When Not to Let it Go

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I’m a big fan of letting things go. I don’t believe that carrying anger, guilt, or ill-will around with us has any benefit to it.

But there are definitely times when it’s okay NOT to let things go.

Sometimes people (or companies) are counting on you letting things go so they can get away with things, or simply don’t have to put in the effort to make it right. So while, anger and resentment almost never pay off, persistence does.

I’d like to share a couple of examples of times I’ve dealt with people whose lives would have been much easier if I’d been a nice young lady and just given up. Fortunately (for me) I didn’t.

Several years ago I had terrible foot problems. I saw a podiatrist a number of times and tried every conservative treatment available. Eventually it became obvious that I was going to need a more aggressive solution. I had one last hope to avoid surgery. It was expensive and it hurt like hell, but if it helped me avoid surgery, I was all for it.

I had the procedure done about a month later. The final cost, including flying the specialized machine and technician to my area, was over $5,000, which was to be covered by insurance (minus my copay).

Imagine my surprise when, 3 months later, I received a letter from my insurance company stating that they would not pay for my procedure.

I filed an appeal which was quickly denied (I’m pretty sure they’re all denied). I filed a second appeal, which involved a peer-reviewed study. About a month later I received another denial in the mail along with a copy of all 10 studies that were reviewed by the doctor.

This is the point at which most people would just give up and pay the bill.

I am not most people. <Insert maniacal laugh.>

I picked up the giant stack of papers and started reading. I read every page, made notes, and highlighted. It turns out, the peer review was flawed. I wrote to the insurance company and disputed the process. They chose not to repeat the peer review and paid my claim.

Saved: $5,000

I recently had a terrible online shopping experience with a large, some would say iconic, company.

I wanted to use my gift cards to buy a snow blower during the post-season sale. Well, apparently, one of my gift cards was a little old (11 years) and couldn’t be used online. I was told to go to the store to pay (I’d still get to use my Ebates and get my $44 cash back!), so I did. But the store couldn’t pull up the order…

And so it began.

I spoke with people via phone, e-mail, phone again, and e-mail again and again and again. The problem was that with every new communication, I was directed to a new person, and all they had to do to “clear” the file was to respond in any way, helpful or not. This went on for 2 weeks.

In a last-ditch, Hail Mary pass I posted a message on the company’s Facebook page. And to my amazement I got a response! After another week of communicating via messenger, e-mail, and telephone and we not only got our snow blower at a discounted price, but we also got it delivered!

Saved: ~$250 and my faith in humanity

The moral of the story; don’t give up. Don’t let it go when you know you’re right…

I’d love to hear your stories of not letting it go. Share in the comments.