"I'm a loser and I've lost someone who's near to me.I was as prepared as such short notice made possible: blanket, baby books, jacket, phone and a couple of credit cards. Or so I thought.
I'm a loser and I'm not what I appear to be" - John Lennon & the Beatles
I made moderate use of all those items, except for the credit cards.
CentraState's ER has streamlined their procedures, perhaps because we are "in their system," i.e., they know where we live, so I don't have to pay on-the-spot for a visit. I guess they figure being their patient is enough of an ordeal without having to settle the bill before leaving. I don't mean that in a bad way. Well, you know ...
So, Ella and I were out in under an hour
and the boys got to see her again before they went to sleep. I went a day without thinking about my credit cards. But, as grocery-shopping day approached, I started to ask myself, "Now what did you do with those credit cards?"
I found one but not the other. Thinking that I left it in the ER, I called hospital security but nothing had been turned in.
"It probably hasn't been discovered yet," I figured, as the crew seemed to be having a slow night when we were there. As a precaution, I called to report the card lost.
When I was able to think clearly about it the next morning, I thought of one more place to check and, well, found the card. But it was already too late: the card issuer was sending out a new number, etc. So, what recurring charges are assigned to this now-defunct account? The long distance and my cell phone, garbage pickup and the newspaper. Not as hefty as when our bank accounts changed a few summers ago.
Still, it took about a week for the new card to arrive. When it did, I logged into the long distance service and submitted the update. AT&T has had online billing for more than ten years; they're old pros, right? Well, you know what's worse than an unsuccessful update? An update with an uncertain result. The server request timed out but when I refreshed my data, there was a message that an update was in progress and no further changes could be made for 72 hrs. or whatever. So, I called them and made the change over the phone.
Since the LD bill was just paid before I reported my card lost, I can afford to wait a few days and check back before the end of the billing cycle. Same with my cell phone.
The garbage and the newspaper were different situations, since they were coming due. The newspaper recently went from monthly to bi-monthly billing and I think it was due 8/3. But I called them this morning with the new number because their account online was down all weekend (and still seems to be down). Garbage, I haven't any idea about the billing due date but I also called them this morning as they don't offer online billing.
Oh, well, I guess it's good that I didn't really lose my card. And it isn't one of those numbers that I have memorized, so no loss there either. I just have to learn the last four digits so that I can recognize it.
I found one but not the other. Thinking that I left it in the ER, I called hospital security but nothing had been turned in.
"It probably hasn't been discovered yet," I figured, as the crew seemed to be having a slow night when we were there. As a precaution, I called to report the card lost.
When I was able to think clearly about it the next morning, I thought of one more place to check and, well, found the card. But it was already too late: the card issuer was sending out a new number, etc. So, what recurring charges are assigned to this now-defunct account? The long distance and my cell phone, garbage pickup and the newspaper. Not as hefty as when our bank accounts changed a few summers ago.
Still, it took about a week for the new card to arrive. When it did, I logged into the long distance service and submitted the update. AT&T has had online billing for more than ten years; they're old pros, right? Well, you know what's worse than an unsuccessful update? An update with an uncertain result. The server request timed out but when I refreshed my data, there was a message that an update was in progress and no further changes could be made for 72 hrs. or whatever. So, I called them and made the change over the phone.
Since the LD bill was just paid before I reported my card lost, I can afford to wait a few days and check back before the end of the billing cycle. Same with my cell phone.
The garbage and the newspaper were different situations, since they were coming due. The newspaper recently went from monthly to bi-monthly billing and I think it was due 8/3. But I called them this morning with the new number because their account online was down all weekend (and still seems to be down). Garbage, I haven't any idea about the billing due date but I also called them this morning as they don't offer online billing.
Oh, well, I guess it's good that I didn't really lose my card. And it isn't one of those numbers that I have memorized, so no loss there either. I just have to learn the last four digits so that I can recognize it.
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