For the first time in 32 years, I was late paying a water bill. I paid the $13 penalty as I was very busy with some family matters. I called the utility company today and was told they have a policy of waiving one late fee every 5 years. It is not a fortune of money, but better in my pocket than theirs!
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Because our income from my husband's business can be sporadic, there is sometimes no money to keep a bill from being paid late. I've found that if I call the bank or utility or whatever, I can usually get any late fees waived. The thing to remember is the person on the phone is just doing his/her job, and probably has people yelling at them all day.
I start out by thanking them profusely for helping me, especially if it's late or on a weekend. I've never yet had anybody refuse to remove the late charge. (We do have overdraft protection on our checking accounts.)
While they look things up, I'll politely ask about the weather where they are, or comment on something that's going on right now (NO politics!!) Treat them the way you'd want to be treated.
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