THE SHAME OF LATE FEES
It's hard to know where to start when you live in a target rich environment like Reston ... Living in paradise there are just sooooooooooo many opportunities to comment on the way things are.
A little background: as any Reston resident knows, once a year we get to pay our Reston Association fees. This year the fee was $692.00. Payment was due 1 January, but they allowed a 30 day grace period for folks who were otherwise engaged with end of year celebrations.
So before going any further, let me readily admit I was wrong. I broke the rules and I should be made to pay. I'm willing to admit my guilt and pay the price.
Instead of writing a check to the Reston Association for $692.00, I wrote out a check for $690.00. Yes, I shorted the Reston Association $2.00. I don't think I did it on purpose, but maybe it was one of those deep, dark, Freudian things. After six months, the Reston Association accounting system seems to have decided to reach out and punish me. Yes, I literally got a letter informing me that I was delinquent in my payment. Not only that, but I've been assessed a penalty; a late fee ... I now owe a stunning $6.02. Yeah, that's correct. I owe an additional two cents.
As mentioned earlier, I fully admit I shorted them $2.00. That said, I can't help but wonder how much it cost the Reston Association to do the analysis to find the initial disconnect; let alone to generate the notification letter; have someone manually highlight that it was a pending, past due account; and to kindly send me the original bill. Oh, don't let me forget the $0.46 it cost them to mail the letter. Thank goodness they didn't send it registered (which is the normal delivery method for Reston Association letters to residents). I'm guessing the whole thing cost them more than $2.02.
Yeah, yeah, I know if every Reston family shortchanged them by $2,02 it would be the end of civilization as we know it. Again, it was my fault, but why wouldn't you simply send an email, or (God forbid), call the offender and ask them to make payment? Also, why would you wait six months? If I didn't realize I'd shorted them when I made the original payment, chances are I wasn't going to wake up i the middle of the night with the sudden recognition I was a fiscal deadbeat.
So now my burden is how to I make good on my debt? So many options to consider.
Ignore it until January at which time I could pay my 2018 bill and the 2017 shortage (including interest, which will have likely ballooned up to four cents).
I could go into the Reston Association offices and make payment with pennies - tacky; makes me look like a grumpy, old fool, and is not worth the time and effort to count out 202 pennies.
Credit card ... maybe spread it across multiple cards. Problem is I only have one card.
Check for $2:02; the most convenient for me ...
Send them two dollar bills and two cents. I'm thinking that's the way I'll go on this one.
A little background: as any Reston resident knows, once a year we get to pay our Reston Association fees. This year the fee was $692.00. Payment was due 1 January, but they allowed a 30 day grace period for folks who were otherwise engaged with end of year celebrations.
So before going any further, let me readily admit I was wrong. I broke the rules and I should be made to pay. I'm willing to admit my guilt and pay the price.
Instead of writing a check to the Reston Association for $692.00, I wrote out a check for $690.00. Yes, I shorted the Reston Association $2.00. I don't think I did it on purpose, but maybe it was one of those deep, dark, Freudian things. After six months, the Reston Association accounting system seems to have decided to reach out and punish me. Yes, I literally got a letter informing me that I was delinquent in my payment. Not only that, but I've been assessed a penalty; a late fee ... I now owe a stunning $6.02. Yeah, that's correct. I owe an additional two cents.
As mentioned earlier, I fully admit I shorted them $2.00. That said, I can't help but wonder how much it cost the Reston Association to do the analysis to find the initial disconnect; let alone to generate the notification letter; have someone manually highlight that it was a pending, past due account; and to kindly send me the original bill. Oh, don't let me forget the $0.46 it cost them to mail the letter. Thank goodness they didn't send it registered (which is the normal delivery method for Reston Association letters to residents). I'm guessing the whole thing cost them more than $2.02.
Yeah, yeah, I know if every Reston family shortchanged them by $2,02 it would be the end of civilization as we know it. Again, it was my fault, but why wouldn't you simply send an email, or (God forbid), call the offender and ask them to make payment? Also, why would you wait six months? If I didn't realize I'd shorted them when I made the original payment, chances are I wasn't going to wake up i the middle of the night with the sudden recognition I was a fiscal deadbeat.
So now my burden is how to I make good on my debt? So many options to consider.
Ignore it until January at which time I could pay my 2018 bill and the 2017 shortage (including interest, which will have likely ballooned up to four cents).
I could go into the Reston Association offices and make payment with pennies - tacky; makes me look like a grumpy, old fool, and is not worth the time and effort to count out 202 pennies.
Credit card ... maybe spread it across multiple cards. Problem is I only have one card.
Check for $2:02; the most convenient for me ...
Send them two dollar bills and two cents. I'm thinking that's the way I'll go on this one.
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