that can't be true!! could it??? haha Marina
> "D.L. Gomez" wrote: > > What a world!!! New South Wales, Australia, on Thursday 24 January > 2002, Derek Guile broadcast this story on his afternoon programme on > ABC radio. > > In March 1999, a man living in Kandos (near Mudgee, in NSW) received a > bill for his as yet unused gas line, stating that he owed $0.00. He > ignored it, and threw it away. In April, he received a similar bill, > and threw that away as well. The following month, the gas company sent > him a very nasty note stating that they were going to shut off his > gas if he didn't send them $0.00 by return mail. He called them, > talked to them, and they said it was a computer error, and that they > would take care of it. > > The following month, he decided that it was about time that he tried > out the troublesome gas line, figuring that if there was usage on the > account, it would put an end to this ridiculous predicament. However, > when he went to use the gas, it had been cut off. He called the gas > company, and they apologised for the computer error once again, and > said they would take care of it. > > The next day he got a bill for $0.00, stating that payment was now > overdue. > > Assuming that, having spoken to them the previous day, the latest bill > was yet another mistake, he ignored it, trusting that the company > would be good to their word and sort out the problem. > > The next month he got a bill for $0.00. This bill also stated that he > had 10 days to pay his account, or the company would take steps to > recover the debt. > > Finally, giving in, he thought he would beat the company at their own > game, and mailed them a cheque for $0.00. The gas company computer > duly processed the cheque, updated his account and returned a > statement to the effect that he now owed the gas company > nothing at all. > > A week later, the bank manager called our hapless friend and asked him > what he was doing writing a cheque for $0.00. After a lengthy > explanation, the bank manager replied that the cheque for $0.00 had > caused their cheque-processing software to fail. Therefore, the bank > could not process any cheques they had received from any of their > customers that day, because the > cheque for $0.00 has caused the computer to crash. > > The following month, the man received a letter from the gas company, > claiming that his cheque had bounced, that he still owed them $0.00 > and, unless he sent a cheque by return mail, they would take immediate > steps to recover the debt. > > At this point, the man decided to file a harassment claim against the > gas company. It took him nearly 2 hours to convince the clerks at the > local courthouse that he was not joking. They subsequently assisted > him in the drafting of statements which were considered substantive > evidence of the aggravation and difficulties he had been forced to > endure during this debacle. > > The matter was heard in Magistrate's Court, and the outcome was this: > > The gas company was ordered to :- > > 1. immediately rectify their computerised accounts system or show > cause, within 10 days, why the matter should not be referred to a > higher court for consideration under Company Law; > > 2. pay the bank dishonour fees incurred by the man; > > 3. pay the bank dishonour fees incurred by all the bank clients whose > cheques had bounced on the day our friend's had been processed; > > 4. pay the claimant's court costs; and > > 5. pay the claimant a total of $1500 per month for the 5-month period, > March to July, inclusive, as compensation for the aggravation they had > caused their client to suffer. > > AND ALL THIS OVER $0.00. > > > --- > Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. > Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). > Version: 6.0.476 / Virus Database: 273 - Release Date: 4/24/03
