All of this for $0.28????

Received a letter in the mail the other day, from our Mortgage company.
Rarely is mail from your Mortgage company a good thing....


This one is no exception, stating  that they received word we're in arrears on our property tax by......$0.28, and that since we're in arrears, we're technically in default on our mortgage.

My first response was to assume it was an error, as we always pay our taxes, and we hadn't received anything from the county indicating that we owe them anything.

My second thought was to let it ride.   How far would a big bank go for $0.28 cents???

What a lovely news story it would be, Chase Bank harrassing and threatening foreclosure on 28 cent short pay of property taxes....

Then I realized I didn't really want to find out how far they'd go.

So I spent WAY too much time navigating automated phone systems at our assessor's AND county clerk's office today, only to find out that I did, indeed, write check for wrong amount, LAST YEAR, and I  really DO owe $0.28.    
And according to the automated phone system, I can pay it at any... Chase bank location in the chicagoland area, as they provide the service for the county.


I called the one by my house.  Yep, they'd be happy to take my late payment, but only if I had original payment coupon.

Which I don't have, because... I PAID MY GODD*MN PROPERTY TAX BILL WITH IT, 7 MONTHS AGO!!!!.

Oh, well, then... they can't help me.

So back to the automated phone system at clerk's office. Found a way to get to an actual person.   Projected wait time.... 29 minutes and 58 seconds.

Called back an hour later, projected wait time - 19 minutes and 28 seconds.

Called back a bit ago, projected wait time - 1 minute.  Now we're talking.

And a minute later, we actually WERE talking.

And the rep there will happily send me a NEW property tax bill for $0.28, so that I can actually pay them.   I asked why I hadn't heard from THEM that I was in arrears.

"For $0.28??  we wouldn't send a notification out for something that small."

"But you DID, obviously, to my mortgage company."

So in a few days, I'll receive the bill, and my first thought was to take it, with 28 pennies, to the nearest Chase bank.  Until I was reminded that they don't have to accept pennies in excess of $0.25 toward bill payment.    Likely to ensure that disgruntled customers don't walk in with a five lb bucketful, to pay overdraft fees or somesuch.....

So, for $0.28 cents...

the county sent a letter to my mortgage company.
The mortgage company sent a letter to me.
I spent roughly an hour of my life determining that I did owe them $0.28, but had no way to pay them.
They in turn will be generating another letter, AND paying postage on it, so that I have a way to pay them their $0.28.
I will in turn spend more of my time going to the bank, with five nickels and three pennies, to pay the amount.
I will be giving the bill and the coin to a teller, who will then send it elsewhere, where it will be handled again, likely, and processed, and deposited and notated and.... geezus.


Awesome.