UGH, have you ever had one of those days? I mean, come on, seriously. I was actually contemplating finding the nearest bar to sit down and have a drink before 8 AM!!!! I was thinking I should post this on FML but they probably have a character limitation. Here goes---
A few days ago my husband Corey, trying to get 'something for nothing', (5000 Microsoft XBOX points for free) ended up giving a stranger his Windows Live ID and password which in turn gave him access to our debit card. This loser proceeded to spend $65 from our checking account. In order to dispute the charge with our bank we were required to fill out a police report and cancel our debit card to order a new one. So in the meantime we have to pay cash or write checks. Ya with me so far?
Fast forward to this morning--6:30 am, I get up with intentions of going to pick up Eli at my parents' house. The truck is parked at Corey's job so I have to drive there in the car to switch vehicles. Both vehicles are on empty. I stop to fill up the car on the way to get the truck. The gas station will not take a check and the bank does not open until 9am. I decide to go to Walgreen's and buy one of those prepaid Visa gift cards with a check, then use the gift card to get gas. So I pick up a $30 card and after fees, write the check for around $34, and it is declined.
I am like HUH? today was payday, we have money. I am given a 1-800 number to call. I call and this Certergy Check Verification Service rep tells me they will not accept my check and they do not care how much money I have in my account. I am utterly confused as to why--she says that I don't write checks often and in the past two weeks I have written 5 checks and that appears to be "fradulant" she says. I tell her that someone stole my debit card information and I have to write checks and that I have no cash on me and need to get gas. She says there is nothing she can do at this time, but I can avoid being declined in the future by filling out some application to become a Gold Member or some crap, with this check verification service. I tell her, that I will NOT fill out any applications, that I have a checking account and I am issued checks to use the funds in it and that is my right. Obviously I am not going to be able to buy this gift card at Walgreens.
So, I leave and go across the street to Albertson's, where I have written checks for groceries in the past few days. I grab a $25 Visa gift card and after fees, pay $29. The cashier says the card is activated. I leave there and go to the gas station next door. I swipe the card at the pump and the screen instructs me to "see cashier" so I go in and the girl says she will swipe it inside. She does, and it is declined. ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME??? I tell her, I just bought it next door and haven't used it yet, and she swipes it again and it is still declined. She points to the logo "Gift Card Mall" (just the company who sells them) and proceeds to tell me
that this gift card can only be used at the mall. AGAIN ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME? I explain to her it has nothing to do with the mall, it's a Visa gift card and can be used anywhere. She swipes again and still declines. I explain to her my whole situation. She agrees to take a check. Now I am wondering how in the world I will be able to put gas in the truck and ask her if another Valero station would take a check from me on the other side of town for when I go get the truck. I am only putting $5 gas in the car, just to get it across town. I need to fill up the truck
to go OUT of town. She says to write her the check for $25, and only pump $5 into the car and then she gives me a $20 bill, to get gas in the truck. Sweet! Finally someone is being nice to me! (Let me know if I'm losing you now!)
So off I go, into the Louisiana morning humidity. The car has no A/C and I am sweating my ASS off. People, when you are in Louisiana and someone is driving down the road with their windows down, it's not just for the fun of it. It means they have no A/C. Please don't poke in front of them. Either get out of the way and let them pass you, or speed it up huh? The whole point of
rolling the windows down is to feel the breeze. There IS NO BREEZE if you are stuck behind a moron driving -5 mph. Get it?
I leave there and go back to Albertson's and tell them their crappy gift card doesn't work. Of course they won't return it, I already knew they'd say that! They called some 1-800 and tell me it won't be activated for 30 minutes. Ummm...the cashier lady said it was activated. I was supposed to leave town like an hour ago....I am not waiting 30 minutes to use it. I am hoping the $20 cash will be enough to get my to my parents' house. If not, maybe the dumb card will be activated and I'll be able to put more gas in on the way there.
Okay so finally I get to Corey's job where I switch vehicles (thank GOD, it's about time) I blast the A/C and pull up to a gas station. I look at the card...decide to try it--swipe, decline. Hey I'm getting the hang of this. swipe, decline. swipe, decline. It's kinda fun huh? NO!! I go inside and the cashier swipes/declines twice also before I give up and just use the $20 cash. I leave there in a huff and decide to dial the 1-800 on the card myself and give someone major ass-chewing. The girl who answers the phone doesn't speak English well...not a clue WHAT she is telling me, something about how the card now has a $0 balance b/c I've already used it at a gas station. I'm like NO!!! It declined multiple times, I was never able to use it. She starts reading some script about attempts made...all i hear from her mouth is blah blah blah. Can you speak English please? Speak Spanish even! But please say SOMETHING i can understand! Finally I hear something about waiting 8 days for the funds to become available again. (HAHA God, it's not funny, you can stop now okay???) She goes on to say something about the gas pump trying to preauthorize $75 which was not available on the card so their system went ahead and froze whatever funds were available...my $25! I tell her that I am not a happy customer and that I want my money back ASAP or a card that I can use TODAY to get gas. She tells me I can go back to the gas station and have the cashier fax over a letter saying I was not able to purchase gas before she could release the hold. I told her that I was on my way out of town and that i would NOT drive all the way back to the stupid gas station and if she wanted some fax she could call the store and tell them to do it herself. Guess she didn't feel like it, so finally she told me she put the $25 back on the card and that I could use it immediately. (THANK YOU!)
I finally get to my parents' house HOURS late....annoyed, upset, exhausted, and just plain pissy. F MY LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!
