I was thinking about this the other day, and i've had some cool encounters with rock stars. Three to be precise. Incubus, Greenday, and HIM.
I met Incubus back in 2004 (WAY TO FREAKING LONG AGO). I won backstage passes in their MYF auction (put me 240 bucks in the hole but it was so worth it). And we got to meet before the show so that was nice because they weren't exhausted and sweaty and anxious to leave. My friend Breezy came with me, and man it was freaking awesome.
First of all, they are your typical boys. Funny, childish, you know the drill. Their drummer, Jose, complimented me on my name and signed my autograph with "NICE MARY! JOSE!" and he wrote shit on breezy's because i think he spelled her name wrong or something.
you can see already that our autograph pages are really, really interesting.
When i met brandon i thought i was going to defecate myself, but i somehow held it in and we had a nice conversation about art. I think Mikey was either drunk or high when he was there and was drawing pictures on everyone's autograph. I got Saturn. complete with rings.
After that was done we all just kind of wandered around, mingling with other fans and the band. Then someone got a ball out and started playing dodgeball, and i had the privilege of hearing brandon, my idol, scream like a girl and get smacked with a ball. It was thoroughly entertaining.
And Jose tackled me. Which was exciting. Like tackle tackle. we woulda been on the floor if he hadn't pulled me back.
I had this nice conversation with Mikey, he's like an inch taller than me (i'm 5'3) so it was so cute! he had the biggest pile of curls.
We all had a really nice time. I was really impressed with them. I mean, when we all said goodbye, Brandon actually had the decency to remember i was going to art school and said "good luck, i hope i see your art in museums someday"
i mean, who remembers that? it was just a really nice gesture. That was definitely one of the top 5 experiences of my life.
Incubus is the only band i've ever actually met. But I had just as neat experiences with Greenday and HIM.
I saw Greenday in 2005. It was actually the night of our senior prom but seriously, who'd rather go to fucking PROM when you can see GREENDAY AND MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE FOR 25 BUCKS!? yeah, exactly. It was actually my boyfriend's and my first date. Anyway, so we got there at like 10 am because we were on the floor and we wanted FANTASTIC floorspace (although everyone knows by the time the show is over you're literally 3 miles from where you originally planted yourself). Anyway so we're sitting on the ground in line for like six hours. We took turns wandering around so we wouldn't lose our spot in line, and Greg found a My Little Pony cone hat (like for kids parties) in the gutter. So, obviously, he put it on. So we just played with that hat for like four hours and then FINALLY they started letting people in the arena. We couldn't take the awesome hat with us, so we left it at the gates, on top of a brick thing.
SO like an hour later, we're just enjoying the fantastic show, Billie Joe came out in a bunny suit, you know the drill, blah blah blah. Till randomly, middle of the show. Billie Joe appears with this FUCKING MY LITTLE PONY HAT perched right on top of his scraggly little head.
Now where the fuck do you suppose he got that? So Greg and i thought that was pretty damn sweet.
plus after the show we ran into some guy who'd caught Tre's drumsticks at the end of the show so i got to hold those for a sec.
And last but certainly not least, HIM. We saw HIM in chicago in 2005 as well. It's been far too long. Anyway, so that show pretty much went without incident up until they performed "Play Dead". Greg and i were pretty much front row center, and everyone was pretty subdued for that song, you know, lighters and everything. So Greg and i just decide to dance to it since we're not getting murdered in a moshpit for 3 minutes. The guitar solo begins and Ville NOTICES us. He sees us dancing and begins to laugh. He smiles and points and waves to us, and we wave back. he smiles and nods like 'yeah bitches' and begins to sing again. We honestly didn't really think much about it because i mean we've only been dating for like 5 months at this point and are still focused majorly on each other. But later on we were like, "Dude, Ville Valo saw us dancing and thought it was cute"
That was one of those delayed reaction things. and then we were like FUCKING YEAH!!!
I just randomly wanted to share those experiences.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Why you are a terrible customer.
I work at a grocery store as a stocker, department manager, and cashier. So i'd like to think that i'm pretty well-rounded in the experience area. As my co-worker Ryan and I were trying hard as hell to finish up dairy so that we could do inventory on our respective stock, I kept getting called to open a register because we were SO. DAMN. BUSY. And i got to thinking. My life would be made a hellovalot easier if customers would just behave. I was about ready to kill several people today and i only had to cashier for about a half hour. But the more i thought about it, the more i realized that most customers probably don't even realize what they're doing that's so wrong. So i decided to take it upon myself to tell you what it is that makes you a terrible customer.
THE NUMBER ONE THING THAT MAKES YOU A TERRIBLE CUSTOMER IS....
You write a check.
Let me tell you something about checks. THEY ARE EVIL. Do you have ANY idea how ANNOYING it is for me, as a cashier, to deal with your check!? Our store has an electronic check system. That on its own is extremely aggravating and time-consuming because we have to do about 10 things before we can send the customer on their way.
1. give cashier check.
2. cashier runs it through machine
3. select 'personal' in check options.
4take it out of machine.
5. wait for approval.
6. have customer sign screen.
7. re-enter check through machine
8. machine prints VOID on check.
9. Return check to customer
10. Verify on the register that you did indeed return the check to the customer
11. give customer receipt
12. give customer piece of paper that tells us that they will pay the amount written.
And yes, it takes EXACTLY as long as it sounds.
So you can imagine that check-writing is QUITE UPSETTING to us cashiers sometimes, especially when we're busy.
These next few correspond with the check-thing.
II. you don't have a pen and expect me to have one.
Ok, let me explain something to you. I don't carry a pen with me. I carry a very large black marker, two box-cutters, and if it's Saturday, a pair of gloves. There. Now you know what we keep in those apron pockets. Know why i don't have a pen? Because I DON'T NEED ONE! I don't write checks! Why the FUCK do i need a pen? YOU SHOULD HAVE A PEN! You're the one who needs the goddamn pen! And don't get pissy at me when I don't have a pen for you! If you INSIST on using a fucking DEAD technology, then you should carry a goddamn fucking pen and don't give me a dirty look when you ask for one and i don't have one for you. I'm not your personal pen-carrier.
I'd also like to make note that with the electronic check system, you don't even have to fill out your check and therefore really don't need a pen. But trying to explain that to people is like speaking Swahili.
III. You write the check over and don't tell me
I can't read your mind. I don't really read your check. I'm not going to know that you wrote it over 10 dollars if you don't tell me. I don't care that you've written it over and want some money back. But you NEED TO INFORM ME THAT THE AMOUNT ON THE CHECK IS NOT THE AMOUNT OF YOUR PURCHASE!
IV. You don't begin writing your check until i've told you the total.
You're a bitch if you do this. 'nuff said.
Moving on from checks....
The number two reason you are a terrible customer....
You put different fruit and vegetables into the same bag.
Ok, seriously. Things such as APPLES and SQUASH do not have BARCODES. They have a little sticker with a four-digit number on them. You may have noticed this. You also may notice that whenever a cashier has produce, they type in a bunch of numbers to ring it up. Those numbers are the ones on the sticker. You may also be aware that we price produce according to pound. That's why there are SCALES in the produce section. No, they aren't just there for decoration. Each fruit and each vegetable has its own number and its own price/lb. So you might understand it now when i say DO NOT PUT DIFFERENT TYPES OF PRODUCE INTO THE SAME PLASTIC BAG! I get people coming through with six different types of apples all in the same bag. Do you know what i have to do then? I have to take each one out and ring it up individually. And that just leads to a whole mess of trouble. First of all, i don't want to touch your produce for the exact same reason you don't want me touching your produce. My hands are dirty, and you're gonna wanna eat that apple. So it would just be doing me a HUGE service if you were to just put your damn fruit in separate bags according to type. Pink Ladies go with Pink Ladies. Fujis go with Fujis. Granny Smiths DO NOT GO WITH Braeburn!! It's really not much to ask.
NUMBER THREE
This goes for stockers and cashiers alike.
Do not ask me to look for something that you haven't even looked for yourself. As a stocker, ok, i suppose this can be ok sometimes. If you just want the aisle, or to be pointed in the general direction, then ok, of course. We can help you. But do not make me go get it for you! Fuck, are you seriously that lazy!? I'm a STOCKER, not a personal shopper.
And when i'm cashiering, come on. i'm BUSY! I can't just close my lane to go get you something! You have two legs!
Ok so i was on lane today, and this lady comes up to me and she doesn't have anything with her but a piece of paper. she thrusts it at me and says, "Do you have this kind of tequila?" and i said "I'm not sure, did you check on the liquor wall for it?"
(The liquor wall is literally ten feet in front of the lanes, by the way.) and she looks at me and says "No."
I'm a blank. I got nothing. I kind of look at the liquor wall helplessly, and then at the four people in my line, and i say "well I don't really know if we have it---"
and she interrupts me, saying " well could you maybe FIND someone who DOES?"
No bitch. No. I can't. Do you SEE THIS LINE!? DO YOU THINK YOU ARE THE ONLY PERSON IN THIS STORE? CAN YOU NOT WALK TEN FUCKING FEET TO LOOK FOR YOURSELF!?
But thank god the manager walked by at that time so i threw her at him.
Seriously people. You have eyes. LOOK.
And yes, we did have the liquor. It was in a lime green box. cost her 50 bucks. Oh sophisticated marketplace shoppers.
NUMBER FOUR
You tell the me how much everything you bought is before i ring it up.
Yes, thank you, i can read. These confounded computers are actually good for something. RINGING UP ITEMS. It does, in fact, tell me how much everything is. Don't sit there and every time i pick up an item, say "oh that's 2 for 3. " "oh, that's 1.59/lb"
I know.
Thank you.
STOP IT! CHRIST ITS ANNOYING! I don't care if you phrase it as a question, such as 'that's on sale for such-such, right?" and i can say "yes" and move along! But don't sit there and tell me how much everything you bought is because I DON'T CARE! It's however much it rings up as! I'm not gonna take your damn word for it over the computer's so don't fucking argue with me!
NUMBER FIVE
My closed sign is up, and you come in my lane anyway.
I'm not kidding. I really am closed. Chances are you've caught me 5 minutes after i'm supposed to outta here and i'm trying to clean the belt and close my drawer out. In fact, i've probably already removed my drawer so i can specifically avoid ringing up anyone else. I can't help you. I don't really even want to help you. Go to the next lane that says OPEN. just because i'm at the lane doesn't mean i'm here to serve you. i'm CLOSED.
NUMBER SIX
You try to get in after we close.
his is most annoying on sundays because we close 2 hours earlier than normal. However, it states very clearly on the entrance doors that we close at EIGHT PM on sundays. It also might be obvious in that the entrance doors are locked. So what do you do? You come in through the exit.
WHO DOES THAT? C'MON! WHAT PART OF CLOSED DON'T YOU GET!?
You know what? come on in, because all the lanes are closed out anyway. There ain't no money in them. You could put 200 dollars worth of groceries in your cart if you want, but no ones gonna ring you up because the money is locked up in the cash office, counted and ready to go and we're LEAVING. We aren't going to help you after closing time, especially if you come in through the FUCKING EXIT!
NUMBER SEVEN
You don't put things back where you found them.
There's nothing more annoying than finding cheetos in the milk and milk in the broccoli. Just ask someone to put it back for you! I'd much rather you ask me to take whatever you don't want back to whatever aisle than find rotten meat in the stuffed animals again!
NUMBER EIGHT
You don't believe me when i say we don't have something.
Look, if i say we don't have buttermilk, we don't FUCKING have buttermilk! Who's the stocker here!? I spend six hours in the damn cooler, i know if we have buttermilk or not!
"Do you have buttermilk?"
"I'm sorry, we're all out of it today, we'll have an order in on tuesday"
"Could you check?"
What the fuck did i just say woman. I said tuesday. It's not tuesday. Come back on TUESDAY. Just because you want the buttermilk now doesn't mean its going to fall out of the sky for you and we aren't going to magically have a case in the cooler. I mean, if i say "i'm not sure" then of course i'll go look for it. Because hey, i'm not sure. but if i say 'no, we don't have it' i mean NO! Why would i purposely avoid a sale? Just believe me ok?
I'd also like to make note that any stocker who says we don't have something and its told to go check and goes to check, he's not checking. He probably just went to get a drink of water and then will come back and tell you the exact same thing.
NUMBER NINE
You wander into the back room (stock room, behind the big doors, whatever) looking for something.
GET OUT. this is NOT your shopping space!! This is MY area, not YOURS! I don't wanna be sitting in back, going through my stock bins, listening to my ipod, and have some random customer wandering on back looking for something! NO! JUST STOP!
This goes for the cooler as well. The cooler is loud, its hard to hear whats going on around you, and you really can't hear what's going out outside of it. There's nothing fucking scarier than to be stocking orange juice and looking over to see some fat ass for-all-i-know murderer staring at beer! THIS IS NOT A WALK IN COOLER! There are NO doors to the cooler the lead out to the sales floor! HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET BACK HERE!? GET OUT!!!! if you want something, ASK!
And the NUMBER TEN reason you are a terrible customer is....
You complain to me about the price of something.
Yeah, because i totally priced everything in here to my own personal liking. YOU'RE the one that came to this place! You coulda gone to Meijer, or fucking walmart for all i care, but no, you had to come to the SOPHISTICATED marketplace!! So don't bitch at me when everything is a dollar more than anywhere else. it's not my fault, and i'm not going to mark it down for you.
Wow, that felt AWESOME. I really needed to get that out. And I hope this valuable information will turn you into the absolute best customer that you can be. I know that working at a grocery store has certainly transformed my etiquette towards those who serve me, and i hope it will yours too.
THE NUMBER ONE THING THAT MAKES YOU A TERRIBLE CUSTOMER IS....
You write a check.
Let me tell you something about checks. THEY ARE EVIL. Do you have ANY idea how ANNOYING it is for me, as a cashier, to deal with your check!? Our store has an electronic check system. That on its own is extremely aggravating and time-consuming because we have to do about 10 things before we can send the customer on their way.
1. give cashier check.
2. cashier runs it through machine
3. select 'personal' in check options.
4take it out of machine.
5. wait for approval.
6. have customer sign screen.
7. re-enter check through machine
8. machine prints VOID on check.
9. Return check to customer
10. Verify on the register that you did indeed return the check to the customer
11. give customer receipt
12. give customer piece of paper that tells us that they will pay the amount written.
And yes, it takes EXACTLY as long as it sounds.
So you can imagine that check-writing is QUITE UPSETTING to us cashiers sometimes, especially when we're busy.
These next few correspond with the check-thing.
II. you don't have a pen and expect me to have one.
Ok, let me explain something to you. I don't carry a pen with me. I carry a very large black marker, two box-cutters, and if it's Saturday, a pair of gloves. There. Now you know what we keep in those apron pockets. Know why i don't have a pen? Because I DON'T NEED ONE! I don't write checks! Why the FUCK do i need a pen? YOU SHOULD HAVE A PEN! You're the one who needs the goddamn pen! And don't get pissy at me when I don't have a pen for you! If you INSIST on using a fucking DEAD technology, then you should carry a goddamn fucking pen and don't give me a dirty look when you ask for one and i don't have one for you. I'm not your personal pen-carrier.
I'd also like to make note that with the electronic check system, you don't even have to fill out your check and therefore really don't need a pen. But trying to explain that to people is like speaking Swahili.
III. You write the check over and don't tell me
I can't read your mind. I don't really read your check. I'm not going to know that you wrote it over 10 dollars if you don't tell me. I don't care that you've written it over and want some money back. But you NEED TO INFORM ME THAT THE AMOUNT ON THE CHECK IS NOT THE AMOUNT OF YOUR PURCHASE!
IV. You don't begin writing your check until i've told you the total.
You're a bitch if you do this. 'nuff said.
Moving on from checks....
The number two reason you are a terrible customer....
You put different fruit and vegetables into the same bag.
Ok, seriously. Things such as APPLES and SQUASH do not have BARCODES. They have a little sticker with a four-digit number on them. You may have noticed this. You also may notice that whenever a cashier has produce, they type in a bunch of numbers to ring it up. Those numbers are the ones on the sticker. You may also be aware that we price produce according to pound. That's why there are SCALES in the produce section. No, they aren't just there for decoration. Each fruit and each vegetable has its own number and its own price/lb. So you might understand it now when i say DO NOT PUT DIFFERENT TYPES OF PRODUCE INTO THE SAME PLASTIC BAG! I get people coming through with six different types of apples all in the same bag. Do you know what i have to do then? I have to take each one out and ring it up individually. And that just leads to a whole mess of trouble. First of all, i don't want to touch your produce for the exact same reason you don't want me touching your produce. My hands are dirty, and you're gonna wanna eat that apple. So it would just be doing me a HUGE service if you were to just put your damn fruit in separate bags according to type. Pink Ladies go with Pink Ladies. Fujis go with Fujis. Granny Smiths DO NOT GO WITH Braeburn!! It's really not much to ask.
NUMBER THREE
This goes for stockers and cashiers alike.
Do not ask me to look for something that you haven't even looked for yourself. As a stocker, ok, i suppose this can be ok sometimes. If you just want the aisle, or to be pointed in the general direction, then ok, of course. We can help you. But do not make me go get it for you! Fuck, are you seriously that lazy!? I'm a STOCKER, not a personal shopper.
And when i'm cashiering, come on. i'm BUSY! I can't just close my lane to go get you something! You have two legs!
Ok so i was on lane today, and this lady comes up to me and she doesn't have anything with her but a piece of paper. she thrusts it at me and says, "Do you have this kind of tequila?" and i said "I'm not sure, did you check on the liquor wall for it?"
(The liquor wall is literally ten feet in front of the lanes, by the way.) and she looks at me and says "No."
I'm a blank. I got nothing. I kind of look at the liquor wall helplessly, and then at the four people in my line, and i say "well I don't really know if we have it---"
and she interrupts me, saying " well could you maybe FIND someone who DOES?"
No bitch. No. I can't. Do you SEE THIS LINE!? DO YOU THINK YOU ARE THE ONLY PERSON IN THIS STORE? CAN YOU NOT WALK TEN FUCKING FEET TO LOOK FOR YOURSELF!?
But thank god the manager walked by at that time so i threw her at him.
Seriously people. You have eyes. LOOK.
And yes, we did have the liquor. It was in a lime green box. cost her 50 bucks. Oh sophisticated marketplace shoppers.
NUMBER FOUR
You tell the me how much everything you bought is before i ring it up.
Yes, thank you, i can read. These confounded computers are actually good for something. RINGING UP ITEMS. It does, in fact, tell me how much everything is. Don't sit there and every time i pick up an item, say "oh that's 2 for 3. " "oh, that's 1.59/lb"
I know.
Thank you.
STOP IT! CHRIST ITS ANNOYING! I don't care if you phrase it as a question, such as 'that's on sale for such-such, right?" and i can say "yes" and move along! But don't sit there and tell me how much everything you bought is because I DON'T CARE! It's however much it rings up as! I'm not gonna take your damn word for it over the computer's so don't fucking argue with me!
NUMBER FIVE
My closed sign is up, and you come in my lane anyway.
I'm not kidding. I really am closed. Chances are you've caught me 5 minutes after i'm supposed to outta here and i'm trying to clean the belt and close my drawer out. In fact, i've probably already removed my drawer so i can specifically avoid ringing up anyone else. I can't help you. I don't really even want to help you. Go to the next lane that says OPEN. just because i'm at the lane doesn't mean i'm here to serve you. i'm CLOSED.
NUMBER SIX
You try to get in after we close.
his is most annoying on sundays because we close 2 hours earlier than normal. However, it states very clearly on the entrance doors that we close at EIGHT PM on sundays. It also might be obvious in that the entrance doors are locked. So what do you do? You come in through the exit.
WHO DOES THAT? C'MON! WHAT PART OF CLOSED DON'T YOU GET!?
You know what? come on in, because all the lanes are closed out anyway. There ain't no money in them. You could put 200 dollars worth of groceries in your cart if you want, but no ones gonna ring you up because the money is locked up in the cash office, counted and ready to go and we're LEAVING. We aren't going to help you after closing time, especially if you come in through the FUCKING EXIT!
NUMBER SEVEN
You don't put things back where you found them.
There's nothing more annoying than finding cheetos in the milk and milk in the broccoli. Just ask someone to put it back for you! I'd much rather you ask me to take whatever you don't want back to whatever aisle than find rotten meat in the stuffed animals again!
NUMBER EIGHT
You don't believe me when i say we don't have something.
Look, if i say we don't have buttermilk, we don't FUCKING have buttermilk! Who's the stocker here!? I spend six hours in the damn cooler, i know if we have buttermilk or not!
"Do you have buttermilk?"
"I'm sorry, we're all out of it today, we'll have an order in on tuesday"
"Could you check?"
What the fuck did i just say woman. I said tuesday. It's not tuesday. Come back on TUESDAY. Just because you want the buttermilk now doesn't mean its going to fall out of the sky for you and we aren't going to magically have a case in the cooler. I mean, if i say "i'm not sure" then of course i'll go look for it. Because hey, i'm not sure. but if i say 'no, we don't have it' i mean NO! Why would i purposely avoid a sale? Just believe me ok?
I'd also like to make note that any stocker who says we don't have something and its told to go check and goes to check, he's not checking. He probably just went to get a drink of water and then will come back and tell you the exact same thing.
NUMBER NINE
You wander into the back room (stock room, behind the big doors, whatever) looking for something.
GET OUT. this is NOT your shopping space!! This is MY area, not YOURS! I don't wanna be sitting in back, going through my stock bins, listening to my ipod, and have some random customer wandering on back looking for something! NO! JUST STOP!
This goes for the cooler as well. The cooler is loud, its hard to hear whats going on around you, and you really can't hear what's going out outside of it. There's nothing fucking scarier than to be stocking orange juice and looking over to see some fat ass for-all-i-know murderer staring at beer! THIS IS NOT A WALK IN COOLER! There are NO doors to the cooler the lead out to the sales floor! HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET BACK HERE!? GET OUT!!!! if you want something, ASK!
And the NUMBER TEN reason you are a terrible customer is....
You complain to me about the price of something.
Yeah, because i totally priced everything in here to my own personal liking. YOU'RE the one that came to this place! You coulda gone to Meijer, or fucking walmart for all i care, but no, you had to come to the SOPHISTICATED marketplace!! So don't bitch at me when everything is a dollar more than anywhere else. it's not my fault, and i'm not going to mark it down for you.
Wow, that felt AWESOME. I really needed to get that out. And I hope this valuable information will turn you into the absolute best customer that you can be. I know that working at a grocery store has certainly transformed my etiquette towards those who serve me, and i hope it will yours too.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Have your pets spayed or neutered
i'm so sad that i'm about to watch Bob's last show. I'm taping it for freaking everyone else in this apartment because everyone's freaking out that it's Bob's last show.
(if you don't yet know what i'm talking about, if the subject didn't give this away and you still don't know what i'm talking about, get the fuck off my blog)
I love you bob, and i'll miss you!!
Goodbye Bob, and Goodbye everybody!
(if you don't yet know what i'm talking about, if the subject didn't give this away and you still don't know what i'm talking about, get the fuck off my blog)
I love you bob, and i'll miss you!!
Goodbye Bob, and Goodbye everybody!
Friday, June 8, 2007
Paris Hilton
Need I say more?
LOL.
So she'll have to live without drugs and promiscuous sex for awhile. She'll be fine.
LOL.
So she'll have to live without drugs and promiscuous sex for awhile. She'll be fine.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Yowza
(i like this picture a lot)Hey. Just thought i'd check in, letcha know whats new in life! I got my hands on a camera, which is super exciting. I took pictures of myself (obviously, duh) and the LAN party last night. seven guys staring at computers. Wow. Check it...
It looks like they've been sitting there for days.
So anyway. We go to CO 2 weeks from thursday, so that's exciting. Nice long road trip. Catch up on my reading.
Today was such a long day; i hate cashiering. I hate customers. Some people are unbelievably stupid. Sometimes i just want to be like, 'am i on punk'd or something? Candid Camera? Anything? are you SERIOUS?'
That's why i prefer stocking. I can completely ignore everyone. One more day and then i get a day off. WoOt!
I got my tax return the other day, 58 bucks bitch.
God, i have nothing to say, do i? I'm gonna go to dan's pool party now. Well, i won't be swimming. its fucking cold. But the hot tub, oh the hot tub.
Cheas.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
A Letter to The Consumerist.
Dear Consumerist:
My name is Mary and I would like to bring to your attention the utter ridiculousness that is Capital One. As we speak, my boyfriend Greg is, once again, on the phone with Capital One’s fraud department. This marks the fourteenth person and the tenth hour he’s spent with the great individuals of Capital One’s Customer Service department.
On February 8th, nearly four months ago, a charge appeared on his card of $100.00. The charge came out of a Sears, in the form of a gift card, in
(Currently, Greg is talking to the fifteenth person since this all began)
The following day, Greg attempted to use his card at Taco Bob’s, only to find that it had been suspended, without a single whiff of notification. Ok, he’s pretty pissed now. His account remained frozen for about a week, and Capital One claimed they were “looking into it.” We thought maybe, just maybe, they were doing something about it.
WRONG.
The account was reopened, and the charge was reapplied.
Greg is about to shit a brick (Sixteenth person, by the way).
Greg called Capital One, and asked them to send him the written disputed charge. They did so. Greg then sent Capital One a hand-written, signed letter including photocopies of his credit card and driver’s license. The letter explained as explicitly as humanly possible that the charge was not authorized by him and needed to be removed from his bill. He then proceeded to wait. And wait.
(Seventeenth person, and this one claims to be a supervisor)
After a week or so, Greg called Capital One and spent three useless hours with four useless people, being transferred back and forth over and over again. Finally, someone knew something! A lovely lady told him that there had been a “mass account compromise” AKA, tons of card numbers were lost and they couldn’t do shit about it. Of course, she added that the charge on Greg’s card had NOTHING to do with this, which we found extremely hard to believe since Greg’s card has never moved from his wallet. She told Greg that his card would be permanently deactivated, and they would send him another card in seven days. While Greg was about ready to tell Capital One to shove a stick up their ass, he accepted this.
Meanwhile, in another string of calls, including a deliberate disconnection and a man who said “call back in an hour” and hung up, Greg actually came across someone who seemed to give a shit about his situation. The man agreed that it was a fraudulent charge and told Greg that the charge would be removed from his bill within forty-eight hours.
Well guess what.
It wasn’t.
(on hold now, waiting for the eighteenth person to pick up the damn phone)
So Greg called back again, and was told that the charge was still under investigation, and that it would remain there until it was solved, but it would not affect his interest fees or anything like that.
(Person number eighteen has finally picked up)
So, life went on. Briefly. I’d like to make clear that during this time, Greg did not use his new credit card.
(He’s on hold again; he talked to person number eighteen for approximately twelve seconds)
He checked his online statement, and found, SURPRISE!, the $100.00 charge was STILL THERE. And with the added bonus of a $29 dollar late fee, and a $1.22 interest fee! That made it the third, count it, THIRD time the charge had been dropped and then added.
Greg immediately called them, and two and a half hours later, one of the idiot drones finally told him that the charge had been reapplied (without Greg’s consent, mind you) and therefore the late and interest fees were valid.
(Person nineteen, and we seemed to have moved backwards. This person has no FUCKING idea what Greg is talking about. We’re back to square one for the two- billionth time)
So they told Greg they would send him another fraud investigation letter thing within two weeks. Nothing came, but I’m sure you saw that coming.
That was exactly sixteen days ago. So now, here we are, on the phone. Again. It’s been an hour. Six people. Zero will help him. Even the supervisor (named Fernando, the only person who gave Greg his name) wouldn’t help him.
No one is willing to pay any attention to what Greg is trying to tell them. This was a fraudulent charge! The signature on the receipt from
No one knows what he’s talking about. No one cares what he’s talking about. Capital One has, hands down, proven to have the absolute worst customer service department in the history of the world. And for a card whose slogan is “The No Hassle Card”, they have done nothing but. I hope the Consumerist can warn its readers to avoid Capital One at all costs. Their idiotic system has been nothing but a money-hungry, robotic, muzak-brain-numbing bunch of outsourced morons. Fuck you Capital One, Fuck. You.
Sincerely,
Mary (writing for Greg, who is still on the phone with them)
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Do or Die
I was hoping this term wouldn't apply to us this year, but it does. Wings must do or die tonight. We've got to beat Anaheim tonight so we can force a game 7 and win that fucking thing too, if we expect to make it to the finals. Everyone pray!
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