Billing, paycheck woes test patience

So, there I was, paying bills during my lunch period, and suddenly I have a topic for this week's column, right out of the blue.

See, I have a Visa card (which is unfortunate, due to the fact that I keep using it) and I was stunned to see the total owed this month. Not that it was much compared to many people, but for me it was a lot, especially taking into account that I haven't bought new shoes in, like, decades. But, it was one particular charge that raised my blood pressure to alarming levels.

At the end of July, I was asked to do a seminar for Senior Summer School up in Boone, N.C. I had to do it on two different days, which meant staying in the Holiday Inn two different times. I made the reservations using my Visa card and was then told that the Senior Summer School lady would be paying for it, which I would never refuse, because of course it would be rude. So, when I checked in the first night, the desk clerk said my charges had been put on this lady's Visa instead. Fine, I said graciously.

Then, I got my August Visa bill. I had been charged for both nights. I called the Senior Summer School lady, and was told that yes, she'd been charged as well. Sensing that there had been a mistake (I am nothing if not perceptive) I called the Holiday Inn and told them about the charges. I was assured repeatedly by the manager that he would take care of it right away.

Yesterday, however, I opened this month's Visa bill, and saw that only one night had been removed. Huh, I thought, I guess this is a really, really hard problem to solve. So, I called the hotel back and spoke to a different manager, Kasie, who "researched the billing history" (this being a really, really hard problem), called me back and informed me that yes, they had failed to remove the second charge, but only because they'd charged the Senior Summer School lady for just one night. I said no, the Senior Summer School lady was paying for both nights, and she said she would remove the second charge right away and put it on the other Visa.

But, still sensing a problem in the offing (this being my life, after all) I called the SSS lady -- who has never had such gigantic Visa issues with any of her other seminar folks -- and asked her to see if she'd only been charged for one night. She called back to say that no, she'd been charged twice. So, I called Kasie again. Kasie said that she'd removed my second charge but had applied yet a third charge now to the SSS lady's Visa. I said no, she's already been charged twice.

This called for an additional day of research on Kasie's part, before she finally called and told me she thinks she's "squared everything away" on both charges. Now, how many of you out there really believe that Kasie has everything "squared away"? If you raised your hand, you must be new to my column.

Then, there I was, working my tail off and my fingers to the bone to teach these wonderful high school children English -- which they still don't think they're ever going to use "in real life" -- and our first payday comes. I love payday. (I love these children, too, but teach them for free? Please.) So, it's payday ... and I get nothing. I wait -- I am nothing if not patient -- there must be a little glitch this first month of school. A few days go by. Nothing.

Finally, I call the finance office, and I'm told that, oops, they had me down for an "ending" date of Aug. 17, rather than a "beginning" date, and it may take just a few more days to process the check. I say, oops, I'm holding my entire English class hostage until I see the money! (Just kidding, I'd never keep an entire English class longer than their regular 50-minute period. I have more of a sense of self-preservation than that.) So, I said a gracious thank you, packed my pillow and 425 papers that needed grading in the car, and drove to the school district office, where I camped until they brought me my paycheck out of sheer pity.

I did wonder if, perhaps, there should be some kind of bonus for having taught high-schoolers more than a day and a half without pay, but I'm not going to push it. Everyone makes mistakes ... at least, everyone who deals with me. I understand that. I'm nothing if not sensitive.

Vicki Wentz's column, which appears here on Sundays, is published in newspapers across the country. She is a high school teacher who lives in Chapel Hill, N.C. Readers may contact her at vwentz@minspring.com.