Busy day running around with last-minute things that have to be done before I leave on vacation.
I started the day by stopping at the bank. I took out cash for the week and went to a teller to change $20.00 for quarters for laundry. Then I headed over to Mastria Auto Dealers..GM, Buick Suzuki…you name it and Mastria probably sells it. They took over the Saturn Dealership when the auto industry was reorganized.
Last spring I got an email offering me free maintenance for 1 year. Basically 4 oil changes and tire rotation etc. At first I thought it was a scam. Nobody gives anybody something for nothing but I called and they honored the offer. That was right before the Sedona trip. I wanted to be sure the car was all set for the drive to meet my sister in New York.
It was time for another oil change so I called again and they got me right in.
I started out in the waiting room but they had the AC cranking to the point that I was freezing so I went outside to a bench they had by the door. It may have been warm but there was a nice breeze. As I was sitting there I was joined by a very pleasant man with a lilting accent. As we talked I tried to pin point where he was from by his accent..not Haitian, not Jamaican not Dominican…I was stumped. Finally the gentleman took pity on me. He was from Ecuador. He was an electrical engineer in his home country and that had given him the opportunity to travel all over. He’s been to China many times and said he loved it there. He also liked India. He says the people are very friendly. We laughed about the vagaries of language.
He learned English in school as a child but day-to-day use is much different than you learn in school. For example one day he was looking for the “Elevator”. He didn’t know what it was. He said he asked someone and they pointed it out to him. He laughed and said he knew it as a “Lift”. If he’s been in England he’d have been all set!
About then they brought my car around and it was time to move on to my next errand which was at Ritz Camera in Hingham (37 miles away). I needed to pick up some filters for the camera and some odds and ends I wanted for vacation. So far I had paid cash everywhere.
After I left Hingham I went to BJ’S Wholesale Club for cat food and kitty litter. I have to be sure that all is well stocked for my pet sitter while I’m away. This is the first time I used my debit card other than when I took out cash this morning.
I returned home and unloaded the car then ran back over to the grocery store to pick up some mushrooms, broccoli and chicken tenders for a stir fry for dinner. When I tried to use my debit card there, it was declined! I tried it twice..same thing. I handed over the cash and headed home. It was too late to do anything now as it was after 4pm.
Once in the house I logged onto my account. I had money in there. It showed my withdrawal from the morning. The BJ’s charge hadn’t been posted but the amount had been “held”. I haven’t used that card anyplace I haven’t used it before.
As I puzzled over it I pulled my cell phone out. It had shut itself off..again. One of these days I really have to get a new phone. I turned it back on and there was a message from the bank. They had suspended my card as they did not believe I had possession of it. They were”protecting” me from fraudulent usage and would I call them at my first opportunity.
Of course they weren’t there at 4pm either.
My friends at work are either pulling my leg or maybe they believe it, but they say I am a marked woman now. They are blaming these problems on my previous posting where I ranted about inflation and banks. I’m sure you remember the one. It was titled Really Federal Reserve, Really? They can’t wait to see if I get a hassle next time I fly. They are convinced this is all “government retaliations”. They are calling me a Terrorist! After all, they track terrorists by following the money. I guess that’ll teach me to keep my opinions to myself. What is that about freedom of speech?
I’m laughing now but we’ll see what the bank says tomorrow.
In the meantime I’m doing my laundry and spending a quiet night with my kitty cats!
