Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Death: The Gift that Keeps on Ungiving

It's been two years since I lost my husband.  You'd think all the red tape and run around would be over.  Wrong.

First, I couldn't get car tags because my husband was dead and the cars were in his name.  So...I had to get my "Letters of Testamentary" to prove I was the recipient of his estate...like these cars didn't already belong to me.  Then, one of the car titles has been relinquished to the state of Tennessee.  Tennessee?  Geeze...what's up with that?  I have never lived in Tennessee.  So, I can't get a tag for my car because the title is in Tennessee.  They give me a number to call and wish me a good day.  (Yeah...like my day is going to get better.)

So, I plod out into the hall of the County Annex and ring up this number.  I need to figure this mess out while I'm here. Of course, I get a recording...and the only options are web addresses.  I can't speak to a real person.  Okay...so I tear up.  I'm a widow...give me a break.  I go back in and ask another person to help me...while I'm explaining my situation (with a distinct tremble in my voice) a supervisor overhears and offers to call on my behalf.  I am so thankful...  Unfortunately, it's going to take several days to figure out what is  wrong.  Probably a clerical error in Montgomery.  Which causes me to have to return to this place when THEY figure THEIR mistake and hope it happens on or before my tag expires on July 31st.

Later in the day, I call AT&T to see if I can get a better rate on my cell plan.  When they find out that my husband is dead they tell me that my unlimited data plan is now null and void if I take it out of my husband's name.  So, I say...okay, I won't take it out of my late husband's name...and then they tell me if I don't make changes within 7 days they will cut off my phones because the guarantor on the account is deceased...and I have to drive to an office and fill out paperwork to see if they will approve me for a contract.   Now mind you, I have been paying said plan since Steve's death for TWO YEARS...I reported his death when I had his service discontinued...and now BAM...I'm going to lose my current unlimited contract and it's going to cost me MORE than before. 


Go ahead, AT&T Wireless....kick a widow when she is down.  
Yeah...kick me...again and again.

Death...the gift that keeps on ungiving.

27
Cyna

2 comments:

Sandra Whatley said...

Cindy,
Is Verizon an option? We switched years ago and have been very pleased for the most part. So sorry about all the aggravation. It seems EVERYTHING is bogged down these days...

Judy said...

Similiar things happened to me. Accounts in late hubby's name could not be switched to my name although i am the one that always wrote the checks for payment. And then the icing on the cake --- because all our credit had him as primary - i also had not credit experience under my name --- 38 years of being the wife, a wage earner, and check writer did not matter to these BOZOs.