1 Answer

Greetings mekonnen;

This is a difficult question to answer however, I am a fish and as a fish following the ways of a fish, which involves copious amounts of problem solving each and every day of my little fish existence, I will venture forth with a few theories or ten.  ... Whichever comes first. ... That is a reference to the 'few' or ten' words respectively.

Here goes, swim with me now ...

1) - (Not always the most obvious but, a great jumping off point.) 

An option date was not included on the statement as the bill is actually due to be paid right now.  THREE YEARS AGO - Right now, which could present a problem as you have been waiting quite a few sleepless nights upon this answer.

Fret not, fish wisdom is by most accounts the best type of wisdom and therefore, worth waiting for.

2) - It was a fake on line bill.  This could happen in another world and another place especially if you don't have an account with the company that is billing you or you did not in fact, purchase anything in any way, shape or form from the company that is billing you without an option for payment date.  ... Quite frankly, I would be suspicious of this bill based upon the fact that this glaringly neon like display of payment date non-option is presented at all.  The next thing you will be telling me is that the bill is only available in the very boring shade of white.  (Yes, white is a shade not a colour.) ... Unthinkable, if you ask me.

3) - The billing date is non-optional as the account holder/customer/patron/client < this is you, determined upon the account opening/date of purchase/date of services acquired, set in motion the previously agreed amount of time in which the bill would be paid before applicable monetary fines would be added to the original bill.

4) - The bill is written in a language that is not of your native tongue.  For instance ... Your choice of using the words, 'did' and 'doesn't' in the same sentence indicates that the bill may be written in English and you are translating into your first spoken language.  If this is the case look directly for, what looks like this >

ACCOUNT:

DUE DATE:

BILLING DATE:

If this is present, there is not option date of payment unless of course, you would like to pay your bill early.  Companies enjoy early payments.  It is money in their bank accounts and one less thing to worry about.

5) - When you set up the account originally you were under the impression that there would be optional payment date option as you were told this upon conception of this account, explained to you by the sales person extraordinaire.  This type of thing can happen to anyone.  Take one of my recent purchases as a clear example:

I was in need of a new oven.  My husband and I went to an appliance store, one of many on this particular sunshiny-oven shopping-birds are singing-everything is wonderful-type day.  We find the gas range of our dreams or at least one we can afford with the options that we are looking for, one of which option was a warming tray or drawer.  The salesman assured me that the ovens I was looking at had warming drawers as there is a handle on each of the drawers below the oven.  According to him, all ranges with a handle on the lower drawer indicate a warming drawer.  He then left me alone briefly to read the brochures and compare ovens as my husband entertained our five year old who had clearly run out of patience with the entire appliance store adventure.  The salesman came back to not answer questions clearly half a dozen times and with each flit by (like a moth) he severed the price tag a bit more.  I had no idea why he felt the need to do this except he may have really wanted us to purchase the more expensive model of the two I had narrowed my thoughts to.

By the time I was looking for the warming drawer mechanics, as logic purveys that drawers don't stay warm by osmosis, I looked at Mr. Hovering Salesman and politely asked, "Do these ovens really have warming drawers?".  Keep in mind that I am now down on my hands and knees trying to figure out how this part of the ovens actually do work. The concept seemed quite magical to me at this point.  The salesman assured me with as much confidence as any full grown man with a full time job can muster (After all, I do know where he works), "Yes.".  He then takes more money off the price tag and we get a deal on the five year extended warranty ON the more expensive deluxe-o-rama gas range.  The price had now been slashed to half of the original cost at this point and soooooooo..... SOLD!

The gas range is wonderful, it works brilliantly, I love cooking with it except, IT DOES NOT HAVE A WARMING DRAWER!

The point I am trying to make here beside stand around a sales floor reading brochures for appliances at the end of someone's shift when they work on commission is .... There may not have been an optional payment date available just like there was no warming drawer in my gas range even if there is a handle on the bottom drawer.  We are not always told the truth. 

... However, in my case, I will worry about a warming drawer in five to seven years because that is how long appliances last these days and the real reason you should NEVER EVER buy an appliance for full price. < This last part is important fish wisdom.

6) - You scanned the bill and missed the seriously tiny print on the back side of the online bill that states that due dates are due dates, the decision is final. 

This again can happen as there actually are back sides and/or reverse sides to anything you happen to peruse on line.  You may not be able to see these elusive other sides but I can assure you that they do exist.  They usually contain information such as this:

Payment options - Containing information on ways to pay, not options on date of payment.  (Sadly in your case)

On time discounts - Good to use.  Everyone likes a sale... especially on gas ranges with or without a warming drawer.

Billing Period - One month, two month, by-yearly, yearly or my personal favorite > not at all.  (The last one is a dream I once had.  Lovely actually.)

Unpaid Balances - Ooooh not so good.

Still have questions? This is where phone numbers are provided ... Note: Wait times are not provided.  I suggest using the SPEAKER option on your phone and plan on catching up on all those niggly little chores.

7) - The techie type person who designed the billing page was actually hired by admin from an on line advertisement that read something like the following, as techie-pin up photos flashed in front of their eyes!!!!  FIND YOUR HOT TECHIE NOW!  Disco lights and Speedos somehow confused the admin panel of techie judges and Voila! ... Like a spell had been cast, they chose Tim the cutie patootie instead of the more serious Jackson donning the black rimmed glasses. 

Obvious, I know ... but, there you have it.

8) - It is a glitch.  Should you phone customer service you unfortunately will come across a conga line of creatively placed customer service representatives who quite coincidentally don't speak any of the seven languages you are fluent in.  This experience can and may go on for hours until, like an angel from high above arrives on the other end of the phone speaking one of your seven fluent languages in a manner of brilliant coherency only to begin screaming at her children in the background about something to do with the swimming pool.  Poof!  The bubble of hope has been burst and soooooooooo .... just pay the darned bill for goodness sakes.  The house is now clean as you were on speaker the entire time, you are without debt and the rest of the day is yours.  You can even invite a friend over and not worry about those pesky dishes in the sink because they are not there!  Woot! 

Enjoy!

9) - The payment date option was discontinued three days before your on line bill was delivered to you via email.  This can happen at any given time, space, place, continuum, center of gravity or at the whim of Bill the guy in charge of optional due dates. 

The fact that his name is Bill and your bill is due is not a coincidence at all.  Human Resources of all semi-large, large and extra-gigantic companies always look for a Bill to be in charge of bills or at the very least a William and sometimes a Duck as they too have bills.  (It is a Human Resources joke as there isn't much to joke about in the Human Resources department. ... Serious department.  Fact not fiction.)

10) - Espresso.  Yes, simple and true.  My Aunt Joanie drank espresso each morning until my Uncle Fabio (Not to be confused with Fabio the Goose Guy), discovered that fish, espresso and paying bills do not go well together.  Uncle Fab switched my Aunt's morning sip over to Vanilla Rooibos Lattes.  Wouldn't you know, my lovely Aunt came to realise that there are far fewer options in life than she originally thought.  Optional payment due dates, being one of the fantastical ideas that just had to go.  Darned that caffeine anyway.     

Good Luck, may the answer be near and have yourself a glorious day!