My head is going to fucking explode!
 

The boys were both gone tonight, and I wanted to do something fun. Instead, I made me be good, and I mowed, weed eated, etc. After that, I still wanted to go have cocktails. But no, I told myself that it would be much better for me to go to Walmart, and get the shopping done for the next couple of weeks. Duely chastised, I did what the conscientious me said that I should.

I drive over to the next town, and fill up my car at the Walmart gas station. On this trip I plan to do what I always do, which is charge the shit and then pay it off at the end of the month. Use my Visa to pay for the gas. No problem.

I needed salt for my water softener, and if I wait until the end and tell the cashier, I always forget. So I go to Walmart, go in and pay for 5 bags of machine salt with my Visa, and get some Walmart boy to load it in my car for me. Then I re-park my car, and go back in to shop for groceries and other essentials.

An hour and 40 minutes later, I push my maxed-out shopping cart up to the cashier. She does her thing, and tells me $322. I swipe my card, and get ready to sign the monitor. She tells me it is declined. I'm figuring that I have swiped it backwards, so I do it again. Declined. She does it. Declined. Of course, I have a line of people behind me, as it is now midnight, and there aren't many cashiers. So I get out my debit card, and use it instead.

I push 2 shopping carts out into the rain, as the shit never fits into one, load my car, and drive back home, wondering why the hell the visa wouldn't go through. I knew that I had less than an 1/8th of my limit used. So I come home, and call them. I wait on hold while I unload the car, and put everything up. 47 minutes into being on hold, they cut me off. Then I got pissed. I called back, and waited 110 minutes before they got me off hold. Mind you, this was 2:30 a.m., and I find it hard to fuckin' believe they were "experiencing high call volume", but that is an aside.

I got a nice lady that spoke English, thank GOD. Of course, the system was updating, and at first, she said she wouldn't be able to tell me what happened. After I told her my pitiful story, she put me on hold, and went in through some back end. Turns out that the fraud stuff kicked in because I had already made a purchase at Walmart that night (the machine salt)

Motherfuckme. I did not know I needed to give them a freakin' intinerary of my shopping plans. I get the fraud thing, I really do, but if I would not have had my debit card with me, things would have gotten real ugly.

Moral of the story, and cliff notes...

When you want to go have cocktails and your conscientious side tries to tell you to be good and do errands instead, smack your conscientious self upside the fuckin' head and go have a damned margarita instead.

Would have been a lot less fuckin' stressful.

I would say dont use credit cards and you will never have this problem again.

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dave ramsey his plan works.

If you hadnt had your debit card that would of been 10 shades of embarrassing with that load of groceries... :Oh crap Glad that didnt happen at least. :thumbsup

Actually, I'm a Dave disciple, except that I am content using Visa's money for a month for free, and he doesn't agree with that.

I was content with it until Visa wouldn't let me, that is. :winkwink:

My advice would be to call me next time, and I will come get shit faced with you instead...

I had the same thing happen to me in Vegas a few years ago, when I had used my American Express card a bunch. I was at the Hard Rock gift shop, and my card said to call center. No big deal, but there was a LONG line behind me. AmEx just wanted to make sure I was in possession of my card, as I was burning it up 1000 miles from home, but it was still embarrassing as fuck...

We've had it happen in Japan 1 time, and 1 time after we got back from Japan.. lol

thats why I don´t have a credit card!!

That would be a long haul for a cocktail, but it's an open invite. :thumbsup