Putting “PAID” to it.

Remember the little problem I had with Littman/Barclay jewelers back around the end of last month? Remember when I ended up eating my words a day or two later, when they made good the FUBAR they’d created? If not, a short synopsis is in order.

Last December: I purchased some jewelry at Littman’s as Christmas presents for my sisters and my best friend. I was prepared to pay cash, but they talked me into a zero-percent-for-the-first-six-months financing deal they had for people who signed up for their store card. It seemed a good deal, and certainly helped with my cash flow.

Last March: I got a call from Littman’s creditors asking why I hadn’t paid the last two months due on the loan. I hadn’t paid it because I hadn’t gotten any billings after the first one. It wasn’t a bill I’d gotten used to routinely paying, since it was a brand new loan, so I never noticed that the bills hadn’t come. They checked their computer, and somehow half of my address had been wiped from the files (I know it had been on there correctly at one point because I did get the first bill). I made a catch-up payment over the phone, and they assured me that everything was corrected on their end.

Last May: I made the final payment to the loan, just before my big operation.

Last June: I made the final payment to the loan, just after my big operation.

Last July: Littman’s picked up on the fact I’d overpaid on the loan, and promised to send me a refund.

Last month: I got a refund check from Littman’s. Two weeks later, I got another bill for a late fee and interest. I called them on Sept 29th to find out what the story was. They checked and discovered they’d over-refunded the amount due to me. I checked, and it was true – they’d given me back $26 too much. I paid it over the phone, and they said they’d back out the late fee (which was three dollars more than the amount I owed them). The loan was now officially paid off, and they’d taken a very disgruntle customer and made her a happy customer because of the polite, quick service.

Well, it turns out that there’s an epilogue to this story.

Last Friday: Just as I was getting ready to leave for DC, I skimmed through the mail quickly. There was an envelope from Littman’s. I very nearly didn’t open it, figuring it was their usual flyer for whatever the gemstone of the month was. I did open it, mostly because I like looking at shiny baubles. What I ended up looking at instead was another late fee of $29, with interest.

Today: I called Customer Service, and got a pleasant automaton of a girl on the other end. She could have been the same person I spoke to in September (I didn’t jot the name down then, so I can’t be sure). I explained that I had paid off my loan and that I’d just gotten ANOTHER late fee on a zero balance. I went through the entire overpayment/overrefund saga. She put me on hold, and then several minutes later came back and cheerfully informed me that yes, there’d been a mistake, but her manager was arranging to have the late fee backed out of the system. I asked if the loan was now officially paid off, and she said yes. She then asked in a chipper tone of voice if there was anything further she could do for me today.

I just as pleasantly told her that yes, there was one more thing. Could she please cancel my account with them? She seemed genuinely dumbfounded. Why did I want to cancel my account? I explained, as gently as I could, that this was the third mistake they’d made in four months on my account, and that I couldn’t afford to get a bad credit rating because of their ineptitude. She assured me that nothing had gone against me on my credit rating because of this, and that the balance due had to be in arrears for thirty days before anything was noted.

So I told her that I’d been ill, that there was a chance that others might have to tend to my finances without much warning, and that I couldn’t afford to take a chance that yet another one of their little mistakes might get billed to me under these circumstances. She told me she would take care of it, and that I’d get a letter in the mail verifying the cancellation of my credit line with them in a few days. She asked if there were anything else she could do for me today. I thanked her, and told her that Littman had done quite enough for me at this point.

I must say it was the politest, and probably most surreal, complaint I’ve ever lodged against a company.