple human error! I'm glad that was solved so easily. It is good the person checked to see which account it was applied to. Otherwise you'd still be in the dark. Now if that was done before you had to waste time calling the bank, it would've even be better! Good luck on your doctor bill. Andrea
ReplyDeleteYes, it would have been nice if the first person I spoke to at the billing services would have checked on the accounts for me. But, she didn't. I guess it was my fault for not saying I had two accounts and could she please check if it was applied to the wrong account. I didn't think to ask that, because it hadn't occurred to me that it could happen. Next time, I'll know. Next time, I'll call the bank first, to find out it the check cleared, and then, call the billing account! :)
DeleteI am the same way about handling only one thing at a time. I needed to call Dish Network about something but put it off for several days, because I knew the run around I would get. Same thing with the cell phone company... I hate having to talk on the phone for so long to those people. Glad you got your Sears bill figured out!
ReplyDeleteI hope you got your things settled to your satisfaction when you called, without getting too much of a run around, Penpen. I get all stressed when I have to call about these things, so, one call a day is all I can handle!
DeleteI guess common sense didn't apply. You would think they would apply the payment to the one you sent. I'm glad you were able to get it sorted out. It seems like you had to do all the running around.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend
The first customer service person sounded very condescending when I spoke with her. I guess they do get all kinds of stories from people claiming they paid when they didn't. The second person was much better, maybe because I started off telling her that I had checked with the bank and the check had cleared. Maybe I sounded more like I knew what I was talking about? Anyway, it was sorted out, and, I hope my next statement will show that it was all paid.
DeleteHope you are having a good weekend, yourself, and getting your photo albums done.
So sorry about the Sears bill mess up.. They have done me like that too..[Buying a mixer and bringing it back, at Christmas time.. oh my .. such an ordeal.ha]
ReplyDeleteI have calling about bills .. yuck.
Thanks, Judy. Hope you were able to get your account sorted out, too. What I learned from this is 1) make sure they apply the payment to the right account and 2) check with the bank to see if the check cleared before calling billing services.
DeleteI don't mind calling, but I resent the time I waste sitting through all the different connections to get to the person I need to speak with. I understand they are trying to save time with automated answering, but I usually have to go through all the options before getting to a human.
ReplyDeleteYes, the first time I called, I think I had to listen to some 9 options, before I got through to a live person. The second time, I just kept pressing 0 and got to a person fairly quickly.
DeleteWe had something similar happen when Sears repaired our freezer in August. I received a bill saying that we hadn't paid AT ALL and that we would be sent to collection if... I was not a happy camper. Because we had paid by check and it was cleared while the repair person still stood in our house. The first time I called I also spoke to someone who was incredibly rude and condescending. I actually needed to take a couple of days to get my equilibrium back before calling again. At which point I spoke to someone else who explained that they've had quite a few bad/incorrect bills go out and she took the time then to both clear up the account (it showed as cleared through Sears, but as outstanding through whatever billing department they use for collection services) and send me an email verification with her name.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad yours was cleared up fairly quickly!
Oh, Laura, I am so sorry you, too, had a problem with your billing! Who one gets at customer services makes such a difference, doesn't it? I am glad you got a helpful person on your second try.
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