One of my biggest complaints is the explanation of benefits from medical insurance companies. I have always said that if I ran for office, the EOB would be at the root of my platform! I have a college degree and I sometimes have trouble making heads or tails out of them! Who truly understands all of the codes on those things?!
I spent over a year battling one company. The insurance company was not covering a test I had done. They would refer me to the doctor's office because it could be a coding issue. The doctor's office would in turn tell me it was coded correctly and that I needed to go to the facility where the test was done. That facility told me no, that I needed to talk to the insurance company. I felt like I was just beating my head against the wall! But I can be like a dog with a bone - I don't give up that easily! I finally got the billing person at the doctor's office to talk to the insurance company. Lo and behold - it was covered and resolved. But that made me think - how many people would have looked at that EOB, said, "Darn! That test wasn't covered," and would have paid the ridiculously high amount. I figure that millions, if not billions, of dollars are needlessly spent every year because people don't have the tools they need to understand these things or fight them. And I am currently in a battle with an insurance company that has been going on for a year and a half! I totally believe I am in the right, so it is in its third appeal.
One thing that is easy to keep tabs on - your bank account online. My husband caught a suspicious $1.00 charge and called the bank immediately. He was told that hackers will test the waters with a tiny charge. If it goes undetected, they will go back in for a bigger hit. Question any charge you see that you do not remember making.
With websites, email, and Facebook, it is easier to pursue issues with companies. My daughter rented a textbook from Amazon, which she has done before. (The racket of textbook costs might be another part of my political platform! That will be a future blog entry!) She was unhappy that she had spent the money because she wound up not even needing the book for her class. She asked me if I would sent the book back at the end of the semester, so I did. She called me, angry and in tears, because Amazon hit her with the full charge to buy the textbook, saying that it was water-damaged. I knew that wasn't true! So I went to Amazon.com and spent quite a while going from page to page to figure out how to contact them. Hallelujah - I found an online chat. I explained the entire situation to the customer service rep, and once he understood the situation, he said Amazon would credit the amount back to her. I feel that I received such good service is that I explained in detail...I did not get angry...I remained calm and patient...and I am a customer in good standing who rarely has a complaint.
The online chat can be a wonderful thing! Last week, I had ordered three craft products from Walmart's website. It was an online purchase only and had to be shipped to me. The box that arrived looked like it had been run over by the truck that delivered it! The top was partially open and there was a big gash in the side of the box. When I opened it, two of the products that were bubble wrapped together were in perfect condition. But the third one, which was bubble-wrapped by itself, was crushed. As I opened it, pieces started falling out, and the top part of the piece was smashed in. It was not an expensive item. Again, I wondered how many people would just say, "Oh well," and go on with their day. I searched Walmart's website and was caught in a vicious loop. I couldn't return it to the store. Since it came from a third party seller, I was having difficulty getting an answer as to what to do. I finally found the online chat box. Eureka! The customer service rep was very polite and compassionate. Within a couple of minutes, he had arranged for a new item to be shipped to me. I did not have to return the damaged one or even send pictures to prove the condition.
The bottom line is to be vigilant and be proactive. Don't ever just assume that a charge is correct - if you are unsure, ask! If it is a legitimate expense, at least you have your answer. You won't have lost anything but a little time. If you find out that there was a coding error or it was an incorrect charge, you may achieve the satisfaction of not only being right, but profiting financially, or at least being made whole. As they said on Galaxy Quest, "Never give up - never surrender."
Also remember that being a squeaky wheel does not mean being a complaining nag....
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