# Comcast just sent me a bill for 9 cents **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 4, 2007, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comcast-just-sent-me-a-bill-for-9-cents/402717 "2007-05-04T05:21:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comcast-just-sent-me-a-bill-for-9-cents/402717/21 "2007-05-04T16:32:49Z")
Last month I finished paying off my car. Apparently I overpayed, because GMAC sent me a check for 23 cents. I held onto it for about a week before I deposited it; no way was I going to make a trip to the bank just to deposit a 23-cent check. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comcast-just-sent-me-a-bill-for-9-cents/402717/22 "2007-05-04T16:50:55Z")
I may have told this story before…When my wife died a few years ago we had a joint mutual funds account. I called to find out what I needed to do to close the account, or if it was possible to have the balance transferred to another account that I had in just my name. I was told that in order to close the joint account and have the balance issued to me I had to provide not only a certified copy of her death certificate, but some sort of court document (the exact nature of which escapes me at the moment, but it would have involved me paying a filing fee to get it). I decided that it was easier to just write out a check from the account for the current balance, figuring that with a zero balance they would just close the account. What I neglected to consider was that the account accumulated interest paid monthly. When I received the next statement, it showed an interest credit of 7 cents. I received monthly statements from them for at least six months before they send me a notice that the account was being closed for “insufficient balance” and an enclosed check for $0.07, which I then cashed with no problem, despite the fact that it was made out to both me and my late wife. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comcast-just-sent-me-a-bill-for-9-cents/402717/23 "2007-05-04T16:59:22Z")
[QUOTE=Diceman] no way was I going to make a trip to the bank just to deposit a 23-cent check. [/QUOTE] Dude, you could have been collecting interest on it that whole time! ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comcast-just-sent-me-a-bill-for-9-cents/402717/24 "2007-05-04T17:07:20Z")
[QUOTE=JSexton] Ditto what Lionel said, and I’m pretty sure the utility company isn’t indiviually licking and stamping it’s bills, either. It’;s all automatic. It’s not like there’s an employee laughing maniacally at the thought of billing someone for a penny. [/QUOTE] By the same token, it only takes one line of code in their billing system to not bother to send out a bill for \< $1 unless the account is being closed and they need it to even up. Just roll it over to the next month. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comcast-just-sent-me-a-bill-for-9-cents/402717/25 "2007-05-04T17:14:04Z")
My city was charged [$955 for a 4-cent billing error](http://www.the-news-leader.com/news/article/1938331) by the The Ohio Public Employees Retirement System. OPERS was nice enough to go back and fix the error and erase the charges. :-/ ---
**Author:** ![LionelHutz405](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lionelhutz405/32/536_2.png) [@LionelHutz405](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LionelHutz405)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comcast-just-sent-me-a-bill-for-9-cents/402717/26 "2007-05-04T17:40:52Z")
[QUOTE=iamthewalrus(:3=] By the same token, it only takes one line of code in their billing system to not bother to send out a bill for \< $1 unless the account is being closed and they need it to even up. Just roll it over to the next month. [/QUOTE] And next month the customer gets charged a penalty for not paying it. Unless you also add code to handle that. Adding exceptions to the normal process is not something you do on a whim. Adding the lines of code is just the start. You need to change the documentation on how the system now works and test the change. It’s likely cheaper and safer just to leave things alone and let the normal process happen. ---
**Author:** ![SuperNelson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@SuperNelson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuperNelson)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comcast-just-sent-me-a-bill-for-9-cents/402717/27 "2007-05-04T17:44:56Z")
[QUOTE=LionelHutz405] I get credit card statements all the time that say I owe them zero dollars. I don’t see anything wrong with it. When you are sending out thousands of bills it’s more trouble to try and filter out the small amounts than it’s worth. Postage cost is not the only thing to consider. You would have to design a system that recognizes what amount isn’t worth billing for (9 cents? 20 cents? 40 cents? Do you adjust the cut-off point when postage costs change?) It makes more sense just to bill everyone who owes you anything. Billing systems cost money. The more complex it is, the more it costs. [/QUOTE] And in that circumstance, I would rather get a bill showing a zero balance than wonder who got hold of the credit card bill that I didn’t receive. ---
**Author:** ![phall0106](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phall0106/32/5934_2.png) [@phall0106](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phall0106)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comcast-just-sent-me-a-bill-for-9-cents/402717/28 "2007-05-04T18:11:11Z")
I just paid off one of my credit cards (Yay for me!) and I’d \*better \* get a statement that says I have a zero balance. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comcast-just-sent-me-a-bill-for-9-cents/402717/29 "2007-05-04T18:29:36Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] I’d bet that they paid neither 37, 39, or 41 cents. I don’t have any of my current bills with me, but I’d wager the hefty sum that **Jodi** owes that I’ve never seen an actual stamp on any bill, ever. As utility companies most likely send out more than one bill per day, I’d think that they get some sort of bulk rate. Actually, looking up the policy, I have no idea if they get the discount rate at all. This may be a good GQ topic. [/QUOTE] Good point - I know they don’t use stamps, but I’m not sure if they get a discount rate either. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comcast-just-sent-me-a-bill-for-9-cents/402717/30 "2007-05-04T18:43:04Z")
I once saw a charge on my AMEX statement that I didn’t recognize-it was a mail order place that used a differnt name, from the catalog I ordered from. I called up AMEX, and they were very nice about it-they said i didn’t have to pay the charge, and that they would open a dispute. next month, i saw it, and remembered the story-so i called up, and offered to pay them. I explained that the charge was legitimate, and sent them a check-which they returned. After 4 months, they sent me a check for the amount-I guess I couldn’t dissuade them. ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comcast-just-sent-me-a-bill-for-9-cents/402717/31 "2007-05-04T18:54:48Z")
[QUOTE=Jodi] . . . which it took them 37 cents to send. They also sent me a notice that if I don’t pay the “outstanding balance” on the account within 30 days, they will charge me a late fee of $5 per month. I’m seriously thinking about sending them a nickel, four pennies, and a tube of KY jelly. Any other ideas? [/QUOTE] Send them a check for $0.11, then demand they immediately close your account. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comcast-just-sent-me-a-bill-for-9-cents/402717/32 "2007-05-04T19:53:40Z")
A while back I was living in the States, and I procured for myself a credit card down there. After I moved back to Canada I hung onto it for a while, but it sat at 0 balance for several months. (They didn’t send out a statement every month; after the first month with a 0 balance I didn’t get anything from them in the mail.) After some time I got a balance statement reporting a tiny credit, 37 cents or some such, due to a settlement in a class action lawsuit against the credit card company. At that point I decided to cancel the card and close the account, so I called them up and did so. They duly sent me a cheque for 37 US cents, which I let collect dust on my desk since there was no way I was going to the trouble of standing in line to cash it and convert the currency to $CDN. A few months later, I got a letter saying that they had no record of me cashing the cheque, and if I didn’t do so within X days it would be cancelled. A month after that, I got a phone call from them, asking me how to proceed, should they issue a new cheque? Zounds! Anyways, since I’d been dinged a couple times for late fees by them, I was somewhat satisfied to have cost them so much time and trouble over 37 cents, but my mind just boggled at the whole thing. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comcast-just-sent-me-a-bill-for-9-cents/402717/33 "2007-05-04T20:23:52Z")
[QUOTE=Rigamarole] Good point - I know they don’t use stamps, but I’m not sure if they get a discount rate either. [/QUOTE] My google-fu didn’t come up with much. Apparently bulk mail rates only apply if every piece of mail is identical and not personalized. Flyers are OK, but letters to Aunt Mimi and Cousin Fred are not. You could get a bulk rate to send out your yearly “Billy got an A in woodshop!” Christmas letter, but you can’t hand-write “Mimi, how’s your goiter?” on one of them. I would think utility bills are personalized enough to not qualify, but I bet there’s some other discount they can get. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comcast-just-sent-me-a-bill-for-9-cents/402717/34 "2007-05-04T21:57:39Z")
[QUOTE=enipla] Send them a dime, and ask for the change. [/QUOTE] OOOH! _Very_ nice! 🙂🆒 ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comcast-just-sent-me-a-bill-for-9-cents/402717/35 "2007-05-04T22:16:44Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] … bulk mail rates only apply if every piece of mail is identical and not personalized… I would think utility bills are personalized enough to not qualify, but I bet there’s some other discount they can get. [/QUOTE] No, businesses can use bulk rate. The personalization issue has to do with how easily the USPS machines can sort the envelope - anything that gets kicked out for a real human to deal with costs them more to handle. Bulk rates have various other requirements, like being presorted in batches by ZIP code, Carrier Route, etc. and having the bar code thingummy on there already; basically, the easier you make it for the Post Office, the better the rate you get. [cite](http://pe.usps.gov/text/dmm300/ratesandfees.htm) ---
**Author:** ![harmless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/2acd7d/32.png) [@harmless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmless)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comcast-just-sent-me-a-bill-for-9-cents/402717/36 "2007-05-04T22:18:07Z")
I found it rather amusing when I got a _money order_ in the amount of $0.01 for restitution from the state attorney. 😛 If they got a cheap money order from the post office it still cost someone (the thief I imagine) over $1 to pay us that penny. ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2007, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comcast-just-sent-me-a-bill-for-9-cents/402717/37 "2007-05-05T00:10:51Z")
[QUOTE=Jodi] . . . which it took them 37 cents to send. They also sent me a notice that if I don’t pay the “outstanding balance” on the account within 30 days, they will charge me a late fee of $5 per month. I’m seriously thinking about sending them a nickel, four pennies, and a tube of KY jelly. Any other ideas? [/QUOTE] If you know exactly how much your next month’s bill will be, send them now a check for that amount plus 10 cents. Then they’ll have to spend 37 cents (less presorted discount) to send you a statement showing a credit of 1 cent. Then you’ll not only be even with them but you’ll be “up” 8 cents on them. That’ll teach 'em. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2007, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comcast-just-sent-me-a-bill-for-9-cents/402717/38 "2007-05-05T00:29:47Z")
I recall I had a finance company, after I’d paid final amount, chopped up the card, celebrated exuberantly and relaxed in the knowledge of a bit less debt in my life, send me a notice saying I was in credit by about 5 cents. I ignored it. Kept getting the same notice, every month. I faxed them, told them the account was closed. Still more notices. Ended up ringing them and telling them that they had my total and absolute personal permission to use the 5 cents to go towards their office Christmas party. My treat. The woman on the other end laughed, said thank you – and the notices ceased. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Full_Metal_Lotus)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2007, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comcast-just-sent-me-a-bill-for-9-cents/402717/39 "2007-05-05T05:43:14Z")
Where I used to work, a change in the way holiday pay was calculated resulted in people getting checks for amounts varying from a few cents to much more. Nothing too unusual in that. What was unusual, was that several of us got checks for 0 Cents (Due to the way the computer rounded the formula/results. We laughed about it and went on with out lives. Until a few months later when we got notices asking us to deposit the checks so that they could be accounted for. Regards FML ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2007, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comcast-just-sent-me-a-bill-for-9-cents/402717/40 "2007-05-05T12:25:03Z")
The last time I endend an account. I added a this payment is to cover it up to the current date. I sent it for an amount that was less than a dollar over and said no refund should be sent. I then signed it. I wasn’t going to play the couple cents back and forth game, and wanted a clean instant break from dealing with them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comcast-just-sent-me-a-bill-for-9-cents/402717.md?page=1)