A few weeks ago, I received an email from PNC bank telling me that my account had been temporarily suspended. It had given me a number to call in order to get it reactivated – I could not do so online. Using a phone card from our apartment in Trastevere, I dialed the 1-888 number, but was promptly told by the operator that I could not use the card to call a collect number. This is when the idea of a lifetime came to me – just walk down the road and use the payphones near the piazza.
When the payphone rejected my phone card as well, I began to get annoyed. Fed up with the entire ordeal, I swiped my credit card and started dialing away. First, a lady from PNC answered and told me that she did not handle online accounts (this took approximately five minutes). Then I was transferred to a man who became confused that I was in Rome but lived in Pennsylvania (very hard concept to grasp, I know). After finally being transferred to another man who told me that my account was actually not suspended at all and was doing just fine, I hung up the phone quite pleased and went on my merry way.
A week or so later, my mom emailed me and asked about a few of the charges on the credit card bill. I could account for all but one of them and then finally to my horror realized what the mysterious charge had been. Turns out that my 12 minute (max) phone call cost me $109.00! She was not pleased but surprisingly did not seem mad about it. She told me not to make anymore collect calls and to “use my head”. One thing I will not be using anytime soon though is a payphone - don’t make the same mistake!
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