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Reader Smashville has shared with Consumerist what is either a wonderful Above and Beyond story or a clerical clusterfrak of epic proportions. He writes that eleven years<\/strong> after an emergency room visit, his mother received a refund check for $160.00 for an overpayment that she forgot she had ever made.<\/p>\n In the fall of 1999, I was a freshman in college and I had been feeling sick for a couple of days. I woke up in the middle of the night, couldn’t breathe and had what felt like this unbearable load on my chest.<\/p>\n “Oh my god, I’m 18 and having a heart attack,” I thought. I managed to climb out of bed and make it to the phone. I dialed 911 and got campus security…who promptly told me that it was outside of their normal business hours. That part isn’t remotely relevant to my story, but I always thought it was amusing that security apparently operated under the assumption that students did not need “securing” after midnight.<\/p>\n So, at this point, I dialed the extra 9 and got the real 911, who sent an ambulance (why my roommate would not take me to the hospital across the street is a story for another day) to transport me to the Brookwood Medical Center. Nothing was convincing me that I was not having a massive coronary.<\/p>\n When I arrived at the hospital, it was quickly determined that I was not having a massive coronary, but had pleurisy and was fairly dehydrated. After being hooked up to an IV for an hour and getting a shot in my butt, I was sent on my way home with the bill.<\/p>\n As the hospital was out-of-network and in another state, my mom paid the massive OON deductible and we all went merrily and healthily on our way.<\/p>\n We did, at least, until February 8, 2010. When my mom went to her mailbox that crisp winter’s morn, she expected some magazines and some junk. Maybe a water bill.<\/p>\n Instead there was an envelope from Brookwood Medical Center.<\/p>\n Inside said magic envelope was a check dated 2\/3\/2010 in the amount of $160.00 for an overpayment from September of 1999.<\/p>\n That’s right. Eleven years later…Brookwood Medical Center decided to repay money that my mom never even knew she was owed.<\/p>\n I have to think the statute of limitations was well expired at this point…but…no one is complaining.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Well, if you wanted to complain, eleven years’ worth of inflation means that $160.00 overpayment in 1999 would be worth $206.04 today. <\/p>\n \n