Moving 101: Keep records of cancellations

You're moving, so you disconnect or cancel your services at your current residence. You think you are free and clear until a few months later when you receive a bill for the past three months of service at a house that you no longer live in. Unless you have records, you may have to pay these bills.

As this happened to me not too long ago, I know that this does happen upon occasion. I got charged $300 for six months of phone service for an apartment that I no longer lived in. Thankfully, I had kept records of when I called to discontinue my service. Because of my records, the phone provider prorated the bill and I did not have to pay a cent.

When you call to cancel or disconnect a service when you are moving or just changing your provider, be sure to keep a record of your phone call. Get the name of the customer service representative you speak to and get the confirmation number. Put all this information in a safe place for six months at least to make sure you do not need it.