I hate calling the companies in which provide services. For example, the satellite people who are by far the very, very worst in my book. But also the phone company, who comes in a close second for complete lack of logic. Although they are illogical, they are at least pleasant, and they figure it out in the end.

Not so long ago the remote to the tivo just stopped working. And, well. That was a problem. I called the satellite people, they said either wait a week for them to send one for $15 or go to Best Buy and buy this [specified] kind. I went to Best Buy. Brought it home, didn’t work. I called the tech support people, and was on the phone for forty five minutes before he said that the remote was bunk, I should take it back and get a new one. And I did, the next day. Only to have the same problem. I called technical support again. This time, after a good half-an-hour the girl said that I was an idiot and I was trying to use the wrong brand remote. Only it wasn’t the wrong remote, it was the one they told me to buy, THEIR brand. Twice. Then a half-an-hour later she decided that the best thing to do was just send me a new tivo box with a remote already programmed. I said fine, for fucks sake.

A few hours after that, I threw the remote. And it worked again! Hurrah! When the new box came, I looked at it, thought that it was a pain in the ass to have to reprogram lists and lose saved movies, so I didn’t hook it up. There was a letter saying that I needed to send back the old box. The one that we bought. I called again, and said do I really need to send it back? Because I paid for it. It should be mine. The person said, why yes indeed, you did pay for it, no, don’t send it back.

I thought all was well. Only on the statement I later received, I found that I was charged $200. For the box. That they said was mine. That I had already paid for. So I called. Again. This time I was pissed. And the girl had this sassy voice, “Well, MAYAMM” and I was so frustrated I almost cried. Finally I got a manager, he said that he’d send out a prepaid box for the new receiver that we aren’t using, that he would take me off direct payment so that when the bill was due I wouldn’t pay the $200 and that the charge would be taken off when the box came back. I felt better.

I packed up the box. And the bank statement came. They did not take me off automatic payment, and they took $250. Without my saying it’s alright. In fact, with me very overtly saying that it was not alright. Again with the raging pissed. And another call. Only to have them say that yes indeed, they did get the box, but their system is not set up for refunds, my account would be credited for $200. Sorry for the trouble MAYAMM. Gah. So much frustration. How can a business, a major national corporation not be “SET UP” for refunds. Seriously, I cannot be your only dissatisfied customer with fucking service like this! I finally hung up, because I couldn’t take it anymore. I wasn’t pleased, but four “free” months of TV. ( insert some heavily rolling eyes, because say the word free as much as you want kid, it’s not free, I paid.)

But guess what, I got a bill this week. Because now I am off automatic payment, after they took the money in question, and there was a TEN DOLLAR credit. So. I get my two hundred dollars divided up into ten dollar chunks, given to me once a month for the next two years? What the hell? I am getting a mother fucking allowance from them.