Wednesday, October 26, 2011

It makes you wonder...

Case #1

Recently, I received three letters from the same department of an insurance company with the same date but different instructions about when to pay my back premiums.

First letter--Pay by 10/26/11
Second letter--Pay immediately
Third letter--Pay within 10 days of receipt of letter

Confused, I called the insurance company to ask which pay date I should honor. After fumbling for words, the customer rep put me on hold to check with a supervisor. When she returned, she advised (in a stern voice) that I pay before the 26th.

This major corporation, however, only accepts payments by mail or automatic withdrawal. No telephone or online payments. Go figure.

Case #2

A cousin of mine who had applied for early social security (at age 62) continues working fulltime. Consequently, she must stay within income guidelines established by the Social Security Administration or pay back a portion of benefits received.

During the past three months in different letters (some arriving on the same day), the SSA has informed her that:

1. She owes several thousand dollars which will be recouped by stopping her checks for a specified period of time.

2. She owes several thousand dollars and must pay immediately.

3. She will receive a check for a smaller amount the next month.

4. She is owed back money from SSA calculation error.

This week, she received another later stating that she will not receive checks for the next two months.

What happened to the "security" in Social Security?

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