DH makes $400k/year and is on the phone arguing with the gas company over $50

[Anonymous]

I don't like being ripped off. I've gotten refunds for the same or less. As PPs have said, it's the principle - plus I hate when mega companies overcharge and assume that customers won't notice. F that.

And yes, I make over $400K, too.

[Anonymous]

The issue is not that he called to dispute the bill, rather his argument sucked and should not have taken an hour. I could have settled it in ten minutes. He needs to think about his approach before the next billing dispute or customer service issue.

[Anonymous]

He is a gaslighter

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Folks, call on your medical bills too. Pretty much all medical bills are negotiable. I managed to get $40,000 of medical bills down to around $9000. It took me about 2 hours on the phone. This was a number of phone calls had I had to call the hospital, doctors, labs etc all to get negotiated rates.

I called A/P at each location. I'd tell each phone answerer that we really could not afford the bill and what was the best price that they could give me.

No insurance?

Who has such great insurance that they have never been ripped off under their policy for a coinsurance or wrongly calculated annual deductible or out-of-pocket maximum? Even with insurance, it is well worth it to examine and negotiate bills and argue claims. You should know that standard practice at insurance companies is to fully deny claims they should cover and see if some poor schmo who does not have enough time to examine their policy to pay it. Some have been known to do this seven times in a row. A medical practice with a good billing and business office will know how to play this game but not every medical practice has staff that do this and some patients get stuck with the insurance billing "mistakes". I always ignore the insurance bills initially and call the doctor's office to see if the claim is still being litigated and then ask what to expect as the true coinsurance amount.

[Anonymous]

Definitely a SHAM wife who brings nothing to the relationship.

[Anonymous]

Good for him. Maybe he can use the $50 to treat himself to a nice lunch

[Anonymous]

Husband is right. Why does his income matter? No one should be ripped off, and fighting this sort of thing on principle is good for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with OP.
We only have a finite number of hours before life is over.
There is an opportunity cost to spending an hour on the phone haggling over $50.

+1. Time is money. If OP’s husband is making 400k, let’s just say he is making $300 for an hour of his time. So he spends an hour trying to get $50 back which is a net loss of $250.

For above, OP says he is giving up an hour of family time on a nice day.

Yes, forget about the $50 and spend quality time with family.

That is nonsense. He’s not gonna automatically spend an extra time with family because he’s not on the phone. That’s completely ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Husband is right. Why does his income matter? No one should be ripped off, and fighting this sort of thing on principle is good for everyone.

+1

OP: It sounds like you don’t work and you know absolutely nothing about money and what it takes to get it and what it takes to keep it. I feel bad for your husband was married to a selfish idiot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't like being ripped off. I've gotten refunds for the same or less. As PPs have said, it's the principle - plus I hate when mega companies overcharge and assume that customers won't notice. F that.

And yes, I make over $400K, too.

Exactly this!

[Anonymous]

In addition to the principal of not being ripped off, he might actually enjoy this type of conversation/negotiation. DH negotiates in all kinds of things—cable/internet, wireless, even magazine subscriptions back in the day. If he finds that a company is offering a deal for new signups, certain types of renewal, etc., he calls and talks until he gets the equivalent deal. He likes doing this so much that he even does it for others in our neighborhood.

He truly seems to enjoy this, so our family just puts it on the ‘dad’s hobbies’ list. We appreciate the related largesse.

[Anonymous]

As a non-complaining free-rider, I say God bless people like your DH, OP. And I mean that truthfully. They make my life better by keeping these companies honest.

[Anonymous]

So making a high income means you should just throw it away? Fifty dollars here, $100 there, what does it matter? I think a lot of posters here don’t pay attention to what things cost especially from reading the home improvement forum. We make 400k and are relatively frugal because our jobs are stressful and we’d like to retire.

[Anonymous]

I make 7 figures and will fight anyone who tries to rip me off. On the other hand, I will tip through the roof when people deliver.

[Anonymous]

My mother is a multi-millionaire, she will argue with Verizon about a $10 mistake and won't let go until it's resolved to her satisfaction. That's why she's in the position she's in.

Watch your pennies, and the dollars will watch themselves!