A woman who lives in Kansas City had her Internet service with Google Fibre — a division of Alphabet, the parent company of the search engine — cut over a matter of 12 cents last month.
Victoria Tane was at a loss to figure out why her service had disappeared and puzzled about it for two days.
When she called customer service, she was informed that the suspension was because a 12-cent balance was overdue, according to a report in The Kansas City Star.
Google Fibre told Tane that it had sent her emails and a voice message attempting to collect the outstanding amount.
{loadposition sam08}When she tried to pay, she was told that the company did not accept cheques for less than US$10. Tane then tried sarcasm and offered to secure a dime and two pennies to an envelope, a move that did not go down well with Google Fibre.
The company then decided to overlook the non-payment of the 12 cents, restored her services and credited her account with US$30.
Google Fibre told the Star in a statement: "As with any customer who has a balance due, we made repeated attempts to reach Ms Tane to resolve the matter. Google Fibre values our customers, and we have since worked with Ms Tane to restore her Fibre service.”
Tane's initial payment of US$300, plus US$25.08 for taxes and fees, was meant to provide a 5Mbps service for seven years.
But Google Fibre's accounting systems spread that amount over one year, deducting US$25 each month, and when the sales tax rate rose, it came up 12 cents short for the year.
The US$30 credit will provide Tane with service for another six years after which Google Fibre will look to convert her to a fully-paying customer.
But, she told the Star, she was not sold on the idea. “The whole thing is ridiculous,” she pointed out. “Why would you penalise a customer who paid up front?”