If there was a better way to go, then it would find me

So I received two bills this weekend which are prompting me to wonder two different things:

1. The first is from my currently mortgage-holding bank (Ohio Savings), informing me that beginning February 1, my mortgage will be with Wells Fargo. It's rather strange to me that after 6 months, I'll be on my second bank to hold my mortgage, but it happens... apparently. I'm now wondering if I'm going to be changing banks twice a year, and, if so, if there's a way for me to force one bank to hold it for term... or at least a few years.
2. The second, and more disturbing issue is related to my phone bill. I got an internet connection at home for Christmas (which I think I mentioned previously). In researching which option to choose here, I went price checking, and then went the DSL route with BellSouth (which, apparently is now "AT&T"--oooh, aahh). I got my first bill from them, which is for phone service only (I had to have a phone line in order to do the DSL option they had), and it appears that I literally will be paying more in "Charges" and "Fees" ($13.54) than I will for the actual phone service ($12.86). (And this doesn't include the $45 for installation nor the DSL part, which hasn't made it on the bill, yet.)
   

The thing that really irks me about the BellSouth bill is that I specifically attempted to find out what the total monthly cost would be prior to signing up, and couldn't find it! Not terribly surprising, given phone (and cable) companies general reputation in the U.S. for pulling this type of shenanigans.

But, I am hopeful that one day, hopefully way before AT&T re-takes control of U.S. phone service (and reforms Bell Telephone), that they'll start being upfront and honest about their damn charges. I can somewhat tolerate having to pay more for the crap associated with the service, than the service itself. What makes it hard to stomach is that the company is deceptive about what they're going to charge you to lure you into using them, and then they spring the boondoggle.

If AT&T changes one thing in 2007, it should be to make it so that their billing is clear, concise, and easy to understand... and not the multi-paged monstrosities they've become. Hell, the bill I received this weekend which was printed after 2 days of service, is 9-pages long. For 2 days, 2! OVERKILL. And cingular (which is also switching over to become "AT&T" eventhough they absorbed "AT&T Wireless" a year ago) is just a bad (I got that one in the mail as well).

And I'll stop the rant there.... Have a good week and hasta.

I still only travel by foot,
And by foot it's a slow climb
But I'm good at being uncomfortable
So I can't stop changing all the time