Or: Bookkeeping 101
File this under “things that make no sense.” It was irritating in the beginning and most of the way through it, but I finally saw the humor in it.
You see, I was my brother, Monty’s, medical power of attorney until his passing in May of 2020. When he passed, the POA was no longer in effect. I had no further power to discharge any of his business.
So, I had no legal standing over his estate. All I could do was notify his telephone company about his passing and ask them to close his account.
The representative I talked to at the telephone company seemed to understand, thanked me for notifying them, and said they would take care of it.
I didn’t hear anything more from them for a while, so I assumed it was settled.
A month or so later, I got a letter from them addressed to me at my home and along with a check for $79—made out to my brother stating that it was a refund on the balance of the account.
I was confused. I had clearly told them he was deceased. Not knowing what else to do, I wrote a letter to them explaining the situation again, referring to the date of our original phone call. I enclosed the check and sent it back, explaining why I couldn’t cash it… because fraud.
I considered the matter closed.
I was wrong.
A few months later, I received another letter with another check addressed to my brother.
Once again, I wrote to them to explain the situation and referenced both of the previous communications, thinking surely the third time would be the charm.
Again, I was wrong.
For several months, everything was quiet, and I was lulled into a false sense of security.
Many months later, it started again. By this time I was getting pretty tired of the back-and-forth game with them. In all, they contacted me about a half dozen times.
The last time they contacted me was the one that sent me over the edge.
They sent me a bill and told me that my brother owed them $25. After everything that I had been through with them, I had no intention of paying it, also knowing that I was not legally liable for it.
By then, the situation had moved beyond irritation and straight into absurdity. I mean, how does someone run up a bill nearly a year after they pass away? And what happened with the $79 credit?
If I know anything at all about bookkeeping, the math doesn’t work.
Finally, I decided one last letter was worth a try. If this didn’t explain it, nothing would.
Following is a letter that I sent to them.
“Dear AT&T,
I’m writing to you in regard to my brother’s telephone account. My brother, Monty, passed away in May 2020, which I advised you of at the time.
Since his passing your company has continued to send refund checks to him at my address. I am his next of kin. He wasn’t married, had no children, our parents have passed away, and I am his only sibling. Any authority I had over his business ended with his passing.
Your company has continued to send refund checks to him at my address. I am not legally capable of cashing those checks since I would be committing fraud. I am not going there.
Meanwhile, I received a bill on his behalf telling me that he owes you $25, a matter that boggles my mind as I do not see how he could possibly be responsible for this since he died over a year ago. Something here is not making sense.
Please close this account and remove my brother’s name from your company’s billing system. The phone was supposed to be disconnected over a year ago and if it wasn’t someone else is floating on your dime.
If you wish to discharge the amount you owe him to me, fine, but you would have to put it in my name. (I am not holding my breath.) As for charges against his account made after he died, that’s just nuts.
Please take care of this right away. It’s been a long time coming.
Brenda”
Then, crickets. They did not send me a check for a refund on his account, but I never thought they would. However, it seems they finally got the message.
I never heard from them again.
A short time later, I closed my account with them as well.
I am reminded of the saying, “You can’t get blood from a turnip.”
You also can’t give money to, or request it from, someone who is deceased.
