Friday, January 08, 2010

RIP OFF MERCHANTS

First off, we have a skip being delivered next week for the last of the junk.
Cost is $300.
Fair enough, it's a 4m bin.
But if we can't get it in the carport because it's lowered by a crane thingy and might hit the roof then we have to pay $65 to the council for a permit to park it on the nature strip for 24 hours.
If we don't then the bin man gets fined $200 and so do we.
I'd pay for a permit for a week but 24 hours?

Now if anybody finds a cache of redbacks would they please send them to the head office of AGL.
If anybody deserves a delivery of angry redbacks that bunch do.
I rang on the 29th of December to order a final meter reading for gas and electricity on the 15th of January. I know they told me they needed 3 working days but I decided to give them enough time to get their heads out of their backsides to do the job.

All the call centre had to do was put in the request to stop the direct debits and put a stop on all other payments (bill smoothing) until after the 15th when I received the final amount.

Too easy, I should have known.

They removed three bill smoothing amounts from an account that didn't have enough money.
Two of the amounts were rejected, insufficient funds.
They then took out 24 direct debits on the 31st of December leaving the account $681 in arrears.
I fired off an email to the bank demanding an explanation.
On Tuesday 24 direct debits were reversed.
I then had an email that said they couldn't get me any information because my name was not on the account and my PoA was only registered at the local branch.

AGL was next because yesterday I received 24 letters from them each one telling me the same thing, that they were terminating the Direct Debit service because my payments were not being processed by my financial institution.

The mature age call centre lady had enough brains to demand a supervisor immediately to clear up the mess including the amount of money they demanded for the inconveniance of dealing with me. I now have until the 14th of February to pay all accounts.

I had no problems with the insurance, in fact I had a $7.07 credit from them
I had no problems with SE water.

After all this, I'm not going anywhere Myki until Koskey the Klown hands me my ticket personally.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Of all you mention, South East Water is brilliant. Ah, still government owned, funny about that.

Skip last time I enquired, $35. It was 1982.

Jayne said...

Bloody skips cost a fortune these days.
Yay for SE water!

WV =sursnest...sounds nasty ;)

Elisabeth said...

It's not just the cost of the skip as far as I know that's the issue, it's the business of getting rid of whatever you fill the skip with. That seems more of the problem and why they charge so much.

Though that news is hardly of any comfort for you at this time, I suppose, with all those added costs.

Good luck with it all.

Chris Grealy said...

Direct debiting never has a happy ending...never. I won't do it.

R.H. said...

AGL? Boy that's hard to read, it gave me a headache, worst pain since The Way of the Pear.

-Robert.
Racist.
Misogynist.
Homophobe.
Meat eater.

JahTeh said...

It gave you a headache, Robbert, what do you think it did to me? My hair is falling out and when did you become a racist?

Chris, the problem is getting someone at the call centre who isn't up to speed. The 2nd lady I spoke to was older, had been there for some time and she went straight to the supervisor.

Elisabeth, I don't mind the cost of the skip, it's the cost of the permit if it's not on your property. The nature strip is not technically your property but try not mowing if for 6 months and the council starts screaming.

Jayne, it's made my sister very happy, she's got her way but she's on her own to fill it. I'm still having trouble remembering who has keys to the house. I think I've only missed the next door neighbour who was on the Mepacs help list.

Andrew, I thought they were all private now? Isn't that the reason our water bills are going up because we've been so good with saving water, they're not making enough profit.

River said...

The trouble with skips is neighbours sneaking up and dumping their rubbish into it while you're inside raking out the living room.
As for AGL, there's plenty of redbacks in my yard, most of them in places I can't reach, but if I manage to catch a few I'll send them straight on, okay? What's with the 24 letters?? That's just crazy! Do their departments not talk to each other? (probably not..)

R.H. said...

I became a racist when late one night I was sitting at the end of Gellibrand pier with Mr Mad King Geoff and Murderess Trish C and Trish C said let's pinch a boat and sail up the Yarra and I said I'd like to fly the Skull and Crossbones as we pass all the shitheads strolling along Southbank and she said you're a racist.

R.H. said...

It was Ferguson Street Pier.

Sorry darlings, I get them mixed up.

Beautiful at night.

JahTeh said...

River, the neighbours are welcome to it as long as we can get it into the carport without knocking the roof off.
I spoke too soon about SE water, they took another direct debit out on Thursday. What does it take?

'Shitheads' is racist? If it keeps going on like this, I'll have nothing left to swear with.

Middle Child said...

God almighty - what a mess - guard that skip bin..all the neighbours will put their dead husbands and dogs in if if you are not vigilant or don't get there first


whats racist about shitheads...is it because shit is usually brown unless you eat too much beetroot and then ...it is red -

JahTeh said...

Aw thanks Therese, like that didn't come under the TMI radar.
These days I cannot get by without resorting to blasphemy AND VERY LOUDLY TOO.