New depths of inefficiency
Apr. 2nd, 2004 04:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nlbarberMy gas was cut off yesterday, for I had not paid the bill for 2 months. It's from not a lack of funds, but a lack or organization: the emails telling me to go pay the bill didn't get dealt with until they were scrolled off the screen by other InBox mail, and I've been ignoring the paper copies I still get for some time. (Not that I throw them away--they pile up with other bills that are dealt with electronically, and then opened and filed every 6 months or so. Maybe every year or so. It depends on how harried I'm feeling that year.)
So, last night I thought I had a furnace problem, 'cause it was blowing cold air. After consulting with my HVAC company, I decided to wait until this morning, when I could get a technician out for my spring service (already paid for), and have him diagnose the problem, too. It wasn't until this morning that something sparked the idea that maybe, perhaps, I could have missed paying Scana for the gas bill. A quick search turned up the unopened envelope with the last bill, which had the "Final Notice" warning on it.
I paid the overdue bills via the Web, and the $150 reconnection fee, the $50 deposit, and a $3 service charge to a third-party credit card firm, and then was allowed to call Atlanta Gas Light to schedule reconnection. (Love this deregulated gas industry: Scana is my marketer, and they just collect the money, or don't and issue the disconnection order. AGL connects, reconnects, deals with gas emergencies, etc.) It being the first of the month, and others having had their gas disconnected, too, AGL can't come today. Or tomorrow. I don't think they do this sort of service on Sunday, so they offered Monday. Problem is, I leave for Denver on Sunday night. Someone must be at home when they come to reconnect, to check pilot lights.
The result is that my sainted sister-in-law agreed to be available for the reconnection visit sometime on Wednesday, so I should have heat and hot water when I get home on Friday. Meanwhile, we're having unseasonably cold weather for April with lows in the 30's, so the house is about 60 degrees. I'm showering and will do the warm-water laundry next door, and I'll wash the minimum number of dishes by heating water in the microwave. And I've got a firm resolve to get a new handle on my finances: get my long-standing Quicken problem straightened out, and go back to having a regular weekly session with the bills and bookkeeping. Gah, I feel so DUMB!
So, last night I thought I had a furnace problem, 'cause it was blowing cold air. After consulting with my HVAC company, I decided to wait until this morning, when I could get a technician out for my spring service (already paid for), and have him diagnose the problem, too. It wasn't until this morning that something sparked the idea that maybe, perhaps, I could have missed paying Scana for the gas bill. A quick search turned up the unopened envelope with the last bill, which had the "Final Notice" warning on it.
I paid the overdue bills via the Web, and the $150 reconnection fee, the $50 deposit, and a $3 service charge to a third-party credit card firm, and then was allowed to call Atlanta Gas Light to schedule reconnection. (Love this deregulated gas industry: Scana is my marketer, and they just collect the money, or don't and issue the disconnection order. AGL connects, reconnects, deals with gas emergencies, etc.) It being the first of the month, and others having had their gas disconnected, too, AGL can't come today. Or tomorrow. I don't think they do this sort of service on Sunday, so they offered Monday. Problem is, I leave for Denver on Sunday night. Someone must be at home when they come to reconnect, to check pilot lights.
The result is that my sainted sister-in-law agreed to be available for the reconnection visit sometime on Wednesday, so I should have heat and hot water when I get home on Friday. Meanwhile, we're having unseasonably cold weather for April with lows in the 30's, so the house is about 60 degrees. I'm showering and will do the warm-water laundry next door, and I'll wash the minimum number of dishes by heating water in the microwave. And I've got a firm resolve to get a new handle on my finances: get my long-standing Quicken problem straightened out, and go back to having a regular weekly session with the bills and bookkeeping. Gah, I feel so DUMB!
