I hosted a bridal shower for my little sister this weekend. I'm so happy for her and I'm glad I didn't break down during the party. It's so emotional for me.
We had the party outside in my parents' huge yard. I rented tables and chairs from a party rental place and decorated with one of the other bridesmaids, Kim. My Aunt Cindy catered. About 22 people showed up which is a decent crowd.
I think Janet, my sister, was really overwhelmed by how much planning went into her party. My mom told me that I was a "good, big sister". And I think my Dad was impressed. I actually think everyone was surprised at everything we did.
Janet got several pieces of lingerie. She announced that her fiance refers to thongs as "SARS masks". So everytime she got a thong, she'd be like, "oh another SARS mask". It was actually pretty funny. I don't know what my Mom and Grandma thought.
I tried to get everyone a little drunk, but failed. We had a ton of beer and wine and a little champagne - so of course, everyone wants champagne. Oh well, live and learn. Apparently, with our family, you just have to be prepared with all types of alcohol!
I really have to thank my Aunt Cindy and Kim for helping me make that party such a success.
- Susan in Seattle (always a bridesmaid, but never a bride)
I complained about service today. I never do that. I can be a bitch, but I NEVER complain about service. I work hard. I understand that people make mistakes and that nothing is perfect or fair. I'm pretty patient about things like that. But today I complained. And I'm really proud of myself.
Do you know what a flexible spending account is? It is a tax-saving vehicle for the middle class. It is also a way to budget for medical expenses and child care costs. Flexible spending accounts make sense on an intellectual and financial level. However, so far, they've been more trouble than they are worth for me.
This is how they work: your employer funnels your pre-tax dollars (this is an amount determined by YOU) into an account. If you have budgeted for large childcare payments or medical expenses you could get a pretty big tax break. You get your money back by providing payment documentation. But the coolest (inject sarcasm) part of the flexible spending account is that if you do not use up all your money by the end of your plan year, it is swept up and given to your employer. Cool, huh?
So, knowing that I needed to replace a crown, I will be funneling $720 into my flexible spending account. My crown actually ended up being $457.50, which is far less than I had been quoted. So I gather up my medical receipts totalling $600 and send them to Manley Services. My plan year ends 10/31/05. Just over a week later, I received my check: $30. Wow - that was unexpected.
I check the reason for claims denial. Reason 31 for $98.70 - no date of services. Hmmm...that's interesting. I carefully checked my photocopies and that column titled "DATE" was very clear.
Reason 46 for $457.50 (my crown) - prepaid services. Wow...that's even more interesting, since I didn't actually prepay my services.
A few people from my company had told me some horror stories of how they have been unable to collect on their claims for bogus reasons. If I'm denied my claim for my crown, there is no way I'm getting this money back. MY MONEY. There is NO WAY I'll be sick enough to generate enough medical expense to be reimbursed. So, I'm panicked now. I call Manley Services in Oregon. Their very slow voicemail references two extensions: 2748 & 2709. Neither work. They just loop you back to the beginning. So I'm trying to work this voicemail system to be able to leave a message. After 10 minutes of unsuccessfully navigating their voicemail, I decide to hit 27XX and leave messages for everybody.
2701 - no extension 2702 - sales guy, left message 2703 - owner, left message 2704 - billing, left message 2705 - left message 2706 - left message 2707 - customer service, left message. I'm crying by now.
Since I finally reached the correct person, I decided to stop.
I get to work the next day and look up their website (my home computer has Herpes Simplex 13). So then I leave a message with one person at the local office. I also call my doctor and dentist requesting faxes of these bills. I ask them to fax me everything they have in the hopes that whatever information is missing will be provided.
And then the phone calls start coming. The customer service person tells me the real reasons why I was denied a claim - they just need documentation from my insurance provider showing how much was covered by insurance. Easy enough. Although I can't believe they don't have code for this.
Then the local guy calls me. He asks me to fax over my new documentation so he can check it out before I resubmit - to make sure I won't be denied again. After looking over the paperwork, I realize that I will be denied - the insurance payments are not noted; only my own payments. I fax it over anyway.
Then the owner calls (who, by the way, has a really sexy voice). He wants to help me. He asks me to fax over my new documentation. I know it's not what they want, but I do it anyway. When I get back to my desk, there is a message blinking at me. It's the sales guy. He lets me know that the data processors in the office are pretty good, so there probably wasn't a mistake on their part - it's probably a miscommunication. Then he tells me that he doubts anyone will help me because of my attitude. And then he wishes me a 'super day'.
And this is where for the first time in my life, I lucidly and intelligently told someone off. This was really difficult for me because everyone else was so helpful. But considering that the girl sitting next to me lost $600 because their customer service gave her the wrong dates for our plan year over the phone so she has no proof, I don't take the prospect of my hard-earned money being swept away into someone else's pockets very lightly. I know it can happen. I don't work two jobs so that other people can fund their retirements.
Within a couple of hours, I was able to get the necessary insurance documentation from my insurance provider (love that internet!) and am preparing a fax with a letter to the president of the company. He has very kindly asked his company to cut a check for me. Because everyone was so helpful, I really vacilliated between just taking Mr. Salesman's remarks and....well, telling on him.
This is my letter:
Dear XXXX –
I want to thank you so much for all your help. I hope that the following documentation is what you need to support my claim. If not, please let me know. I will find whatever you need in support documentation.
I’ve debated on whether or not to complain about my voicemail response from (Jerk Salesman) since you’ve been so helpful, but I think I will because there have been several people in my office who tell me that they are also having trouble getting refunded for their claims.
After failing to negotiate your voicemail system last night, his was the first voicemail I received. I left a message. I’m sure I was angry and perhaps even crying, I don’t remember. This morning, he left a voicemail at my office, letting me know that he doubted there was a mistake in the payment processing, and he doubted that anyone would help me because of my attitude. And then he wished me a ‘super’ day. It’s commendable that he wants to back up his colleagues, but I felt his attitude toward me was very cavalier. Money is by nature a sensitive subject. I can’t believe I was the first angry client denied a claim.
Since your company holds a fiduciary relationship with its clients, I’m not sure if anyone’s attitude is a good enough reason to deny anyone service. If I’m not mistaken, if my claim is wholly denied and I’m not sick enough to generate any more medical fees, the account that holds my money is swept clean at the end of the year. I’m not sure who gets that money, but I think it’s inappropriate to suggest that I won’t get it because I wasn’t polite enough.
After my experience today, I do not believe anything of that nature would happen to a client. The three people I talked to were incredibly helpful. (Jerk Salesman's) voicemail does not blight my satisfaction in the way I was treated by Manley Services in any way. Thank you so much for all your help. I'm not proud of myself because of my originally heated responses left on voicemail. I'm not proud that I left 7 voicemails (that just seems infantile). But I don't think these are such terrible things that I'm ashamed of them either.
I am proud of myself that the only powerful f-word I used was fiduciary. I'm also proud that I was able to convey my feelings on Mr. Salesman's voicemail. I said EXACTLY what I believe.
Exotic, short, funny, smart, chubby (yet oddly, still super-hot). Generous. Loyal. In my sexual prime. Workaholic.
I'm Amerasian. I was born in Bangkok and my second language is English. However, my Thai isn't what it used to be...
