I sometimes do too much, multi-task a little too zealously, i.e. ask my kids not to be gaseous in my office while I’m writing a love scene, or return phone calls while making a purchase online, or pay online bills while listening to voice mail. Sometimes the multi-tasking is relatively successful, and other times I’m just horribly frazzled.
Today was one of those long office days where I start at 8 am and am still at my desk 8 hours later taking care of business stuff and business emails and personal bills. At six I finally had to break to feed the kids who had climbed into the car and begun honking the horn in hopes of finally pulling me away from the computer and into car for the take-out dinner I’d promised.
The honking did get my attention. But so did this little online banking error.
I paid Allied Waste in June $99.70 for my bill. I saw I had another bill saying I owed $3.70 but not to pay because I had a credit. The credit confused me. I looked at bill more closely and in red ink it was stamped twice, CREDIT DO NOT PAY. Cool, I thought, I’ve got a credit. One more bill I won’t have to pay for another month.
And then just as I’m putting the bill away with my paid July bills, something catches my eye. A certain figure in the amount of 9,870. I look again. I’ve a credit of $9.870.00. Wait a minute. A credit of nearly ten thousand dollars?
A credit of ten tttthhhhhhouuuuuusand dollars? That’s more money than well, I have in my checking account right now.
Very confused, I rush into my online banking program, check Allied Waste to see when I last paid, and how much I paid, and guess what? Allied Waste is rich! And I made them rich. I really paid them $9,870.00 in June instead of $99.70 and I didn’t even know it.
And you’re thinking, you stupid $@!#. How could you not notice your account was missing nearly ten thousand dollars?
And here’s my defense: I did. But I thought (because my online program is so good…) I’d blown it. Went through it on bills and medical and credit cards. And I’ve been so upset. Nearly all of June I felt so bad about myself. Felt like such a loser for going through money so fast and putting my family in the poor house. I’ve even been wondering where we might live come November if I didn’t have the money to pay my mortgage…
Now I know I didn’t blow it. Not entirely. I just sent my savings account to Allied Waste because I really like my garbage service and don’t want them to miss me on recycling pick up day.
Actually, Allied Waste wasn’t all that eager to give me my money back when I phoned them. They said since so much time had gone by, they figured I’d meant to send them that much money.
Meant to?
I can understand meaning to leave my goddaughter $10,000, I can understand donating $10,000 to Operation Smile or Christian Children’s Fund but Allied Waste?
Allied has promised to get me the money in three weeks. It seems like an awful long time to wait but at least I’ll have it back by September and happily, I’ll still have a garage come November. And that’s where my kids will be living if they don’t lay off that damn car horn!
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