No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

My CT bank account received an e-bill for my Berkeley phone service, so I was re-locating my phone bill to come to my local bank, when I noticed that it's not in my name. Being the good person I am, I called the phone company to ask them to switch names on the account. They told me that unless I could find my ex's SSN or unless she called them, I would be getting a new phone number. Grr. So I emailed the ex and then went digging to see if I could find her SSN.

I called SBC again, they said "oh, we didn't see you have DSL service." Ex will have to cancel DSL, somebody will have to come out and unhook it. Then, after it turns off, I have to call and ask them to reconnect it, somebody will have to come out and re-hook it. AND the ex has to pay a $200 deactivation fee. AND I have to pay an activation fee. AND they don't offer multiple fixed IP addresses anymore. AND they don't have an international phone number. AND I leave on thursday.

I should have left well enough alone. It all gets paid on time and in full via e-bill. Nobody is getting harmed. But now ex will likely not want any of her credit dependent on me (totally reasonable) and I will be annoyed if I lose my fixed IP addresses. I've been paying for them for the last two years while I haven't been using them because I know I can't let go of them, or I won't get them back. I want to have servers in my kitchen.

So, my idea is that I will call on monday AGAIN. And explain that the DSL was originally under a business account (which is true) and this is a live-work space (which is true) and I acquired ex's business (which is true for practical purposes) and argue that the business has those IP addresses and they're mine now and the phone company should just change the goddamn name on the bill, to the name that has been on the checks (which they're happy enough to cash) for the last 2.5 years.

After that tactic succeeds, monkeys will fly out my butt.

The phone company has everything to gain by being jerks. They get $200 stolen dollars from my ex, they get fees from me and they get their damn IP addresses back, which I will never see again AND they get to jack up my rates for giving me less service. Bastards.

Tag: Celesteh