2034 - A novel, By Vince Lovato

Don at Work

WELCOME TO NATIONAL CORP

 

   Don sat in front of his viewer at National Mart, Utilities Division and reviewed the data.

   The Smiths in Podunk County had a spotless history of payments. They hadn’t missed one in 11 years, and their name, along with the names of countless others, now flashed across Don’s screen. It was Don’s job to add to National Mart, Utilities Division’s 'percentage of liberated funds’ by reviewing grossly current accounts and imposing some assessment.

   It was so easy. All he had to do was add a line to the Smith’s next billing saying they had unfortunately missed payment on an age-old public utilities tax, one of many,

and that with impounds and fines the Smiths now owed, say, $1,427.12 in assessments. The 12 cents, of course, makes the sum sound that more official. A form letter would be generated offering condolences to the Smiths about the lapse in Utilities Corp.’s billing, but to show benevolence the Smiths could arrange for monthly payments of $357 on top of the usual bill to get caught up on the back assessments. If not, National Utilities Corp. would simply shut off the electricity or gas or the water or some combination thereof until the Smiths could pay on the tardy assessments. And since the government operated the utilities, the Smiths had no recourse.

   With a stroke of a few keys, Don generated the billing and a short letter, then electronically mailed it to the Smiths, who were one of three dozen families who would receive such notification today.

Don was good at this job, even if he had increasing misgivings about it. But all big businesses and government agencies did it and if the client was too stupid or lazy to challenge the query for money, why not take it from them? Tomorrow Don would take on another ruse. He would send letters to customers saying their last check was never received by Utilities Corp. and that the customer would have to prove they sent their check or pay for two months at one time, lest they get their utilities shut off. Of course, there was always the shut off fee and reconnect fee involved as well.

   There was a time when Don was surprised by how few customers actually challenged these letters of query for additional funds. But fear and contentment are powerful motivators. It was a well-established practice used by such respected venerable agencies such as the IRS for decades before the entire public and private business sectors adopted them wholeheartedly, if not clandestinely.

One Wednesday, Don would flip a few switches and a few dozen customers would go without some vital utilities for a day or two – just to keep them aware of their dependence…

   “Yes ma'am, we will get on that right away, ma'am. Act of nature you know. There are things that cannot be helped. Sorry for the inconvenience – could be a day or so. We’ll get right on it…”

As the customer service reps answered dozens of calls from irate customers whose utilities were suddenly lost, Don sat by and monitored the services on his computer screen, randomly turning some switches off, and others back on, while fine Americans howled…