IRS Madness

[carolina73]

The old fashioned way is still the best. I also still use mostly cash for purchases as well as paying bills by check and snail mail. Better control of my money that way.

How many times do I hear people say "You still use checks?".

Yes. I want to see the bill before I pay it.

[Collateral Damage]

How many times do I hear people say "You still use checks?".

Yes. I want to see the bill before I pay it.

I still get paper bills, but pay the bills electronically. After having multiple credit card payments disappear into thin air (the cc company shreds every 30th envelope for the interest and late fees is one theory) and having to pay excess fees and interest, they got paid by bill pay initiated by me. No one dips into my checking account.

That said, I have a separate account that is funded each week by a transfer I set up, that pays 2 bills, internet and cell phone, because I get a discount for it. Those 2 bills do not change each month, so I know exactly what should go out.

I have never used a debit card for my bank account, that is pure insanity. An open access invitation for disaster.

[Cletus]

I had my appointment this morning with the H&R Block guy, and he straightened things out for me in record time. As it turns out, I will owe zero on what I received from the sale of the house, largely because it sold for less than its assessed value and it was inherited property. I just have to include a Schedule D and Form 8949 with my return to explain that the house was inherited and that I lost money when I sold it. The best part - well, no, the not owing money part is the best part - so, the second best part is that the guy is retired Army and when I mentioned my being retired Navy and having a kid on active duty in the Army he only charged me $40.

He must have been some kind of pogue in the Army. A Grunt would have charged you double for being a Squid.

[Standing Wolf]

I still get paper bills, but pay the bills electronically. After having multiple credit card payments disappear into thin air (the cc company shreds every 30th envelope for the interest and late fees is one theory) and having to pay excess fees and interest, they got paid by bill pay initiated by me. No one dips into my checking account.

That said, I have a separate account that is funded each week by a transfer I set up, that pays 2 bills, internet and cell phone, because I get a discount for it. Those 2 bills do not change each month, so I know exactly what should go out.

I have never used a debit card for my bank account, that is pure insanity. An open access invitation for disaster.

I check on the balance of my checking account at least a couple of times a week and make sure there are no bogus debits. A couple of weeks ago I found one and disputed it - a $40+ debit to Grubhub, which I've never used. I disputed it immediately, and I received a letter earlier this week stating that it was all resolved in my favor, etc. There was a phone number on the letter, to call if I had any questions, so I did. I wanted to know where the Grubhub delivery was made - what city - so I'd have some idea if it was somebody local or a long-distance scam. I get a guy who sounds like he's maybe Filipino, and he talks very fast at very low volume and in a monotone, so I had to have him repeat what he was saying a couple of times, but I finally understood that he had no way of knowing where the order and delivery had been made. Not sure if I totally believed him, but - whatever.

[Standing Wolf]

He must have been some kind of pogue in the Army. A Grunt would have charged you double for being a Squid.

A grunt wouldn't be working at a job where he couldn't take off his shoes to count to twenty, or take off his pants to count to twenty-one.

[Collateral Damage]

I check on the balance of my checking account at least a couple of times a week and make sure there are no bogus debits. A couple of weeks ago I found one and disputed it - a $40+ debit to Grubhub, which I've never used. I disputed it immediately, and I received a letter earlier this week stating that it was all resolved in my favor, etc. There was a phone number on the letter, to call if I had any questions, so I did. I wanted to know where the Grubhub delivery was made - what city - so I'd have some idea if it was somebody local or a long-distance scam. I get a guy who sounds like he's maybe Filipino, and he talks very fast at very low volume and in a monotone, so I had to have him repeat what he was saying a couple of times, but I finally understood that he had no way of knowing where the order and delivery had been made. Not sure if I totally believed him, but - whatever.

You called the bank, or GrubHub?

I recently got a phishing text to my phone from what looked like my bank. Number one, they don't have my cell phone (they still have the old landline number, which we don't have anymore) but the text basically said we need to verify your password. How obvious could someone get, lol.

I've gotten a variety of text scams, email scams, phone scams and hysterically bizarre mail scams over the years. I almost fell for one regarding a business utility, until they said I needed to wire the money to them, for a strange dollar amount or they would shut of the electric. LSS, their HQ is approximately 2 miles down the road, so I hung up on them, and called the HQ.

[DGUtley]

I check on the balance of my checking account at least a couple of times a week and make sure there are no bogus debits. A couple of weeks ago I found one and disputed it - a $40+ debit to Grubhub, which I've never used. I disputed it immediately, and I received a letter earlier this week stating that it was all resolved in my favor, etc. There was a phone number on the letter, to call if I had any questions, so I did. I wanted to know where the Grubhub delivery was made - what city - so I'd have some idea if it was somebody local or a long-distance scam. I get a guy who sounds like he's maybe Filipino, and he talks very fast at very low volume and in a monotone, so I had to have him repeat what he was saying a couple of times, but I finally understood that he had no way of knowing where the order and delivery had been made. Not sure if I totally believed him, but - whatever.

My wife checks our accounts every day. If I use the wrong card to buy gas, I get a text from her when I get out of the gym: 'did you use....'

[Standing Wolf]

You called the bank, or GrubHub?

I recently got a phishing text to my phone from what looked like my bank. Number one, they don't have my cell phone (they still have the old landline number, which we don't have anymore) but the text basically said we need to verify your password. How obvious could someone get, lol. I may try calling Grubhub later, but I very much doubt they will tell me anything.

I've gotten a variety of text scams, email scams, phone scams and hysterically bizarre mail scams over the years. I almost fell for one regarding a business utility, until they said I needed to wire the money to them, for a strange dollar amount or they would shut of the electric. LSS, their HQ is approximately 2 miles down the road, so I hung up on them, and called the HQ.

It was the "Claims Assistance Center" at the bank. It doesn't fill me with confidence that even my bank won't shell out for customer service centers in the U.S. I'm actually shocked these days when I get somebody on the phone who sounds like they live here.

Just lately I've been getting a lot of emails, as well as texts, advising me that I need to click on a link to claim my $50 or $100 gift card from Amazon or some other company. What cracks me up is when the emails or texts claim to be coming from the IRS or some other government agency and they contain a bunch of typos, sometimes including a misspelling of the agency name.

[Collateral Damage]

It was the "Claims Assistance Center" at the bank. It doesn't fill me with confidence that even my bank won't shell out for customer service centers in the U.S. I'm actually shocked these days when I get somebody on the phone who sounds like they live here.
Just lately I've been getting a lot of emails, as well as texts, advising me that I need to click on a link to claim my $50 or $100 gift card from Amazon or some other company. What cracks me up is when the emails or texts claim to be coming from the IRS or some other government agency and they contain a bunch of typos, sometimes including a misspelling of the agency name.

Weeeellll, not picking or anything, but my SIL is Filipino, and lives here in the US. She's been here 30 some odd years, still has her accent, and the occasion blip on interpretation of a word or phrase.

What I object to is dealing with someone who is obviously in a call center, where you hear everyone else's conversation. Yes, someone in CS needs to have a solid grasp of the American language, and be able to make themselves understood, or the customer is just going to get frustrated or angrier than the original problem caused.