Lessons Learned

I learned a lot of lessons today, not in class mind you, but because I forgot to pay my housing bill. I guess it could have been a lot worse, I mean it was only a 25 dollar late fee, but the process was killer.

Lesson 1: Keep checks with you
I must be so used to plastic cards and paper money that having checks seems obsolete, but apparently some people still use them. So I had to get a money order which I've never dealt with before and I doubt many people still do. I swear though, all I needed was a check and it all could've been finished in 20 minutes tops rather than 2.5 hours.

Lesson 2: Memorize your Social Security Number
They asked for my social security number when I got my money order because it was such a high amount. So I had to call my mom and wait for her to return my call and give me the number. Not fun.

Lesson 3: Don't think anything is over because you have everything you need.
After getting my debit card declined because it was such a high amount, going to my actual bank to tell them what happened, get a cashier's check from them and head back to the housing office, I thought I was scot free. But apparently you have to go to all the way to the housing admin office and pay for it there.

Lesson 4: Just pay your bills on time.
Save yourself money. Save yourself time. Save yourself energy. Save yourself stress. Because I'm pretty sure I used too much of all those things today than I should have. AND I missed the Champions League game. Son of a bee sting.

I also have a question for Mesa Housing in general:
Why didn't you send me an email saying my payment was late instead of actually giving me a paper letter?

My reasoning is as follows:
You sent me an email telling me I had to pay for housing in the first place because I'm pretty sure I've checked my email more than I've ever checked an actual mailbox.
You would have saved paper.
You would have gotten your money faster if you emailed me.
You could have called me, I'm pretty sure I've given UCI my phone number a million times in a million different places.
Why can't housing be paid at the same time on the same bill as registration fees? I understand that some people commute, but it just seems easier to ask for all your money at once.

I could get very cynical and say that you send letters rather than emails because it's your sick way of getting more money because no one ever actually checks their mailbox anymore.

I guess it's somewhat of a good thing I learned this now before I actually had a place to live because they could just kick me out without warning me.



wildwombat