Banging my head on a wall

You know those instances in which you are so completely misunderstood that you wail, "What?! Noooo....!! That's not what I SAID!"?

Yeah.  This is one of those.

I recently received a new (replacement) credit card in the mail, simply updating the expiration date and security code on my current card, which meant that before I could get rid of my old card, I had to... simply update my expiration date and security code on a handful of websites which pull my bills/donations directly from my account via the card.  Not so simple.  I had almost completed the update form on their website when I noticed that it said in fine print that I would be charged once when I submitted the form, and then monthly, thereafter, according to what I signed up for.

My email to customer service: "Hi, I am currently [using your online transaction service] on a monthly basis and simply need to update my credit card information. I was going to use the online form on your website, but I don't want my card charged twice, and I don't want a payment to come out until December 15 (which would be the next regularly scheduled monthly payment coming up). Can you please assist me?
Thank you!
[Ri]"

My phone rang shortly after, but it stopped after one ring.  It was a number I didn't recognize, so... I didn't answer it, per my personal protocol.  Besides the fact that it only rang once.  And they didn't leave a message. 
Pretty soon, I received an email response: "Thanks, [Ri], for your recent e-mail to [our company].  We felt a phone call would be the best way to get back to you, but we weren’t able to reach you. We hope this e-mail is helpful. Please be assured that we have removed you from the Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) [payment] program as you requested; this change will be effective immediately. As you may realize, it’s not possible to guarantee the security of e-mail. As such, we’d request that you send your name, address, credit card information, withdrawal date and amount via fax or postal mail..."

Noooo!!  That's not what I said!!

This is why it took me 2 months to even think about activating my new credit card.  Sigh...