Old Technology Hurts Everyone

This week, I was shown an example of how some companies refusing to join the 21st century can impact other companies. WaterOne and the City of Olathe each handle a part of my water, sewer, and trash bills. As part of my plan to close my Merrill Lynch brokerage and checking accounts, I have been transferring my various bill payments to my credit card or my Bank of America checking account, depending on whether they offer free credit card payments or not.

Now, KCP&L and Atmos Energy at least allowed me to manage my payment methods online. They both required me to cancel automatic payments, wait two days, and then initiate automatic payments again with the new account information, but it was straightforward enough. WaterOne and City of Olathe, however, require a printed form to be mailed or faxed (ha!) along with a voided check for the new account.

I really don't write many checks. Just about the only time I write checks is when someone offers a discount for paying with "cash." So, I paid for my storm door and my furnace by check, and that's it for the past three years. Except for the homeowners' association dues, but I really shouldn't go into my complaints with them right now. Basically, I don't write checks. When I opened my Bank of America checking account, I didn't get checks with it because...I don't write checks. And I have checks for my E*TRADE brokerage account for those one or two checks a year I do write.

Ah ha! But Waterone and the City of Olathe require voided checks. So, in order to not have to write checks, I had to order checks and void them out. Really, that's what I had to do. The minimum order was 150 checks (thankfully free to me because Bank of America bought my mortgage). I tore out two, wrote "VOID" on them, and put the rest back in the box they came in. What a waste!

WaterOne and the City of Olathe make changing account information a hassle. It cost me time, two stamps, and two envelopes; it cost Bank of America 150 useless checks plus shipping; it cost WaterOne and City of Olathe personnel time to process the hand-written form. You know what's even worse? WaterOne still doesn't even offer paperless billing!

New Furnace

A couple of weeks ago, I was forced to buy a new furnace. As it turned out, the warm weather in the following week and a half meant I probably could have postponed the purchase by a week or so, at least. But, as that turned out, the check I wrote that Wednesday was not cashed until just this past Friday - over two weeks. Generally speaking, checks are deposited very quickly by companies. They like to earn interest on money, if nothing else. Thus, this delay had me slightly worried about lost checks, claims that I didn't pay, having to cancel payment on said check after writing a new one, fighting collection agencies, cancelling business with what I had thought to be a trustworthy HVAC company, etc. Turns out they just take their time collecting their pay.

Anyway, it would have cost ~$500 to fix the furnace, so I figured that was the equivalent of ~$500 off the purchase price of a new furnace. Since the condenser coil above the old furnace wasn't installed properly (the drain pipe was too narrow and clogged), the old furnace was rusted out, and I think dripping water had fried the electronics in the broken component twice already. I was tired of that furnace. Incidentally, A.B. MAY fixed it the last time and did nothing to even investigate the rust. Plus, they incorrectly installed a new water panel in my humidifier, which caused it to leak water all over the back part of the basement. Needless to say, I was not happy with A.B. MAY.

Still, I had Neal Harris and A.B. MAY out to give me quotes on a new furnace, just for kicks. Neal Harris started their furnaces at $2775 for a standard 80% furnace, and an 80% 2-stage variable speed furnace was $4180. Not what I was hoping to spend. A.B. MAY's prices were $1790 and $3593 for the same type of furnaces. Still a bit pricey, really. My friend, Brian, recommended ISSA Heating, Cooling & Plumbing, and their prices were $1650 and $2550. What they lacked in professionalism (and there was a definite lack, there), they made up in price, confidence, personality, and trust-inspiring behavior.

So, I ended up spending $2550 to fix something A.B. MAY should have fixed last year, but the new furnace will allow me to get a high-efficiency heat pump next year or so. Overall, I haven't had too much stress over spending that money, so I'd call it a good purchase.