Technology trumps tyranny.

I have good credit. I pay my bills when they arrive, I have no debts, and my credit score is over 800. But you never know what's going to happen.

A few weeks ago my phones started to ring. Since both my landline and my cell were ringing at the same time, I knew the perp was calling my Google Voice number. Caller ID showed an 800 number, so I declined to answer. But they kept calling, every hour, so finally I answered. A woman told me I owed GE Money Bank $166. That was interesting, because I'd never heard of GE Money Bank.

What had happened was this. Twila and I were shopping and I wanted to buy a jacket, since the weather was getting cooler. I found a nice one at the Gap. As I was standing in line to check out, a man behind me offered a 45% discount card - he had two. All I had to do was apply for a Gap credit card. I didn't need another credit card, but I applied and was instantly approved. The jacket was applied to the card, and the balance was $51 after the discount. A good deal!

I waited for the credit card to arrive, but it didn't. No invoices arrived, either and I mostly forgot about it. Then I received the phone call from GE Money Bank. The woman on the other end was... well, I would say low paid. When I'd figured out what the problem was, I told her I'd pay the $51, no problem. She told me that with interest and finance charges I now owed $166. I told her it wasn't my fault, and she couldn't hope for more than the original charge. She threatened a collection agency, and I wished her luck.

A couple of weeks later more 800 calls started. I finally answered and it was a collection agency. The guy I was talking to seemed nice. I told him I really wanted to fix the problem, and eventually we reached an agreement. He said they'd waive all but one of the fees and that I'd have to pay $65. I told him none of the problem was my fault, but I agreed. I gave him my address and asked him to send me the bill.

A while later the bill arrived from the collection agency and it was for $166. My desire to cooperate evaporated. I immediately wrote to the collection agency, describing the entire situation and emphasizing that I had received nothing at all from GE Money Bank, until the late phone call. I said that I would pay $51 and not another cent, and that I would vigorously contest any negative mark on my credit reports. I enclosed a copy of the original invoice.

Soon the telephone calls resumed. I had to turn off my phones at night, because they would call in the wee hours of the morning. Then I turned technology on them.

Very few people have my actual cell phone number. If I want someone to be able to reach me at any time, I give them my Google number, which rings all my phones. So I went online and added the agency's phone number to a blacklist. Now when the call my Google number they get a busy signal. They still could have my landline number, though. Fortunately, it is a VoIP number. I logged on to my provider's site (ViaTalk), and blacklisted the same number. That was a couple of weeks ago, and no more calls have arrived. Probably they're still calling and calling. Heh heh. Hopefully they'll send a reasonable letter soon so I can pay what I owe.

I realize this post is probably boring, but I haven't been to the cricket museum yet.