If you recently activated an iPhone, let me know in the comments if this (or other unusual interactions with AT&T) has happened to you. In today’s mail at home came a statement from AT&T for April 20th-July 19th for long distance on my home phone line. We NEVER use landline long distance since between our mobile lines, a Vonage line and Skype we have absolutely no use for the continued price gouging of landline telephony. In fact, we have specifically requested Qwest to place no long distance carrier on our home line.

Normally I’m not paranoid, but it’s curious this happened after my post-iPhone-activation adventures trying to get AT&T Wireless to set up my account correctly. From an alleged "inadvertent" placing of $2.99 per month for roadside assistance on my account (we have AAA as well as free assistance on both of our cars and would never sign up for this) to text messaging on the wrong family plan number to the wrong number of minutes, I’ve been coming to the realization that this company couldn’t find their ass with both hands.

The customer service guy I talked to in India reassured me that "it is just a coincidence" though my account activation included my home phone number and, of course, all other requisite data that this other area of AT&T could use to simply add-on charges.

I learned many, many years ago this one simple fact: there are no coincidences.