Invasion of the Money Snatchers

I have made a big decision: I will soon be quitting Time Warner Cable. This decision came after a recent billing SNAFU that has not yet been rectified. On Sunday, Oct. 27th, I made an online payment of $26.17 for that month's bill, which was due on that date. I have done that many times before without incident. Two days later, I was checking my online bank account only to discover that I had a little less money in there than I had originally thought. I clicked on my checking records and noticed that an additional payment of the same amount had been deducted earlier that day (Tues., Oct. 29) without my knowledge and for no apparent reason. I called the number that was next to the payment (an Akron address) and, perhaps unsurprisingly, was informed that that particular number was no longer in service. The following day, I wrote a message on TWC's website and was connected via instant messaging to someone who claimed that he would take care of the problem. I also contacted someone on the phone the following day at their local office who also claimed that she would refund my money. Many days passed and the additional payment was still not returned to my account. Frustrated, I very angrily met yet another call to TWC and spoke with someone who seemed to not fully understand the problem nor even where I was calling from. (He asked me how the weather was in Wisconsin, despite the fact that I live in Cleveland). He assured me that my refund would arrive at the end of this week, but I have yet to recieve it and it seems doubtful that I will be getting it back anytime soon. If I do not recieve the refund for the additional, unnecessary payment, I will sever my service with Time Warner Cable. I will also encourage everyone I know to boycott TWC in the Cleveland area.

This is not the first time TWC has dicked me over this year, either. Earlier this past summer, I received a call from one of their goons informing me that he was on his way to cut my cable if I didn't pay a past due amount of $53. When I called their offices, they explained that they didn't receive the payments because I had forgotton to update my information when my bank debit card was renewed. Understandable, although it certainly would have been nice if they'd sent me a letter or notice in the mail ahead of time to warn me in advance instead of suprising me with a last-minute phone call. I cut them a check for that amount, but was then informed the following day that they couldn't accept a check and that the payment would have to be in cash. Flat broke, I had to borrow some from my family and sat around waiting all day for the cable guy to show up to collect it. When he didn't, I gave him a call and he told me to never mind, that the check had gone through after all. That pissed me off to no end. Not only had they threatened to cut my cable, but they wasted my time and inconvienced my family for no real reason as well. These people could give Jimmy Dimora some tips on dishonesty and corruption.

Some of you may be wondering why I'm so pissed about losing an additional $26.17. Well, when you're struggling to make ends meet, that's a lot of money. Taking a $26 hit affects how many groceries I can buy, how much gas I can put in my tank, whether or not I can get my bills paid on time. Therefore, I've decided that if my money is not reinstated by the end of this weekend, I will end my service with Time Warner Cable and find a more honest provider. If that means I have to sacrifice a few late-night reruns of The Big Bang Theory , then so be it. I am not a sucker who appreciated being taken advantage of. TWC will learn that very soon, I'm afraid.

33 1/3 (v. 2.0)

Trying this blogging thing again. Maybe I'll stick with it this time. Fair warning: this first entry is a tad depressing, so if you don't want your mood ruined for the evening, you may wanna skip it. Here goes... It has recently occurred to me that I have just turned 33 1/3 years old. 33 1/3-a record. And what does a record do? It just keeps going around and around in circles until eventually it stops. Sometimes, beautiful music is made along the way, but it's also easy to get stuck into a rut and not go anywhere as well. Ah, screw it. The metaphor's not working. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm not truly satisfied with where my life is at this moment. The ambition and motivation that I possessed when I was younger has been replaced by stagnation and complacency. A toxic brew of anxiety, depression, and rage seems to follow me wherever I go. I refer to it as The Weight (and not just because I'm a big fan of The Band, either). It's getting harder for me to remember a time when I wasn't filled with discouragement and doubt. Some mornings I don't want to get out of bed. I wish my dreams were reality most days. It's harder for me to get out of my rut and easier to fall back on bad habits. Therefore, I have made a decision. I will pursue my dreams of going to back to school in 2014. It will probably require getting a second job in order to make ends meet, but if that's what it takes, I will do it. I hope to study web design and hopefully make a career out of it. I've taken the easy way out way too often. Things need to change. I've been locked in the same bad groove for the past few years (there's that damn LP metaphor again), and I'm looking to finally make something of myself. I want a life I can be proud of. To quote Johnny Cash, "I'm gonna break my rusty cage and run".* Sorry this first post is so depressing. My next one will be better. It'll be all about puppies and rainbows, I'm sure. *Yeah, yeah, I know it's a Soundgarden song. But Cash's version is better and more inspring, in my opinion. So there.

Let's Try This Again.

Ok, so Blogger has apparently acccidentally "deleted" my last blog. I can link to it (erbear42380.blogspot.com), but cannot access it for some reason. What gives, Blogger? The first entry of this "new" blog is just a test. We'll see if this one lasts. And yes, the title is a reference to a certain Oscar-winning movie that I despised, which I'll go into greater detail about at a later time.