A Day in the Life of the Self-Employed Bookkeeper

Well, I'm beginning to realize that "bookkeeper" is a very liberal term, depending on what one is willing to do as a bookkeeper.

Last week some time, an older gentleman called when I was not here, asking to talk to the "accountant". When Mom said I wasn't here, he started explaining that Telus was trying to rip him off and he needed help sorting out his phone bill. Mom slowed him down and said she didn't know what she or I could do about it, but said I would be back later, and gave him a rough time to call. However, Dad also spoke with the man and gave him directions to the house.

The time that Mom suggested he call was also the time that our first Local Spiritual Assembly meeting of the Baha'i year was to start, and he ARRIVED at that time. So I sat down with him, a flustered but pleasant man, to figure out what the problem was. He was willing to sign his whole life over to me if I could just fight with Telus for him because he was sure he had paid this huge bill that he just got. I told him that I doubted they would talk to me, but I would try. However, I didn't promise to get it done within the next few days - too much tax work still.

About a week later, (two days ago) he showed up on my doorstep again, showing me a disconnection notice. I promised, through much emotionally charged conversation on his part, that I would do what I could, but that he should be prepared to pay the huge bill to avoid disconnection.

So I did sit down yesterday to figure it out, between phone calls to clarify information, and then he just arrived again with more information. It wasn't looking good for him though.

Enjoying my Victoria Day sleep-in, the phone rang at 9 a.m., and it was this same gentleman, saying he wanted to come pick up all the paperwork he had left with me so he could just go in and pay the amount he believed he owed tomorrow. I groggily replied "Give me about half an hour". He said, "Oh, I guess that's reasonable."

By the time he got here at around 10:15, I had clearly established in my own mind that the only thing Telus was guilty of was legal highway robbery - his phone bills added up just fine. So I sat him down with a cup of coffee, and systematically showed him what had happened, with an apology that it wasn't turning out the way he had hoped. He was some deflated, poor man, and then asked what he owed me. I had only spent an hour on figuring out what had happened, so I charged him what I charge for an hour of bookkeeping, plus GST. A lot of drama for $26.25. As he was leaving, however, I pointed out that he is paying 16 cents a minute for his LD phone calls in North America, and almost $2/minute for his LD calls overseas. I told him I only pay 3.5 cents for my North American calls. He said, "I'll give you another $40 if you'll get me onto a long distance company that is cheaper." I told him I would work on it, but that I can't just change long distance phone companies for him. It will just mean that I'll have to find the best rate for him, and then go over to his house and walk him through the change on the phone.

I have the feeling I will be seeing a lot of this gentleman. Prices are going up, fixed incomes don't rise, and he admitted to being "nervous" and not being able to deal with some things. I can just see this frustrated old man telling other frustrated senior citizens, "Oh, take it over to that little girl in Whitelaw, the bookkeeper, she helped me figure out a problem with my phone bill and got me on a plan that I pay a lot less, and she hardly charged me anything to do it." (Old men often call any woman more than ten years younger than they are "that little girl.") Pretty soon I'll be the refuge that all the confused older people run to, to sort out their confusing bills.

Nonetheless, even if the result wasn't quite what he wanted, it was good to be able to clarify something for him and calm him down a bit, just by being calm myself and taking him through it step-by-step.

In other news, I took Jessa and Aislinn over to "Auntie Tineke's", (she's a lady whose son goes to school with Jessa, and apparently all the kids call her "Auntie Tineke" (Teenika), for them to check out the piano she had for sale. We now have a nice piano, rather than a keyboard, for the girls to practice on, thanks to Grandma. Jessa was getting so that she needed a pedal. Jessa is very pleased, and is beginning to compose her own music, so I think having a real piano, and maybe I'll buy her some piano music just a little above where she is currently, and she'll be playing around on the piano, making real music, just for fun.

Dad has just called supper.