The jerks at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

I just got a call from American Express.  They claim I am past due on a bill.  When I worked at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory I was (nearly) required to have a “Corporate Account” with AMEX.  The last travel I did for PNNL was in April and there were airplane tickets and a hotel room put on the card.  There was also planned travel for the end of May a few days after they suspended me.  I signed travel reports for both those trips and I thought everything was all settled.  Apparently it wasn’t.  Perhaps the hotel charged for a room that wasn’t canceled or something.  I don’t know.  In any case the jerks at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory didn’t forward me the statements that came to my former work address.  The account has been turned over to collections. 

For those of you that don’t quite understand why I have to pay the bill for a “company card” the way PNNL and AMEX arranged things was for the individual to be responsible for the bill. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory then paid AMEX for the charges which were legitimate company expenses.  Fair enough.  I could take my wife on a company trip, put all the expenses on the card, then pay the portion due to the extra expense of my wife at the end without having to split hotel bills, etc.  It would also put more responsibility on the individual to not abuse the card.  I didn’t have a problem with it… until now.

The bottom line is that AMEX now has a valid address for me and will be sending me all the missing statements.  It’s my responsibility to pay the bill, try to collect from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and get my credit reports straightened out.  A bad credit report could even affect the job offer I have in hand.  I don’t think it would be possible to fully communicate the level of ‘annoyance’ I have for the jerks at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory at this moment.

I brought my favorite rifle and pistol with me to the Seattle area where I am now.  They both need to be cleaned.  Cleaning them will make me feel better.  Wish I had brought my chemistry set and had a place to play with it here.  That would help even more.

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