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Published: February 17th 2008
Friday, Feb 15
I spent some time today calling the credit card company (Capitol One Visa) from a locutorio (a place where you can make phone calls or use a computer) to report that my credit card is apparently being used to gamble by the thieves who stole my purse even though I cancelled the card last Sunday. It was a truly amazing conversation. First, you have to understand that I was calling from a locutorio that was charging about 1 peso (30 cents) a minute. After waiting an interminable length of time and going though mazes of crazy menus, I finally was connected to a person. She was in India. She wanted to know how my Valentine’s Day had been. Seriously. I explained that my credit card had been stolen and she said that she’d have to connect me with a different department. I waited a long time and then spoke to a helpful young man who wanted my credit card number. I told him that my card had been stolen and that I didn’t know the number. So with my social security number, he was able to verify that the card had indeed been reported stolen.
I explained that charges were still showing up on my online statement so he said that was a different department - fraud - and he’d connect me. After listening to elevator music for another few minutes (realize that the charges are piling up in front of my eyes in this little booth), a young woman from the fraud department comes on the line. She wants the verification number from the back of my card. Seriously. I don’t have it of course. She wants my card number. I don’t have that either. I explain (for the third time) that my card has been stolen. She says that she needs to verify my identity before she can discuss my account. She asks for my previous address (before my current address). I can’t remember it exactly. She then wants to know the name of my first pet from childhood and I can’t remember which pet I put down in the survey they gave me a year ago when I opened the card. By this time I’m fit to be tied - I say, “Listen, I’d like you to imagine for a moment that you’re me. You’re in a foreign country, your purse has been stolen and the thieves are using your credit card to gamble and have charged over $700. All you want to do is stop them from using the card - but in order to do it you have to have the card. The thieves have the card - they could give you the card number and the verification number no problem. But wait a minute, why would the thieves want to cancel the card??? Ok, so if you don’t have the card, you have to remember your address from several years ago and the name of your first pet from childhood, but you're too distraught because your purse has been stolen and thieves are using your credit card to gamble with. I give up. Let’s just let the thieves use the card. They’re probably having a nice time. Maybe they’ll win enough money they’ll want to give my purse back …”
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Jo
non-member comment
Bravo
Catherine, I'm amazed at how cool you are sounding amidst all this horror! Good for you. And in your last post, we can certainly relate to some of it. Traveling in Argentina and Chile with my daughter who is vegetarian was a real challenge--other than potatoes, they must export every vegetable they grow to the US! She eventually reverted to being "pescatarian" for the remainder of the trip. The trout and seafood was great. Keep being your confident self and have fun, Jo