Archive for January 8th, 2009
Thinking makes you fat, srsly!
The mundanity of life is getting to me a bit these days. My last post was about my quest for the perfect pillow. Today finds me dealing with credit card weirdness. Life, in 2009, is somewhat strange so far.
A few weeks ago, I opened up a credit card statement from a card I only use for business expenses. There were five new charges on it, all from restaurants. One from Sizzler’s; two from T.G.I.Friday’s; one from Pizza Hut, and one from Jack in the Box. (Can one even USE credit cards at Jack in the Box?) Not only were these eateries in which I don’t eat, they were in another state, the one to my left, on the coast, where I haven’t been for nearly two years.
Not only were they in another state, but they were in and around San Diego, where I haven’t been since I was four. And, oddly enough, I did not have a credit card yet then.
So, I hippity-hopped over to my telephone to let the CC company know what I’ve just told you. Fine! They can help me! “It looks like there’s been some fraudulent activity on your card,” they said. “Has the said card been out of your custody at any time?”
“No, the card has been in the custody of my wallet.”
“Well, we’ll open up a fraud case; here’s the case number; we’ll issue a new card with a new number right away; please cease using your current card immediately.”
I did. But they didn’t. The incidents occurred over “holiday season” (Don’t get me started on holiday season! In addition to the joys of such, there are also 1) my favorite television programs are suspended during this time [yes, I am THAT shallow], 2) my favorite ACTIVITIES are suspended then as well [Choral rehearsals and Club meetings], and 3) my neighbors put many embarrassing objects in their front gardens. I know it gives them pleasure, and I ought to rejoice with them, and wish them Peace on Earth and such, which I do, really, but still!) so, apparently, the mailing of the new card was delayed.
Alright. I understand all this. After all, I’m a reasonable person, aren’t I? Some of you have known me a while, and you know that…um, wait a minute, never mind. So, I telephoned the nice credit card company “after the holidays”, and let them know I hadn’t received the new card, yet, and, by the way, I did receive a new bill from them now informing me, none too kindly, that the restaurant charges in San Diego were now OVERDUE and subject to LATE FEES. Um, what?
“Well, what about the FRAUD case?” I asked?
“We don’t have any record of a FRAUD case”, they replied. I rattled off the case number, and they (it may only be my paranoia speaking here) acted as if I had just MADE UP a random number in order to irritate them! Honestly! If I’d wanted to irritate them, I’d have found a more creative way than MAKING UP a RANDOM NUMBER!
Back to square one. They read me off an entirely different case number, which I had them repeat three times, and I wrote down in two places. They read off the total that I NOW OWED. So far, we were in agreement.
Fast forward to today. It’s been two weeks, and I have not yet received my new card, which was supposed to take three days. I telephoned the incredibly nice people at the efficient card company and gently let them know the facts as I understood them.
“The card is being mailed today,” they said. “We don’t know what happened to the last one, but we apologize”, they said. “Your new balance, which is due immediately, is $XXX.XX.”
But, that’s a difference of $113.92! I rang off, because this total didn’t ring a bell, and went through three months of statements. Aha! They didn’t include the T.G.I.Friday’s charges in the fraud case; the other ones apparently made it in.
By this time, I had a direct dial button to the amazingly friendly and helpful company. “See, here’s the thing”, I said. “In my case file you have included three restaurant charges, but left out the two for the one other restaurant. Would you please add them to my case?”
“Are you sure you didn’t eat at T.G.I.Friday’s on the dates in question?”
“I haven’t been in California in nearly two years, as I’ve told three incredibly nice people, now, and even if I had been, I would have eaten elsewhere. Not that I have anything particular against T.G.I.Friday’s, actually, but when traveling, I like to experience restaurants I don’t also have at home. But, in any event, no, I have not eaten in that restaurant, in San Diego, ever in my entire life.”
This was probably more story than they were looking for, but when I am trying to make a point, I can often get quite wordy, as you have noticed if you’ve actually read this far.
“No, we cannot add those restaurants to your case, but we can open up a NEW case! Here’s the number…”
So, these are my questions for you: 1) How, do you think, someone got my card number and expiration date, when the card “never left my custody” and I hadn’t even used it for three months? 2) If you had “appropriated” someone else’s credit card, and were going to whoop-it-up upon same, would you use it at Jack in the Box and Pizza Hut? Seriously? and 3) What does this all mean for my mental, emotional, and spiritual equilibrium? My belief is that every experience has a purpose, but this one baffles me.
So, I have this clutter on my credit card statement. I still have some clutter in my office. My blog friend Shane has helped me out with my computer clutter, and blog friend Joan with my home clutter, by scaring the heck out of me telling me that clutter makes me fat!!! I”m not actually, fat, as it happens, but I must be ever vigilant.
Unfortunately, though, this blog post apparently also will make me fat. Coincidentally (I don’t believe in “coincidences”, either), I came upon this article which tells me that THINKING makes me fat! Oh, no! Have I over-thought this situation? Or, is this post so completely ridiculous it doesn’t qualify as thinking? Only you can decide for sure…
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