TLDR: A few years ago, around Christmas time, I had a meltdown of historical proportions. Read below for more information and for an invitation to take a breath this Christmas.
A few years ago, I received an e-mail from AT&T telling me that the bill for the phone I had cancelled three months before was now available for viewing online. I chuckled and thought it was a mistake. I ignored the e-mail. A week later, I received a letter telling me I was late and faced the possibility of a referral to a collections agency. Not only was I late, I owed them three months’ worth of charges. Like the ghost of bad Christmases coming back to inflict more pain, my former carrier would not give up. I decided to make a phone call. Two foreign tellers, one assistant supervisor, and a claims manager later, I finally found out what had happened, not that it made any sense.
When my contract expired, I had called to cancel the service. My phone call initiated one final bill, which I paid over the phone. I once again requested that the contract be cancelled, as the two-year term had expired, and I had a new vendor. The teller then re-activated the account, so that it could be properly closed. “We can’t close an account that’s inactive.” He re-activated the account for a few minutes and then proceeded to close it. I thought it was done, finished, terminated, done with... Unfortunately, the brief re-activation caused a re-activation fee of $38 dollars, which supposedly I did not pay for three months. Each time I did not pay, a late charge
of $20 dollars was added. I, of course, knew nothing of this until the Christmas e-mail.
By now I owed them a hefty sum, which I battled valiantly to expunge. I was polite but insistent with the foreign tellers. I was direct but somewhat frustrated with the assistant supervisor. I recited the names of 20 attorneys I knew to the claims manager. By then, no deep breathing, centering prayer, or Lamaze exercise was working. I now think that giving birth must be easier than convincing AT&T that they made a mistake. Finally, I broke down! I was so frustrated that I could not speak. I became Ricky Ricardo in his worst fight with Lucy. I switched to Spanish and yelled on the phone that I believed the company to be ridiculous. I may have even uttered the “evil eye” curse on the poor teller.
I honestly don’t remember much after this. In complete resignation I pulled my wallet out and looked for my debit card. I had lost the battle. I was exhausted and a frontal headache was beginning to form. I looked at the card for a few seconds, and it was at this point that I realized I had one more card to play. I took a sip of coffee from my cup and a deep breath and said, “Listen, I am sorry I went off on you. It is not your fault your company’s rules don’t make much sense. I am a priest, and this is my busiest time of the year. Spending two hours trying to clear up this matter has put me in a really bad mood. Is there anything you can do for me?” The claims supervisor said, “Please hold, sir”. Three minutes later she came back on the phone. She said, “Father, I have eliminated all fees and closed the account. You should have no more e-mails or phone calls. By the way, I am from Cuba, and you sound just like my uncle. He too is a priest and gets just as mad as you get. Have a good day and merry Christmas.”
I leaned back on my chair with my eyes closed. I suddenly realized the young woman had understood everything I had said in Spanish. I prayed that she would forgive me for calling her a horse’s behind. I could claim temporary insanity, but it wouldn’t do any good. I wish I could tell you that I dissected this call for months and I learned to correct all the mistakes I made along the way. Sadly, I still feel quite impatient with the lack of customer service in some of the companies with whom I deal, especially around the holidays.
Why is the Christmas season so stressful for so many of us? How can we wait in joyful expectation for the coming of our Savior when we let the busyness and aggravations of everyday life rob us of our joy in Christ? I pray that you and I may learn to wait patiently upon the Lord, the giver of great joy. May he bring release to the captives, whatever that captivity may look like for you and for I. Amen!
Take a breath this Christmas and give others a bit of grace. Life is too short to be so frustrated about relatively insignificant things.
May our Lord continue to bless you as we await the coming of his Son. Blessings,
Fr. Roman+
