Call Centers

I just have to get up on my soapbox about a pet peeve of mine -- call centers.  

You may know the drill.  You call the toll free (or sometimes not toll free) number that is given for customer service.  You get the obligatory recorded message giving you nine different options to choose from.  Heaven forbid you don't listen closely, because then you have to go through the entire thing again!  You push you number and.....

You get the next menu of recorded options, with nine more choices.  You take great care to listen carefully, because you don't want to go through this again.  You press the number that most closely relates to why you called in the first place (assuming you remember by now.)  And then...

You hear the 'click' as your call is transferred to somewhere overseas, because workers here in the U.S. demand pesky things like decent wages, and benefits.  These eat into corporate profits, so they are bad.  But I digress....the person who answers speaks very proper, albeit heavily accented, English.  But they don't understand the idioms we Americans love to use, and they don't understand the nuances of what you are saying.  

You vow to remain calm while you are attempting to get (in this case) your bill corrected.  You explain that there is an error on your bill.  The person on the other end tells you how much you owe.  You explain that no, that's not the right amount.  The person on the other end tells you how much you owe (the same amount again.)  And so it goes....  

After the first three minutes, your voice raises.  You begin to swear in your mind, hoping the words don't make it to your lips.  You attempt to explain again.  Finally, you are getting somewhere, as the person places you on hold.  Yep, this is the one time when going on hold is a positive thing.  

Five minutes later (why do hold times always seem to average five minutes) the person on the other end of the line comes back to tell you that yes, you are correct, there is an error.  Here is the right amount.  

But wait -- the amount she quotes is LESS than what you owe.  Your desire to be honest wars with your desire to stick it to the company who put you through this in the first place.  What would you do?