My brother-in-law is in the UK temporarilly and had to organise things like telephones. Without a payment record in a rented property they force you to accept the deal whereby they only allow you to spend £50 on calls which they bill you for & has to be payed-off before you can make more calls (with another £20 buffer zone).

OK so one day (aged parents panics etc) he needs the phone and it is cut-off so he mobiles them (which has to go via NZ telecom and all the way back to the UK!)
"You cut me off"
"You didn't pay the bill"
"You didn't send the bill"
"I know we are having trouble"
"But if you don't send me the bill why cut me off?"
"That's the rule if you don't pay the bill"
"Well send the bill and put me back on"
"Not untill you pay the bill"
"but........"

so how is he supposed to know when he hits this arbritrary limit? OIn NZ they telphone you and leave a message as a pre-cursor to the bill - and it works.
Anyone with tales as bizzare?