Post by grandpa on Mar 31, 2011 6:09:14 GMT 10
A true Australian story or
This is pure gold… A bit long BUT you simply must read it!!!
On Thursday, 24th January 2002 , Derek Guille broadcast this story on
his afternoon program on ABC radio.
In March 1999 a man living in Kandos (near Mudgee in NSW, Australia )
received a bill for his newly installed and as yet unused gas line stating
that he owed $0.00.
He ignored it and threw it away. In April he received another bill and
threw that one away too. At least the monthly statement served to show,
as it should, that he owed the gas company nothing as yet as he had made
no use of the new line. It was as it should be.
The following month the gas company sent him another statement for $0.00
and a very nasty note stating that they were going to cancel his gas line if
he did not send them $0.00 by return mail.
He called them, talked to them, and they said it was a computer error
and they would take care of it.
The following month he decided that it was about time that he tried out
the troublesome gas line figuring that if there was usage on the account
it would put an end to this silly predicament.
However, when he went to use the gas, it had been cut off.
He called the gas company who apologised for the computer error once
again and promised they would take care of it. The next day he got a
bill for $0.00 stating that payment was now overdue.
Assuming that having spoken to them the previous day the latest bill was
yet another mistake, he ignored it, trusting that the company would be
as good as their word and would sort the problem out.
The next month he got a bill for $0.00. This bill also stated that he
had 10 days to pay his account or the company would have to take steps
to recover the debt.
Finally, giving in, he thought he would beat the gas company at their own
game and mailed them a cheque for $0.00. The gas company's computer
duly processed his payment and returned a statement to the effect that,
finally, he now owed them nothing at all.
Whew! Success at last! RELIEF! Understandably, he felt he was really quite
smart and that a little cheek occasionally will at times bring the desired results.
...A week later, the manager of the Mudgee branch of the Westpac Banking
Corporation called our hapless friend and asked him what on earth he was
doing writing a cheque for $0.00.
After a lengthy explanation, in the end to the effect that that was the only
way he could think of to actually bring his gas account to 'nil', the bank
manager replied that the $0.00 cheque had caused their cheque processing
software to fail. The bank could therefore not process ANY cheques they
had received from ANY of their customers that day because the cheque
for $0.00 had caused the computer to crash. He was very apologetic; he
had not foreseen anything like that, of course.
The following month the man received a letter from the gas company
informing him that his bank had dishonoured his cheque and that he now
owed them $0.00 and unless he sent a cheque by return mail they would
take immediate steps to recover the debt.
Exasperated, the man now sought advice, and on the basis of advice he
received decided to file a debt harassment claim against the gas company.
It took him nearly two hours to convince the clerks at the local courthouse
that he was not joking.
They subsequently helped him in the drafting of statements that would
be considered substantive evidence of the aggravation and difficulties he
had been forced to endure during this debacle.
The matter was heard in the Magistrate's Court in Mudgee and the
outcome was this:
The gas company was ordered to:
[1] Immediately rectify their computerised accounts system or show
cause, within 10 days, why the matter should not be referred to a higher
court for consideration under Company Law.
[2] Pay the bank dishonour fees incurred by the man.
[3] Pay the bank dishonour fees incurred by all the Westpac clients
whose cheques had been dishonoured on the day our friend's cheque
had been processed.
[4] Pay the claimant's court costs; and
[5] Pay the claimant a total of $1500 per month for the 5 month period
March to July inclusive as compensation for the aggravation they had
caused their client to suffer.
And all this over precisely ...NOTHING!
This story can also be viewed on the ABC website.
Who employs these idiots??
Remember, these "people" walk among us and breathe the same air we do.
This is pure gold… A bit long BUT you simply must read it!!!
On Thursday, 24th January 2002 , Derek Guille broadcast this story on
his afternoon program on ABC radio.
In March 1999 a man living in Kandos (near Mudgee in NSW, Australia )
received a bill for his newly installed and as yet unused gas line stating
that he owed $0.00.
He ignored it and threw it away. In April he received another bill and
threw that one away too. At least the monthly statement served to show,
as it should, that he owed the gas company nothing as yet as he had made
no use of the new line. It was as it should be.
The following month the gas company sent him another statement for $0.00
and a very nasty note stating that they were going to cancel his gas line if
he did not send them $0.00 by return mail.
He called them, talked to them, and they said it was a computer error
and they would take care of it.
The following month he decided that it was about time that he tried out
the troublesome gas line figuring that if there was usage on the account
it would put an end to this silly predicament.
However, when he went to use the gas, it had been cut off.
He called the gas company who apologised for the computer error once
again and promised they would take care of it. The next day he got a
bill for $0.00 stating that payment was now overdue.
Assuming that having spoken to them the previous day the latest bill was
yet another mistake, he ignored it, trusting that the company would be
as good as their word and would sort the problem out.
The next month he got a bill for $0.00. This bill also stated that he
had 10 days to pay his account or the company would have to take steps
to recover the debt.
Finally, giving in, he thought he would beat the gas company at their own
game and mailed them a cheque for $0.00. The gas company's computer
duly processed his payment and returned a statement to the effect that,
finally, he now owed them nothing at all.
Whew! Success at last! RELIEF! Understandably, he felt he was really quite
smart and that a little cheek occasionally will at times bring the desired results.
...A week later, the manager of the Mudgee branch of the Westpac Banking
Corporation called our hapless friend and asked him what on earth he was
doing writing a cheque for $0.00.
After a lengthy explanation, in the end to the effect that that was the only
way he could think of to actually bring his gas account to 'nil', the bank
manager replied that the $0.00 cheque had caused their cheque processing
software to fail. The bank could therefore not process ANY cheques they
had received from ANY of their customers that day because the cheque
for $0.00 had caused the computer to crash. He was very apologetic; he
had not foreseen anything like that, of course.
The following month the man received a letter from the gas company
informing him that his bank had dishonoured his cheque and that he now
owed them $0.00 and unless he sent a cheque by return mail they would
take immediate steps to recover the debt.
Exasperated, the man now sought advice, and on the basis of advice he
received decided to file a debt harassment claim against the gas company.
It took him nearly two hours to convince the clerks at the local courthouse
that he was not joking.
They subsequently helped him in the drafting of statements that would
be considered substantive evidence of the aggravation and difficulties he
had been forced to endure during this debacle.
The matter was heard in the Magistrate's Court in Mudgee and the
outcome was this:
The gas company was ordered to:
[1] Immediately rectify their computerised accounts system or show
cause, within 10 days, why the matter should not be referred to a higher
court for consideration under Company Law.
[2] Pay the bank dishonour fees incurred by the man.
[3] Pay the bank dishonour fees incurred by all the Westpac clients
whose cheques had been dishonoured on the day our friend's cheque
had been processed.
[4] Pay the claimant's court costs; and
[5] Pay the claimant a total of $1500 per month for the 5 month period
March to July inclusive as compensation for the aggravation they had
caused their client to suffer.
And all this over precisely ...NOTHING!
This story can also be viewed on the ABC website.
Who employs these idiots??
Remember, these "people" walk among us and breathe the same air we do.