Oh, for the days of the little black bag!

Do you remember the days of house calls and little black bag filled with medicine, miracles and lollipops? That thermometer, all by itself , worked many miracles. The days when there was real concern about the patient and the most important thing wasn't the $$$$$? I do, and let me tell you, the medical profession is all about business and the $$$$ now. I don't see the business department worrying about the patient or their bank account.

Now I know that this is their job, and that is all well and good, but get a clue people, maybe everything that comes across your computer screen isn't correct.

This is the bare bones of my story:
1. visit the Doc.
2. receive statement
3. wait for bill ( don't ask)
4. pay bill
5. debit clears bank
end of story? Not so grasshopper.

Names have been changed to protect the innocent and the stupid.

These first five things did happen, but I also received a not so pleasant phone call from Corvair asking where her payment was. DK had paid the bill the previous month. "Did he pay it in full?"
"He paid what was on the bill," " Well,we show no receipt, Do you want to pay this now?"
"No, it was paid!" "Well we didn't receive it." (by this time NK was pissed off, I don't lose it with dumb people on the phone too often, but Corvair was dancing the Cha-Cha- Cha on my last nerve)
"I would like a statement of the payments you received in the past year" "It will take two weeks to get there, do you want to make that payment now?" (remember po'd NK?, She's back! ) "No, please check it out, I know the payment was made." We disconnect.

Three days later Corvair calls again. "Are you sure payment was made?", "YES IT WAS!"," Well, we still don't have it." " We sent it." ( Unable to remember the rest, brain rage, sorry.) Disconnect.

A week later we receive a check in the mail from the medical group for about half of what we paid them. I look at the check and scratch my head. "I wonder if they made an error, and billed us incorrectly ?" So, I call Corvair. A pleasant young woman I'll call Samantha answers my call, "Is Corvair available?" "Let me check, I'll put you on hold." (Don't get excited, no hold drama today.) "Corvair isn't available, ( she didn't want to talk to me) can I help you? "Yes, I'd like you to check our account for me, we received a check for $$$, and I'd like to know what it was for,according to your records, we still owe you money." "I'll check on that for you."

Samantha, " That check has nothing to do with this account, did you make a payment to another group?" "No, we only go to one Doctor or medical group. Well this is from a different source, it looks like lab work, or some such thing." "Then one has nothing to do with the other?" "NO." Disconnect.

We hold onto the check for a few days, until DK is going to the bank. While he is gone I call "Them" with the check information. Date, amount paid, and cleared the bank date, just to check, I'm after all the Pollyanna of our family.

Another young woman, Snowy I'll call her, "No, Corvair is with another customer,( I was going to apologize for being rude, forget that) can I help you.

I go into what's been going on, she still see's no payment received,"Let me check on something for you? Can I put you on hold? (gulp, but no drama this time either.) It looks like the other group took this and applied it to your bill with them. Then sent you the balance" (Now I was told that they had no connection what so ever.) It goes on forever, but at least we got to the root of the problem.

I won't go any further with that can of worms. "Do you want to make a payment?" "Not until I see the statement you are supposed to be sending", " Yes I'll have them send the statement for the other group too."

Turns out they have four different address for two businesses that have nothing to do with each other , but can cash checks not made out to them??????

End of story, we still owe them, they screwed it up and they are allowed to, but we can't.

Summed up different businesses, but they can cash each others checks. Sounds like same pants, different pockets to me.