Which bill is real?

[landandwire]

Today I got a call from a Verizon robot threatening to turn off my service immediately if I didn't pay $120.10. I went to the web site, signed in with considerable difficulty, and saw to my surprise that I owe $260 or so -- due three weeks from now.  

So I signed off and scheduled the payment through my bank for two weeks hence. 

Then to be sure, I tried to sign back on with the same name and password, but couldn't. I tried calling, but the robot couldn't help me unless I entered a number visible only on my signed-in Verizson web page. Alas, it was after 5 pm EST so Verizon had no humans avialable to help me pay my bill.

So I checked in once more online to find that secret three-digit number so I could go back and pay through the robot by phone, but now the charge due was listed near $204 for no apparent reason.

Three different 'balances due' posted on the same day, two different due dates. No one avaiable to help anywhere any time.

Luckily, all those threatening robo calls don't require humans so they never stop night and day, seven days a week.