Frantically changing my email on 5 web sites

I kept my Canadian email account (IAW) but switched from cable Internet to dial-up during the months I had no home. That meant I could receive mail and PayPal payments but could not send mail on that account. (I used Gmail to reply.)

So now that I've depleted my Canadian bank account - until all the Canadians who owe me money pay up - and I can't pay my Canadian Mastercard bill, IAW isn't going to be paid its monthly $10.50 on Dec. 7. They normally bill my Mastercard credit card so I gave IAW a heads up. I can't send a US check; they only want Canadian funds. I don't have any other credit card, but I do have enough money in my PayPal account and I emailed IAW last night to ask if I could pay that way, or they might not get their bill paid by Mastercard. Since I haven't made a payment to Mastercard, they are likely to decline any future purchases.

IAW's reply was, "We don't use PayPal at work." No other options. Wouldn't you think, knowing that was the only way they could get paid, that they might accept the payment in US dollars? US $10.50 gives him $13.20 Canadian. Even with a small transaction fee ($.70), they are still getting a good deal: $12.50. But they would rather lose a customer... and $126 a year. I've been a good customer paying them $40 a month for several years.

So, knowing I am about to lose my primary email account - where all my income comes from - I am quickly going through every page on my 5 web sites (probably 1,000 + pages) and all my newsletter subscriptions and forums to make an address change. I am 10% done, and must have everything changed over the next 3 days so I don't lose any orders or important requests. My book project is now on hold while I take care of this problem.

Two things I'm keeping in mind: 1) I'll be saving $126 over the next year, and 2) I won't have to deal with someone who makes it difficult to pay them.

Why is it that so many people in Canada I encounter seem to make life more difficult, and people in the United States seem to want to find solutions and make life easier for others? Maybe it's just my experience, but it keeps happening and continues to make me glad I'm back in the US.

Andrea