Do Over, Please?

Have you ever had a moment in your life that you wish you could do over? And if you could do it over you would definitely do it a lot different? Well, that was me yesterday. Here is how my day went.
I came home from running errands with the little one in tow. He slept for about 30 minutes in the car, so there went the nap when we got home. I was hurrying around town trying to get all the things done that I needed to do. I pushed lunch back a little and made us both cranky. I stopped and got happy meals for both of us for the way home thinking if he ate in the car he would soon fall asleep and I could carry him to his bed and put him down. Then I could get my work at home done. NO. He was awake when I got home. I Carried my things in and returned to the car to get him, then we went to get the mail together. He loves to help get the mail. He always hollers, "NO!" when I step into the street. At least he is learning. But yes, I still have to holler it at him when we go out to play. Anyway...when I got inside I opened my Discover Card bill. Not expecting but a little bit on it (should only be Netflix since we don't use credit cards) I almost fell out when there were two purchases on the same day in two different states.

FREAKIN OUT!

So i called Stephen since one of the purchases was a jewelry place to make sure Stephen hadn't done some early Christmas shopping for me or something and forgot to tell me he used a card. And Stephen never does early Christmas shopping, but I wanted to make sure before I called the credit card company. So I called, went through all the security questions, explained my problem and they directed me straight to security.

I thought to myself, "Great, this will be fixed in no time and I can finish all the things I wanted to before Stephen gets home from work!"

"Ma'am, this is an authorized use. YOU swiped the card and there is nothing we can do."

I hit the roof!

"WHAT?!? Are you kidding me? You are telling me that I was in two different states on the same day, a school day at that, when I have a small child and a job? I am good but I am not that good? Can you please explain to me how I could have done that?"

She then proceeded to argue with me and told me that I DID do this. She told me I would need to call the stores that I made the purchases at. Then I told her I didn't have the numbers since I had never been there. I told her I didn't have time to argue with her about this. She apparently had computer problems and my card had been compromised. If she couldn't help me then close the account and I would start calling the companies and try to get it worked out myself. (By this time I am yelling at the top of my lungs and my child is just staring at me not sure what to think.) So she tells me she will transfer me to another department to close my account. I sat there as if she had put me on hold listening and I could still here all the noise in the background from when she was on the line talking to me. And then CLICK. She hung up on me!

So I call information to get the phone numbers of the places that I apparently shopped at.

"There is no such listing in Jackson's Gap, Alabama. Do you have another listing?

Oh...I am LIVID!

Now I have shopped somewhere I have never heard of and now they don't even exist!

The next one I give the operator is a good number (a supermarket in Louisiana) and I call the number. I have never been to Louisiana, but whatever, right? So the lady at this grocery store answers and I start telling her my problem. I asked her if they had video cameras and that I needed to prove that I didn't drive to Louisiana to by $45.00 in groceries.

"Oh! This isn't a grocery store! We go to craft shows around the south! Have you been to a craft show in Florida or Alabama in the last few months?"

Oh yeah. Oops. Sure did. Remember that post where I was bragging about getting Christmas presents for four family members and two teachers? Yeah. That was it.

So I call Stephen at work to tell him. One thing I left out here is that I called him after the woman at Discover hung up on me. So he didn't answer his phone. I called the store and Chris told me he was on the phone with Discover.
"Tell him to hang up! "

"Why?"

"Because I said so!"

Yeah...Stephen was giving them a piece of his mind. Then stopped and told the guy, "Oh! Never mind! My wife figured it out. Sorry!"

Then he told me I should be more careful! I was careful! Not many people would notice that they were not in two different states on the same day. I guess I was being too careful.

And yes, I did call the card company back to apologize. And this is what I got.

"I can't connect you with the person you talked to."

Great! Now they have in the computer system, next to my name, "Crazy woman! Danger! Approach carefully!"

How in the stinkin' world did they do that so fast?

Then she told me she couldn't connect me because the lady was in a different state and a different department. That's better. But just for the record, I apologized to the woman that answered that time and she laughed and said okay in a tone of voice that told me she didn't care and wanted to get me off the phone so she could go home.

Oh well. I did what I could do. But if I could have a "do over" moment, I would have not needed to call and apologize because I would have controlled myself the first time. I hope I didn't ruin her day. Maybe she is used to "crazy" people like me. I will try to do better next time. And if you are ever in this type of situation, hang up with the credit card company, cool down and then call them back. It will go much smoother!

Sara