(really long post, I'm warning you)

1. Finally called on that old medical bill.
-I started with my husbands former employer (ECC) to find out who our insurance coverage was with during the date of the bill. They told me Aetna and gave me the number.
-I called Aetna - they were not our carrier at that time.
-I called ECC back and they gave me the number to North American insurance (NA).
-I called NA. They were our carrier at that time, but did not pay the bill because they considered it "over reasonable and customary" - in other words, they said, I was overcharged and they would not pay it. I was advised to take it up with the lab.
-I called the lab - they said I needed to take it up with the doctor who ordered the test.
-I called the doctor. They said the lab was nuts and they had nothing to do with what the lab was charging me.
-I called the lab back. They looked again at the claim and told me that NA had paid for two tests, but had not paid anything on a third test. Even if the amoutn was above what NA considered reasonable, they should pay at least a portion of it, and the lab can write off the rest. They told me to call NA back and have them fax the explanation of benefits.
-I called NA back - they looked again at the claim and determined that DUE TO COMPUTER ERROR THE TEST WAS NEVER PAID FOR. However, since ECC dropped NA as the insurance carrier, there was nothing they could do. I would need to go back to ECC and have them pay the bill, since ECC was on a self-funded system at that time (meaning ECC paid the bills out of their own funds, NA just processed the claims for them). In other words, NA not longer has the money from ECC to pay for it.
(At this point I was absolutely livid and NOT the nicest person to speak with, especially since I was just told to call the person I had started all this with).
-I called ECC and was told that since they were no longer on a self-pay system with NA, they could NOT pay this bill, absolutely no way, under any circumstances. They recommended that I refuse to pay it based on the fact that I never received the bill for 2.5 years, and now it was too late to go back to the insurance company for payment.
-I called the lab back and left a message explaining what ECC had said, and asking them what I should do.

Then they called back and left a message with my DH not to worry about it, that they would take care of it. Believe it or not, this made me furious!!! They made me go through all of that when they could have just let it go to start with, based on their failure to bill it to me for over two years????? At least it's done now. Saved: $95.20. Estimated time spent: Two hours. Hourly wage: $47.60 (if I look at it this way, I do feel a little better about it!)

2. Called back to check on why the charge from Yahoo has not yet been reversed (we received a charge for $25 for a service we did not order - it was supposed to be refunded to us, but never was). I spoke to a customer service rep about this charge, but we apparently were not getting our points across to each other. At first he told me the refund had already been credited, at which point I told him I was looking at my statement online and no, it was not credited to my account. Then he told me it must be a problem with my bank, because it was credited. When I pressed for more details, he put me on hold and then came back to tell me that he could cancel the service. I told him that would be fine, but I still wanted my money back. He cancelled the membership, but told me he could not refund the $25 because it was made with a valid credit card. I calmly explained that the purchase was made with MY cc, but I did NOT make it and I did NOT want this service. He advised me to cancel my cc, as it appeared someone else was using it. I asked for the specifics of the service request (who made it, what date, online or in writing, to which Yahoo account it was attached, because no services were listed under my or my husbands Yahoo accounts), but the rep told me he did not have any of this info in front of him. I asked for my money back again and was transferred (after 30 minutes on hold) to a supervisor, who looked into the situation and sent my refund for processing. I again asked specific information on the Yahoo account that had requested this service and was told that he COULD NOT GIVE THIS INFORMATION OUT!!!! So if I want to get information about who is using my card, I have to get a freaking subpeona. Unbelievable. So my only option is to cancel my debit card. Which, I just realized, I have not done and will have to do in the morning. Amount saved: $25. Total time spent: 1 hour. Hourly wage: $25.
Of course, this really is not a savings at all since this is money I did not spend in the first place. I can see how people get easily frustrated and just pay rather than fight a system that treats them like dirt. Yahoo WILL be getting a letter about this, oh yes. Jodi_m is not one to give up easily. In fact, I would have done the same for a $10 bill rather than a $100 bill because IT'S THE PRINCIPLE.