As much as I can commiserate with the inconvenience and the $$ lost...
sorry, but I have to be the lonely voice of dissent here:
Nix on the auto pay: NEVER authorize ANYONE to take ANYTHING out of your bank accounts. I have heard and seen too many horror stories.
You CAN set up a bill pay from your own account and pay them when YOU want to pay them...it's not automatic, it's initiated by YOU...you go into the account and tell it when to pay and how much after you've set up the accounts.
Once the account is set up, the actual transaction can take place faster as an electronic fund transfer than the process of writing checks, mail time, etc. Consult your banking institution. My old bank charged five bucks a month, but we found another bank that gave us free online bill pay. It's worth it's weight! Very convenient. We set up the accounts and it's point and click.
The other advantage is that once you set up the payments, you can tell at a glance what's 'on the list' and address them immediately. If you see something that you don't have the bill right in front of you, it will alert you that there's something missing.
If you don't already have it, get Quicken or Money or some program for helping keep track of your money. Even if all you do is reconcile your bank account with it, (which is a snap) it's a great way to keep track of where you're money's going. Need to look back and see when the power bill was last paid? the check register is right there, and can be sorted by Payee, to make it easy for you to check.
And, Bill paying is not the responsibility of ONE or the OTHER spouse, bills and budgeting need to be addressed as a team. If you're not sitting with the wife and going through them, then you've abdicated all responsibility to her, and that's not fair. Nor does this error make it any more fair for you to have to do them alone. Two sets of eyes on those bills/statements may have caught the error.
which brings me to the last point... WHO in the world gets shut off for ONE missed payment? I'd still be at the gas co office bright and early Monday am, and crawling up...I mean, having a quiet, intelligent conversation with those in charge and questioning why this happened if it was a first offense and why they didn't call you first? Here, one at least gets the courtesy of a hang tag on the doorknob if they don't pay, and it gives XX amount of days to bring it current before it's cut off. It may not help, but you might get the reconnection fee reimbursed. Point out the fact that this is the first time it's happened in how many years, was an oversight, has immediately been taken care of, and in this economy... Suck up. it's worth a try.
