We now have to pay $8 a month for the privilege of maintaining an operating checking account. This fee is waived if we meet the minimum balance requirement, which was not given on the letter informing us of this fee. Instead, we had to consult an accompanying brochure, which says that people who can afford to have $1500 sitting idle in their checking account do not have to pay the monthly fee. This $8 charge is only for people who cannot afford to have $1500 sitting idle each month in their account.
In case you haven't guessed, the other new fee is a $4 charge for using the bank's debit card. When my wife's bank, which had managed her and her family's accounts for over 50 years, was bought by another entity, I told her this kind of stuff was going to happen as soon as they thought they could get away with it. She has remained their customer out of some sort of tradition or loyalty, but maybe now she'll take my advice and switch to a credit union.
I have just finished telling Comcast, or Xfinity, or whatever they will be called next, that I will be picking up two digital converter boxes from them, even though I don't want digital cable service. The website tells me that (at least for now) this will not result in an increase in my bill, although this also means the television in the bedroom will from now on only receive channels 2 through 19. (Fortunately channel 15 is my favorite channel.)
And this past summer I switched to a new cell phone service, because the one that had been serving me well for many years was bought by ATT. (After the switch, when I asked to talk to a customer service agent, the ATT employee had to flat out tell me to leave, because "There is no customer service department." (His exact words.)) I rode out the mandatory two-year contract so I could cancel my service without being additionally charged. And now, again if you haven't already guessed, my new cell phone company no longer exists, going by a different name in order to provide me with more service I never asked for in the first place.
Having three things like this happen to our household in the span of one week isn't quite the normal pace of things, but they illustrate how ridiculous corporate shenanigans have become in this country, how much is being forced on people, and how little choice any of us seemingly have, in searching for something to do about it. Using a forum to
rant and rave about this is why I volunteered to start this blog. I am also about to leave to attend a meeting of the Occupy Memphis group, to see what else we might be able to do. If you are reading this, then please join us.
D. P. Dwiggins
Memphis 38117
October 9, 2011
