It all started when Virgin Money charged me R125 - or thereabouts - to replace a credit card that was stolen, and then sent the card to the post office closest to my house.
However, as I do not work from home, this limits the time I have to collect the card to Saturdays, between 8am and 11am. And because life has a habit of happening when you have other plans, my Saturdays are filled with trips to the chiropractor, taking the dogs and cat to the vet and a plethora of other chores.
So, the card has not been collected and - no doubt by now - has been sent back. Which means I am unable to access the account online, not that I could in the first place, and Virgin seems to have stopped sending my statement by mail. So, I owe it money but have no idea how much.
It is fortunate, as it turns out, that I do not have access to this particular form of financing, as I certainly would - after my bank account was pillaged this month - have no way of paying back my debt.
My mistake
First it was FNB's home loans division, which took off substantially more than I expected - and had worked out - for this month's bond payment. You see, if you deposit a lump sum, you have to ask the bank to recalculate the amount the next month. Otherwise it just assumes you want to carry on paying gazillions more each month.
The next month, I paid for the car I no longer had, two laptops, and the replacement vehicle.
Nicola Mawson, senior journalist, ITWeb
Then it was the insurance company which seemingly overcharged me by about 500 bucks this month, at least according to my calculations.
I figured that when you call Nedbank Insurance Brokers to tell the company something had been stolen, you should stop paying for that item then and there. After all, you no longer have the use and enjoyment of said item.
Apparently not. It seems they have to wait for the claims department to tell them to stop insuring the item before they take it off your policy. They calculate the "credit" from that date. The irony is that - for one month - I paid "pro-rata" for several items I did not have.
The next month, according to the explanation they sent me after I threw my toys, I paid for the car I no longer had and two laptops, and the replacement vehicle, on some sort of "pro-rata" basis. Stop me if this is confusing.
Actually, I understand none of this myself; the only conclusion that I can come to is that someone is out to get me.
I'm sorry, OK?
Previous columns:
Pass me my blood pressure pills
Information overload
Stuck in a jam
Is anyone there?
The money void
I owe, I owe, so it's off to work I go
I feel naked
A travesty of two cities
World Wide Wait
Mine is faster than yours
Out in the cold
Google this
Stashing the cash
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