AN UNPAYABLE BILL

Pookie loves Father Christmas and as I love her, I bought a few !

This is one German Euro. Each country has it's symbol on the reverse side.

Over the last weeks I experienced something very surprising. First I got an invoice. That's nothing special because that's the only mail most of people get. The invoice showed an amount to pay : 0,00 €. (1 € is a little more then a $) I looked again, no doubt I had to pay an amount of 0 €

It was an invoice from a hospital, for blood analysis. I began to be doubtful about the mental health of the bookkeeper of this hospital. But then I laughed ! This was quite stupid, even the paper and the stamps cost more than one € ! I am not a genious in math and have never been, but this estimation I could do and then I dropped the invoice in the wastepaper basket and told everybody who listened to me about it as a joke.

One week later or so, I got a reminder to please pay the outstanding amount of € 0,00. Again by mail and with stamps. Now this was really ridiculous, I shaked my head, told everybody, laughed and threw it away.

After a while I got another reminder telling me that I had already had one reminder but still not payed and I should do this immediately. That really caused me a problem. How can I pay 0 € ? The bank will take me for mad and I didn't intend to spend the rest of my life in a mad house. Sighing I threw it away.

Then I got another letter, this time the amount encircled in red and a menacing text, that I still had not payed and that this was the last request ! I got scared and threw it away.

Another week went by and another letter arrived. This time a registred mail which the postman handed me over with a suspicious glance. The letter was rude, informing me that this would be the last (underlined, red, exclamation mark) reminder before taking juridical steps ! My Godness I thought, should I take a lawyer ? I saw myself alreday sitting in a nicely decorated cell with computer and flowers around me (but sadly without my personal cat) and Mr. Gattino bringing me oranges.

Now, I thought, I should call them and ask for an explanation because very honestly I did not have a 0 € coin or bill. Really that was a big problem. Otherwise I would have driven over there and paid it.

So I called and explained my problem. From service to service to service which all were not responsible finally I ended up in the accounting department. I explained for the X time my problem. Ah ! and finally I got the person in charge on the phone. She explained to me that this were a computer error and therefore noboday were responsible. He was the culprit ! Poor computer. She suggested to send 0,00 € per bank transfer. On my timid statement that this would be absurd, she informed me that not at all, because a computer only understands when he gets a transfer and then I could live in peace again. But, I dared to oppose, a computer does only what people put in. She answered me in a snobbish, offended way, making me understand that I probably belonged to these stupid people who really don't understand anything about computers ! To assure this oh so clever woman I promised her to make a transfer of 0,00 € right away. I hang up the phone and .... did it.

This was the first time in my life that I had to pay such an enormous and truely unpayable amount ! But it was good, I never got a reminder again and the Hospital only spent about 8 € in stamps. All's well that ends well !!

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