Tuesday, December 10, 2013

December 10, 2013

Productive Day & Frustrating Day - All in One
December 10, 2013

This morning when I stepped out of the shower from washing my hair, Ron was coming down the hall, dressed and ready to go to work!  He is still not feeling great, but is much better than yesterday.  He left to open the office and said he was not going out on any jobs since it was 41 degrees with a wind chill in the 20s.

I started working on the kitchen and the sewing room to get them ready for tonight.  I was very productive!  I put the boxes away that are stored in the master bedroom (Ron was asleep in there last night when I was ready to put them away).  In the repacking of a couple of boxes I found a few Christmas decorations I had been looking for recently.  That was good.  They had been just where I thought, but under a box, in a box.

One thing I had been missing was my grandmother's nativity set and I found it and set it up.  She often would let me set it up and arrange it when I was growing up.  It holds such sweet memories.  My mom has a set just like it.  I figure it has to be at least 60 years old.

Another of the sweet reminders that my grand daughters had been here showed up this morning - the praying bear with the poinsettia.  Precious memories.  Precious girls.


After I took care of the birds and the house, I went to the bank before going to the office.  As we joke at the office, I arrived in time to eat my lunch.  I spent 3 hours at the office and then Ron said I could leave and I jumped at the chance.  I had gotten a few more Christmas cards done, but not a lot else. 

Once I left the office, that is when my frustrating day started.  I stopped at Wal-Mart to pick up a few Christmas gifts and a few groceries.  When I got to the check out (which miraculously had a short line) the clerk rang up my purchases and I pulled out my credit card.  Now, I am not sure I have ever used my credit card at Wal-Mart.  I normally pay cash or write a check.  I have one credit card that both of us are on, but only I use.  That way I always know what has been charged on it and I take care of paying it, paying the entire amount off each month.  Well, the clerk discretely handed me a slip of paper saying it was declined.  I could not imagine any reason for that since the current bill isn't even due for 10 days, but had been paid last week.  I wrote her a check, loaded my purchases and drove home trying to figure out what was wrong.

While I was driving, Ron texted me, but in Brownsville you can't read texts while driving or even while stopped at a stop light.  I wouldn't do it driving, but might at a stop light.  Once I got home I read his text and it said the credit card company called and said they had voided the card - a security alert was on the card, and would send a new one.  You know how I have avoided using the phone, but I had to call them.  First I got a fast talking woman who switched me to a mumbling man.  I told him about my hearing problem and repeatedly asked him to slow down or transfer the call to someone who would speak more slowly.    All the man could tell me was that the card had been cancelled and a new one would be issued and I would get it in two weeks (Christmas Eve).  That is the only credit card I use and here it is Christmas and I can't use it.  I order a lot on line these days.  I need a credit card to do that.  Finally he gave me another number to call - the Security and Fraud Department. 

So I called the other number and guess what!  The same guy answered.  I said, "Jericho, didn't I just speak to you?"  "I can't answer any of your questions until you answer the security question on the account," he said.  I answered it and asked why he gave me his number to call.  He said he thought I would get someone else on the line.  Blood pressure rising.  After going round and round with him for a couple of minutes, he asked me to call back and see if I got someone else. 

I called back and got someone else who was not of much more help, but transferred me to the department Jericho should have transferred me to.  None of them had wanted to tell me anything because they said they had already spoken to my husband and I should just ask him.  Ron had thought maybe my card had been stolen since he didn't know I was going to Wal-Mart.  In the end, it turned out, somewhere I had used the card had a security breach and is being investigated and so they cancelled my old card and are issuing a new one.  Do you think they could have let me know before just declining the card?

Again I was told 2 weeks to get a new card.  I asked if he could see on his computer screen how long I had been with them.  He said yes, since 1986.  I asked if he could see that I had never been late with a payment.  He said that was correct.  I asked if he could see that I pay off the balance every month.  He said yes he could see that.  Then he said he would have my new card to me in 3-5 days or less.  I told him that was better.  I asked what company had the security problem so I would not shop there again.  He wouldn't tell me, saying they are being investigated and it will be taken care of. 

The story goes on for a while more with a call from me to another company that seems to have upped my invoice amount after I saw my total on line.  My dealing with them was even more difficult.  I was doing an online chat, but to resolve the problem I would have to phone a certain number.  I told him I can't hear on the phone, couldn't I deal with it online.  He said no.  An hour and a half of my afternoon off, wasted with the two companies. 

Don't get me wrong, if someone is using my card that shouldn't be, I want them stopped.  But the only thing I could figure initially was that because I never used the card at Wal-Mart, they didn't believe it was me.  I wanted to know what the reason was for believing there was a security problem.  Never got a real good answer.  Thankfully, I had money in the bank to write a check.  I almost always pay cash but my son fusses with me all the time about that .  He feels the credit cards are safer than carrying the cash.  I am going back to cash.

What does all that have to do with my lack of hearing and my Cochlear Implant?  It is just part of the problem with not being able to hear well on the phone.  It is so hard for me to hear on the phone and for me to convince a stranger to talk slowly.  The world is not set up to deal with people who can't hear well. 

By the time I finished with them, I just had a few minutes to grab a quick bite of supper and get ready for the quilt group.  We had a good bunch - all of our regulars were here and we celebrated the birthday of one of the ladies.  We had snacks and a birthday cake and good conversation around the table.  I have some dishes to wash, but the house is clean and I can relax for a few hours.

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