In Our Continuing Series On People Doing Their Jobs Not-Right...

It will come as no surprise to you that The Pony's credit card issue has not been resolved. In fact, The Pony's credit card issue is exactly the same as it was 12 DAYS AGO when I called the credit card company on Oct 4.

You may recall that the rep told me to have our branch bank fax them the documentation they have on file, and that nobody at the bank would answer the phone. But the next day when I called, I got a real person, only to find out that she WORKS FROM HOME and has nothing to do with in-bank operations. And informed me that fax is an old technology, rarely used. SO... I drove to the bank, where an office-lady offered to fax, but I told her my call-back to a different credit card rep pointed me to EMAIL the info. So she did. She said to give it a week to get in the system.

With the bank holiday for Columbus Day (now Indigenous Peoples Day) on Monday, I waited. Waited until Thursday to follow through. I called the credit card company. Heh, heh! I got one of the reps I talked to before. He looked it up, and said there is nothing showing that has changed. No record of info received. I asked if I could email the documents myself. No. It is really best to FAX the documents. He gave me the fax number.

Of course nobody at the branch bank would answer the phone. Straight to the corporate number again. So I had to drive out there, rushing, since I'd spent 15 minutes on hold for the credit card rep, was in the midst of reading off my account number when we were cut off, and then waited another 10 minutes on hold to get the guy I'd talked to before. Anyhoo... I rushed to the bank to make it by the 2:30 lobby-close time, only to find out I had misunderstood, and it closed at 2:00.

So.... I went to the drive-thru. Sent documents through the tube. Got a greeting this time.

"How are you doing?"

"Not well. I thought I had this issue taken care of last Tuesday. But NOTHING has been done."

"Oh. I think I'm the person who helped you that day."

"Well, they have no record of receiving our documentation. The credit card rep says it really should be faxed, and that I can't email it myself. So the papers I sent in have the fax number. He didn't give me a contact name."

"Oh. We really don't use our fax. Anything I send just seems to go out there and float around. Nobody gets it. We have two fax machines, and they're both the same way."

"He said to fax the documents. What if I go over to your main bank in Bill-Paying Town? Can they do it for me?"

"Oh, no. They are the same as us. We just don't send faxes any more."

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

"Do you want me to try and fax them?"

"Yes. I sent in the number."

She came back after about 5 minutes.

"I tried, twice, but it's not sending."

"I don't have any other way to get the information to them. I guess the only solution is to cancel this credit card, and open a new one."

"Oh, I wouldn't do that. This one has such a history to it."

"It's no good if we can't use it!"

"I will make a copy of your papers, and tomorrow I will reach out to the credit card company."

"Good luck with that. I was on hold for 15 minutes, then another 10."

"If I need any information from you, I will give you a call. I can't do it now, because I'm the only one here. Tomorrow I will have staff, and I can do it then."

When I got home, I looked at my papers she sent back. She included a copy of the fax report that said the document had not gone through. I saw the number she had put into the fax. I might be crazy, but I'm pretty sure it works like any long-distance number, and you have to first put in a "1" and then the area code and 7-digit phone number. She had not put in a 1. I might be crazy, but I'm thinking that could be the reason why these dimwits can never get their fax machines to work!

I told Farmer H that I was thinking about DRIVING OUT TO THE BANK (25-minute trip for me) the next morning, to ask her to try sending it with a "1" before the fax number. Because you KNOW that nobody would answer the phone if I tried to call and explain it. The more I thought about it, I decided NO. Why should I get up early, and waste T-Hoe's gas to drive to the bank at 9:00 a.m. and tell them how to do their job?

I will go back to the bank on Monday. I have other business to do there anyway. I will ask what the progress is on this credit card issue. If nothing has been accomplished, I'm going to ask what The Pony needs to do to open another credit card, and then I'll spend my last 15 minutes ever on hold with this credit card company to call and cancel this one. Like The Pony says, closing a credit card does not affect his credit rating that he's built up over the past 3-4 years. It's not like it gets erased.

Funny how "during the current situation," as the bank automated line calls it, the bank can't do business with you over the phone as normal, and their lobby hours are reduced. You know, because THE VIRUS can only attack you before 9:00 and after 2:00, and over the phone. Yet a doctor won't renew your regular prescriptions for 6 months with a telephone appointment, but only if you drag yourself into the office (mine located in the hospital building) where you have to rub six-foot elbows with possible sick people.

Maybe the doctor should meet with patients in the bank lobby between 9:00 and 2:00, where and when nobody can be infected...