Discovering my possibilities

WTH is up with the C.C companies? Is it Pick on Gail month? This weeks entry comes from Discover....Discover what an asshat they can be.
I got a letter saying that I had triggered something or other [and knowing me that's a distinct possibility] and my APR was going from 6.9 to 14.99. Holy SHIT! I was given the option of paying that shitty APR, or I could say "no", cancel the account, and pay off the balance with my old APR. I called them, fully intending to cancel that card Now, *I* ain't paying shylocks. [Well, considering how C.C companies are acting lately, that would be an apt title]

G: Hi! I just received a letter stating that I managed to trigger something, and as a consequence, my APR is going up. I will decline that kind offer, and would like to cancel the card at this time.

D: Hi! To verify your account, can you tell me your Mothers maiden name, the last 4 digits of your social security number, if you like jelly or jam, and which shoe you put on first? So that I can tailor this discussion to fit your needs!

G: blah blah blah

D: o-KAY then, lets' see.Yes, you did trigger something, but I can untrigger that for you in just a couple thousand keystrokes!

G::::5 minutes of silence, in which I gnaw on the inside of my cheek and what to hurl something at ANYthing. :::

D: o-KAY then...you were late with a payment in July! THAT was the trigger!

G: HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, no we were not late. We called in June to change our billing date/cycle, as we had recently moved. We were in the middle of switching banks, and a different billing cycle was more convenient for us. The associate SAID the effect was immediate, to feel free to pay on our new billing date. I have NEVER been late, NEVER. Just ask Steve, ..... My palms sweat, I get a headache, and I get MIGHTY cranky if I even THINK I'm late, can you dig that? Why not have a REEEEEEAL good look at my account, then?

D: oh, yes, I do see that you spoke with an account specialist. But the fact is, those changes can take DAYS, so technically you were late.

G: Oh, NO YOU DIDN'T just tell me my account specialist in June LIED to me?? I wanna talk with him!

D: No, no no one lied to you. They were just not correct.

G: :::::I'm thinking some vile, non-pc swears, but I don't say them. Steve is sitting across the room, and hair is curly enough already. Plus he will laugh and I'll lose the edge of anger that this "specialist" can hear in my voice:::::: OK, cancel the account, and I will pay the balance at my current apr.....

D: Oh NO, No Wait! I can untrigger this for you RIGHT now, you will still keep your low APR and all the privileges that go with being a Discover card patron [I noticed the vocabulary of my "specialist" got better by a wide margin when they wanted to keep me]

G: Well, I'm not sure. I don't like not knowing when I trigger things.The last 2 times I triggered something, I got doused in teriyaki and my vacuum cleaner coughed up all over me. God KNOWS what will happen if I trigger something without being aware of it. Oh, wait...*I* know! My APR will go up ! No, "triggering" is not something Gail wants any part of...

D: Hahaha, no, *I* will take care of this for you!

G: And how can I tell that this info is reliable? Remember that specialist in June? Can I get this in writing?

D: Um, "writing"?

G: Yes, will Discover send me a letter reiterating the salient points of this conversation?

D: Come again?

G: Send me a letter telling me you untriggered it, and I will never have to worry about triggering anything again, when I trigger things it's messy.

D:Hahaaa, OK, yes, this I can do for you today!

G: OK, thank you.

D: There you go, you are all set, and you will receive a letter in the U.S mail telling you this has been done. May I be of any further assistance to you today?

G: No, I think I'm good.

D: Well, then, please do not forget to take the exit survey, so that I may know the level of customer service you received today!

G: No thanks, I might trigger something :X

Today is Thursday, and I had scheduled my annual do-si-do mammo and ultrasound for directly after work.

[if you ever have a lump that needs to be removed, even a benign one like mine, you get moved to the "ultrasound" group,.....you get one of those as a matter of course when you get your mammo.]

Now, I have a hard time with medical procedures. I hate them on an emotional level. I remember my Mom being sick all the time, and I will be Damned if I go that route. So far, so good. But medical procedures cause me great anxiety. So I try to ameliorate the damage by planning ahead. I KNOW I can't stand to wait. So I call and make these appts a long time in advance, and schedule the ultra for directly after the mammo, no waiting. I bring a good book, and try to consider it "guilt free" reading time. It occurred to me today, while I waited a friggin' hour for that high tension ultrasound tech, that in this location, no matter WHAT I've done, I have had a long wait every year for the past 5 years. And I got pissed. One hour after my scheduled appt time, the tech sashays in. There were 3 people ahead of me, and they had to call in another tech to start the exams they were so far behind. So, for the first time in my life, I raised my voice in anger over shoddy service. The other women stared at me like I was a Martian,

[some of whom are asshole enough to bring LITTLE KIDS into the mammography suite.....don't get me started. Kids do NOT BELONG in a mammo suite. These women are stupid selfish cows. oooooooooo, I guess I AM pissed]

and I said "You know what? You're an HOUR late. If you can't tell time, I don't TRUST you to do my ultrasound, I want the other tech". And I sat down. She looked like I hit her with a bat. GOOD. I hope it was a cluebat. I Got the other tech, who thanked me. Mz high tension is regularly 30 minutes or more late, but is related to someone, so nothing is done. Well, I AM done, I'm not going back there. These people have to realize there are PEOPLE behind those boobs!

Steve felt bad about how I spent the after noon, and has decided I need a no-cook night.

[but in all honesty, I was gonna make home made pizza. SOMEone neglected to tell me he had pizza for lunch. This might have prompted the offer of chinese]

He's out getting dinner now. I am snuggled under a throw on the couch, reading my big fat delicious new Stephen King novel. And being Thankful.

This website, I've seen and have in my favorites. As a former wm employee, it rings a chord with me :X IMHO...these customers are the outward manifestation of wm management. Brenda sent it on yesterday and reminded me of it. Here it is, thanks to Brenda:

http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/

This, you may not want to see. It is a short interview. Oprah, with Charla Nash, the woman who was attacked by that "trained, domesticated" chimp. My heart goes out to her on so many different levels. There aren't any words, or perhaps there are...a LOT of long string curses, to describe how I feel about the owner, a human that stupid. Too bad SHE couldn't suffer the consequences of her actions, instead of Charla:

http://tinyurl.com/yaaey2e