I got so tired of dealing with National Grid's phone system

[conuly]

that I thought I'd set up for online billing.

Turns out their website is even worse than their phone service, and not only did they want me to give the last four digits of my social security number but they wanted me to tell them the name of my favorite pet. THEY WANTED ME TO PICK FAVORITES.

How dare they.

(Plus, I needed a paper copy of a bill in hand to give some identification number other than the account number, I don't even know why. Surely the account number is sufficient!? Is there such a rash of bad actors maliciously out the get people by paying their gas bills for them?)

Anyway, I still haven't done that, and I think we'll just pay the next bill by damn check. In the mail. I'm strongly tempted to pay in the form of an envelope of singles after all this. My favorite pet? WHO DO THEY THINK THEY ARE!?

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Comments

[marahmarie]

THEY WANTED ME TO PICK FAVORITES.

How dare they.

I always have favorites, so no problem there.

*googles "National Grid"*

Man, I would've thought that was a phone company. How do you *not* have ConEd? Don't they cover SI, too?

[conuly]

ConEd for the electric, National Grid for the gas, idk why.

[marahmarie]

Huh, that's weird. Okay.

[conuly]

And their phone system is AWFUL, like, two minutes before they let you get to the make a payment menu. Which for one of the two gas bills, inexplicably*, they're not letting us pay by bank right now, they want us to only use a credit card. Which would be fine except there's a ridiculous surcharge and no. We'll have to mail a check, and at this point I want to mail a wad of singles and make them count it out themselves.

* Okay, okay, we're ever-so-slightly overdue, but in my defense the bill is under $100, so whatevs.

[kengr]

The reason for wanting the other identifier is that the same system that can be used to *pay* the bill can also be used to terminate service.

and there are assholes who well do that to people they don't like.

[conuly]

Oooh, I hadn't thought of that one. But you don't need that other number to pay the bill by phone.

[marahmarie]

So (not my business/no need to answer) is the prohibition against paying by bank (I assume you mean by giving them the routing and checking account numbers involved) merely because the bill's overdue? Because if so *mentally tells them where they can shove it* that's just inane, especially when they'll still let you write a check presumably tied to the very same bank. That's just...not logical.

in my defense the bill is under $100

How's that "in your defense"? Your whole family uses it, so I wouldn't assume the burden lies solely with you to pay on it unless that's the agreement you all have together? (Also not my business, though on edit I've figured out what I think you mean by the first part is probably just what you mean.)

(I was also about to turn green with envy at a $100 bill when I remembered that's just for gas and that ConEd once had the nation's highest electric prices by off-the-chart levels. Don't know if they still do, or if it's some other power company since then.)

[marahmarie]

Also, if you go with the singles, maybe use a padded envelope so no one between Points A and B can catch on. :)

[polydad]

What? No wheelbarrow full of pennies?

[malada]

I have two lists: the first one is the actual name of my first pet, home town, etc. - and then I have the one I actually give to the companies.

And I always write down which ones I use. :-P

-m

[quirkytizzy]

Lol, I always have a problem picking my favorite pet, too! I usually just go with the name of my first pet. That way I don't feel like I'm betraying anyone.

[dewline]

Sounds like a good form of retribution there, paying in singles.

Now, if you were in Canada, you'd be doing it with our dollar coins...

[dewline]

Fair enough.

[thewayne]

Bingo! People who are interested in identity theft research things like favorite pet through online means and use them to steal online accounts, potentially gaining access to banking information and using that to commit nefarious deeds.

NEVER use accurate information when filling in personal information like that! They're using it for "security" questions, so keep a private list. Personally, I use an app on my iPhone called mSecure - I have an entry for everyone asking for such information and then what I gave them. For example, first car: Ford GT40. I've never owned a Ford, nor will I. I also haven't used that answer. If I ever need to fallback to such an alleged security question to recover an account password, which is also in mSecure as it's encrypted, I've got the password and recovery questions right there.

[conuly]

I think it is merely because the bill is overdue, and yes, it's just that inane.

I don't pay the bill, my sister pays it. I just make sure it gets paid. But since the downstairs bill only covers a tiny portion of our gas costs I'm in the habit of letting it slide until they send us a bill with a red warning on it. Our OTHER gas bill is enormous in winter, and the electric bill routinely hits $600 in the summer.

[conuly]

There comes a point at which the cost:benefit ratio of revenge peters out.

[adrian_turtle]

I was about to say this. My grandmother used to do this to my uncle.

[conuly]

You write them down? Tsk, tsk.

[marahmarie]

Roughly double what ours hits in winter (and yeah, I thought we had it bad, but ConEd really does suck). Our summer bills are actually the lower bills of the two high-use seasons.