credit card hassles

Be sure and cancel your credit cards before you die. This is so priceless, and so easy to see happening, customer service being what it is today.

A lady died this past January, and Citibank billed her for February and March for their annual service charges on her credit card, and added late fees and interest on the monthly charge. The balance had been $0.00, now was somewhere around $60.00. A family member placed a call to Citibank. Here is the exchange:

Family Member: "I am calling to tell you she died in January."

Citibank: "The account was never closed and the late fees and charges still apply."

Family Member: "Maybe, you should turn it over to collections."

Citibank: "Since it is two months past due, it already has been."

Family Member:"So, what will they do when they find out she is dead?"

Citibank:"Either report her account to frauds division or Report her to the credit bureau, maybe both!"

Family Member: "Do you think God will be mad at her?"
(I really liked this part!!!!)

Citibank:"Excuse me?"

Family Member: "Did you just get what I was telling you about the part about her being dead?" ?
Citibank:"Sir, you'll have to speak to my supervisor." (Duh!)

Supervisor gets on the phone:
Family Member: "I'm calling to tell you she died in January."

Citibank:"The account was never closed and late fees and charges still apply." (This must be a phrase taught by the bank!)

Family Member: "You mean you want to collect from her estate?"

Citibank: (Stammering) "Are you her lawyer?"

Family Member: "No, I'm her great nephew."? (Lawyer info given)

Citibank: "Could you fax us a certificate of death?"

Family Member: "Sure." (Fax number is given)

After they get the fax:

Citibank: "Our system just isn't setup for death. I don't know what more I can do to help."

Family Member: "Well, if you figure it out, great! If not, you could just keep billing her. I don't think she will care."

Citibank: "Well, the late fees and charges do still apply"
(What is wrong with these people?!?)

Family Member: "Would you like her new billing address?"

Citibank: "That might help."

Family Member: " Odessa Memorial Cemetery , Highway 129, Plot Number 69."

Citibank: "Sir, that's a cemetery!"

Family Member: "What do you do with dead people on your planet? (Priceless!!)

General update...

I went back to school back in September so my spare time has been very limited. Along with that for the last 3 weeks I have been on mandatory OT at work, working 12 hr shifts. Trying to study for my Spanish class in my spare time, I am memorizing really well. I don't know how much I will retain after this class. Fortunately Brandon is taking Spanish too so that may help me keep some of the new language skills.

It is cold enough here that I broke down and put plastic up in all the windows on Friday night (ahh the single life, hahaha). Yesterday I took Brandon to Karate, cleaned my kitchen (full fledged clean there isn't a dust bunny left anywhere), did laundry (the excitement of it all, contain yourselves everyone, don't get jealous), then I hung a new curtain rod in my bedroom. Hanging a curtain rod seems like an easy task and I have done it multiple times, but this time was a whole different story. I don't think I could have botched the job more ways then I did, it felt like the curtain rods were mocking me. The old one was painted to the wall so I struggled with getting the screws out of the wall. Once I did get the screws undone the rod fell on my head. It took me 20 min to get the rod out of the container it came in you know the theft proof, more like purchaser proof, packaging they have these days. Then I got the new rod lined up and began screwing the first bracket into the wall. Only to drop the bracket multiple times, have the battery die on the electric screw driver, have both drills with the wrong bit in it (and I couldn't get it changed) and then strip the screws. All on the first bracket and it still wasn't completely in place. I finally decided to stop working on that one and move onto the other two, they went up quite easily, no problems. I went back to the first bracket and muscled the screws out of the wall, went and got two more from the basement and successful hung the bracket and did the happy dance! I called Brandon into the room and we put together the rod and put it in place and you guessed it.........the first bracket (you know the one that was mocking me) was to low and had to be rehung. Needless to say I lost it. Brandon, my ever supportive 12 year old, was laughing at me. I wanted to ripe the rod off the wall and just forget about the curtain altogther. I didn't though and last night when I went to bed the curtain rod was hung with the new curtains in place and I got a wonderful nights sleep. My room was actually dark, there is a street light outside my bedroom and it lights up my room at night too, which is what started the curtain rod changing fiasco. I can laugh about it now because it is all in place and I am well rested but I have never had a curtain rod get the best of me before.

Enjoy your Sunday. GO COLTS!!! - Jenie