Bit of a Rant

[LovelyLadyLux]

Today I had the Internet & Cable TV pre-authorized payment declined! Long wait to get to a LIVE Customer Rep who was able to confirm my credit card which is where the pre-authorized payment came from was declining their payment Was more than excited about this thinking doom and gloom as I don't use my credit card that much and couldn't figure WHY it wasn't working. Again LONG waits to get to speak to a live person only to find out my Bank UPGRADED my credit card to another one and the number on the card changed so 'oh yes your pre-authorized payments' would be declined!! OMG! Another long call back to the Internet & Cable TV company going through all the prompts before you can reach a live person and that got sorted. ONLY an HOUR of my life and a bit of panic to find out it was all generated by my Bank trying to "HELP ME"! TELLING ME would have worked a TREAT! WAIT 'til I go and SEE THEM this Monday!!

Then cause I was on a roll with my cards I figured I'd cancel another Credit Card I have in the USA. I really never use this card but had it in case of emergency when I travel as it is an International card. Come this August it was expiring and I didn't figure they'd send me a renewal to Canada anyway so I called to cancel it.

Dial the number and get the prompt that I'm in the queue. Music with an occasional voice saying "You're awesome for waiting" (or some such silly phrase). Then I get the auto MENU with all the automatic choices - one of which was NOT "Do you want to cancel your card."

I tried pressing Zero to talk to somebody and after about 10 minutes of going through Menu after Menu I finally reach a live Representative.

The Representative gives their little "Hello" speech and asks me for my VERBAL PASSWORD to be able to talk about my account.

"VERBAL PASSWORD?" I say - "HUH?"

"Yes we can't talk about your account until you give us your secret code word."

I said "I don't know what you're talking about. Ask me one of those silly questions like what is my father's middle name and I'll give you the answer."

"I'm sorry Ma'am we don't have a question. You have a secret code word and you have to give us that word."

I said I have no idea what that word might be and asked WHEN might I have even given them the secret code?

Bit of shuffling sound on the phone with the Representative saying (I thought smugly) Your account was opened August 2001 and you chose your secret code word then!!!!

So fifteen years ago I was silly enough to think of a secret code word that I MUST use now and unless I come up with this word FIFTEEN years later you're not going to talk to me about this credit card account.

Now having just dealt with the other matter, having gone through all the waiting and prompts I guess I got a bit sarcastic as I informed the poor girl that she might as well relax because it was going to take me some time to go through ALL THE WORDS in the English language before I got my secret code word right! MY GOD they expected me to remember a word?

I then demanded to speak to a Supervisor and then babbled on about why can't they ask me the middle name of a third cousin twice removed or the maiden name of a paternal aunt on my mothers side?!?!?!?! Not that the Representative thought it funny but I did ask for clue in that I asked was my secret code word a noun, adjective or verb?

I was finally put through to a Supervisor and after answering mega questions I was able to cancel the card. I even argued with the Supervisor that I wasn't asking for another card, a new replacement card, an extension of credit limits of anything like that I basically wanted to CANCEL it for all time!

I do understand the need for security but OMG to remember a VERBAL CODE WORD for 15 yrs prior to them being able to talk to you? Bad enough you have to answer mega other questions about what is your favourite city? (I dunno it changes), What is your favourite colour? What was the name of your first pet? UGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

Rant over ........

[Horus]

Oooh, you have touched upon my pet hate, this constantly hiding behind the 'Data Protection Act' makes me wild. I fully understand the need for some sort of security, but these companies just use it to wind us up. Here in the UK we have things like Electricity suppliers, gas suppliers etc. and most people have them paid using a bank 'standing order' or similar. Now there is always just the one name on any such suppliers account regardless of their payment being made from a couples 'joint account' so it may say Mr or Mrs H depending upon who actually did the original request for their services. Often it was a male preserve when setting up home to take care of such matters, so most would be in the husbands name even though payments would come from the account of Mr & Mrs H. Heaven forbid that you happened to be at work and your wife needed to deal with some aspect of the service or the bill "we need to speak to the account holder" will be the stock supply regardless of the fact you have been married for 50 years and lived at the same address. Having an elderly mother I have often had to deal with many such companies on her behalf only to be told the same thing. I now resort to telling them "OK, I am now about to put a severely deaf 94 year old suffering from dementia onto the phone who will not hear or understand a single word you are saying," "please call me back when you have finished talking".

One such company with whom I tried to renew her house insurance insisted that my birthday date security question was wrong "that is not what we have down here sir" "I don't really care what date you have down" I replied "I have had the same birthday for many decades, so I am unlikely to tell you the wrong one am I ?" So even though I was sitting there with the renewal letter (sent to my name and address) and I had all the details and reference numbers at hand in front of me, they still insisted that my DOB was wrong. I pointed out to them that I was using the same card as previously to make the payment which they could check on their data base, also that I was trying to 'give' them money and not the other way around. They informed me that I must write to them to ask for my DOB to be changed!!!
It seemed to have escaped their notice that a letter could be sent by any Tom, **** or Harry and did not constitute proof of the senders identity, whereas I had answered everything else correctly other than my DOB which they insisted was wrong and it was me who had made the mistake, the mind boggles.

[Jayway]

PHEW -- no wonder I opted out - - -

[LovelyLadyLux]

I just walked up this morning and got the mail delivered yesterday and 'lo and behold' I now am the proud owner of a new BLUE credit card vs the old grey one!! But suppose I'd just left on holiday? I could have been stuck someplace with a grey card that was being declined while I happily have a blue card in the mail that also forces me to the bank as a new PIN# is being mailed to me independently. Granted the Bank up-dated me but I never asked for this and whilst I don't know I'm assuming I now have a higher line of credit (that I do NOT need or want) I'm also sure this card does all sorts of other wonderful things I do not want!

I'm sure I'll get another happy cheery voiced person congratulating me on the new card when I go into the bank Monday so say WTF did you do? And WHY? Won't be pretty

I'm not really a credit card user........actually I'm ONLY having the Internet/CableTV bill paid through my credit card cause my Bank account was established so long ago that I didn't have sufficient numbers on my account for the Internet/Cable providers automated service to be able to take it directly from my bank account (vs putting it on a credit card)

BUT the AGHHH!!!! This ridiculous security word! A VERBAL WORD that had NO PROMPTS! I have no memory of them even doing this and why would the entire account be held for ransom predicated on ME having to recall ONE WORD? :a1 :a1 Like I have nothing better to do than to remember a single word from 15 years ago? And when I can give all sorts of other info concerning the account it can't be accommodated? It ultimately was fixed and now the account is cancelled.....not like I was on a spending or buying spree......GEEZ it was super annoying and a time waster.

Personally I hate credit cards and all the security necessary today. Seems a modern evil and NO you are NOT MAILING me anything to an address I've now moved away from so that I can prove who I am! If you can't take it over the phone then definitely mailing something to me isn't going to help.

[LovelyLadyLux]

BTW I like the new ANGRY smilie