First up, we note the passing of
Eartha Kitt. Purr on, my second-favorite Catwoman.
---
Traveling
out of state, into the frigid cold, with a 13 year/170,000 mile old
car, I take precautions. Besides checking the tires and fluids,
and packing tools and warm clothes, I bring financial tools.
Because when the timing belt snaps in the not-so-blue hills of
Kentucky, I gotta get me and the dogs home somehow.
So, I did
what I could this month to have plenty of free credit on my
cards. The one with the highest limit still has a balance, but
the majority of it is still available. Or so I thought...
Yesterday
when I got online I did a quick check of my accounts (again, just to be
sure - becasue it's no fun getting denied at the gas pump in the middle
of a cold wind-swept sub-civilized plain in Ohio). Well, looky
here! Barclays Bank helpfully cut the limit on my "Juniper
Mastercard" almost in half, to the nearest $50 over the current
balance. I could get one tank of gas out of it, but that's all.
So
I wait until today (yesterday being Christmas) and call,
mid-afternoon. After a modest wait on hold, I get to talk to
"Elise". Yeah, I really didn't need to worry about the Holiday,
unless I'm mistaken and it's a big deal in Mumbai, too. Anyway, I
ask about the limit cut, mentioning that there was no notice.
Elise says there was a letter sent (probably along with the stack of
ads that come with every statement), and that the cut was to bring the
account more 'in line with your actual use'. WTF? I
had the thing full to the original limit just two months ago [did my
part to prop up the Euro, y'know].
I explain to Elise that I'm
traveling, as happens here this time of year, and need to get back
home. I was counting on their card to get me gas and food and
lodging for the trip! [Which is true, though I do have multiple
backups, including about a thousand bucks in cash ;-) ]. I kinda
figured that would be enough to escalate the case to the appropriate
person who could approve a limit increase.
"I'm sorry, the decision has already been made and there's nothing we can do to change it".
That's service for ya. Merry Christmas.
