Background:
On Feb. 15, 2011, I went in to pay my monthly bill, "You owe us $10 late fees, " Bill says, and proceeds to add it to the amount I owe. (Payment is due on the fifth of each month.)
"Wait a moment," I said, "today is the fifteenth, and your contract says: no late fees unless payment is more than ten days late."
We discussed the matter for a while, and he calls Brad in. Brad insisted payment is late today, and the last time to avoid late fees was midnight on the fourteenth. So, according to Brad, what their contract really means is no late fees unless payment is more than nine days late. Moreover--I am at fault for being continually late, which I see as an ad hominem argument.
What I learned from this:
o don't treat customers like dummies even if you think you're right--it only serves to make them unhappy
o for some people, ten days is the same as nine days
o for some people, paying late should make you feel bad and immoral
