Like every big box retailer, my company offers no interest financing for large purchases. The caveat being that you pay the total amount in its entirety by the end of the financing term, or we’ll ding you for all interest accrued all at once. Still, it’s an option and for a small financing fee, a lot of customers take advantage of it.

A little while ago, one of the managers at work spent nearly half an hour explaining to one such customer that we mailed monthly statements to all customers opting for financing, updating them of the balance still owing. He explained how every financing contract states the exact amount of time that a customer has to pay the full amount by. He even pointed out that the payment due date was on the customer’s receipt.

This customer however, was refusing to pay the late penalty. He kept stating because he did not receive a telephone reminder the day before the due date, he was not responsible for a single penny of the interest we charged. In fact, because we did not call him, he claimed that we were negligent and therefore obligated to pay his interest for him.

Right.