My Shit List

MBNA: I did a balance transfer with a 0% APR till January 2007. I haven't used the card for any purchases, just my transfer. Last month I received a statement in which I was charged 50 cents interest; this month 63 cents.

Remedy: I hate to quibble over such a small amount of money, but my patience is shot. I call and have the 50 cents credited. I just e-mailed them about the 63 cents. This card will be closed when it's paid off in January.

Verizon: A few months ago I paid my phone bill online. It cleared though my bank. When I checked my account balance Verizon's website, my payment didn't show up.

Remedy: After being on hold for over 20 minutes I was told my payment was credited, it just wasn't showing up online. I don't really have any options since Verizon is the only phone carrier here.

Panera Bread: I went to get a $15 gift card for a Christmas present. The girl accidentally rang it up as $50. The manager tried to do a refund. When I checked my credit card statement online it showed a $50 charge and a $15 charge. When I called and spoke to the general manager, she told me to come in and she would credit both charges. When I went to Panera after work on Friday (which was out of my way) I was told I had to bring my credit card statement.

Remedy: I went in on Saturday morning with my statement and waited about 20 minutes because I apparently I showed up at the exact moment everyone in York decided they needed over-priced hot chocolate and muffins. $65 was credited to my account, but it's too soon to show up on my online statement. Hopefully it went through ok. If it doesn't I'm going to curl up into the fetal position and cry. I'm happy with the way this was handled, but I probably won't go to Panera because I don't like it that much anyway.

Martha Stewart Everyday Food Magazine: I paid my subscription via check and it cleared. October comes around and I receive no magazine. I'm told that the magazine was returned undeliverable. They had my old address for some strange reason which makes absolutely no sense since I received a whole year's worth with no problem, I've lived at this address for almost 2 years, and I never received this magazine at the old address. October's magazine arrives. December's magazine arrives. Where the hell is November?!

Remedy: I e-mailed customer service requesting November's copy but I haven't heard back yet other than an automated response. I love this magazine but I'm not renewing it next year.

Real Simple magazine: I subscribed to this magazine last year but I decided not to resubscribe because at $30, it's a little pricey. I ignore all renewal requests. I check my credit card account online and, lo and behold, I'm charged around $30 for a new subscription.

Remedy: I called and had my money credited. Was on hold for vast amounts of time. Wasn't planning on renewing anyway, so not a huge deal.

Cingular Wireless/AT&T Wireless: Chris and I got new phones and signed up for a family plan which should have come out to the exact same monthly charge as our two individual plans, which were both in my name. I receive three bills from Cingular totaling around $100 for a $59.99 plan.

Remedy: I pay said bills because I'm not in the mood for fucking around. I call and am on hold for inordinate amounts of time. I'm told I need to call such and such number because two of the bills are actually from AT&T. I'm transferred to a defunct number. I go to the website and call that number, which is also defunct. I e-mailed customer service and was given an explanation as to why I was charged so damn much but it made no sense. I'm waiting to see if I get a credit this month.

Choice Discount Cigarettes: I have a coupon for a buy one, get one free Cash 5 lottery ticket. I go to the store to purchase said ticket. I idiotically do not check the ticket before leaving the store. I get home and realize that I was only given one line of numbers.

Remedy: Nothing. It was only a buck and I never win anyway.

M&T Bank: Eeeeeeeeeeeeeevil bank. A few years ago they lost my $100 deposit and, even though I had the goddamn receipt, took WEEKS to give me my money, which I only received after writing a nasty e-mail. This was after many phone calls and many trips to the branch where I made the deposit, which of course was an extremely inconvenient branch that I just happened to go to that one time. This is about something else though. I bought a gift card for someone for Christmas and I don't remember if I used my check card or one of my credit cards since the transaction isn't showing up anywhere yet. If I did use my check card, I overdrew my account by about $5 since I don't get paid till Wednesday. If this is the case, I'll admit that it's my own idiotic fault, but it's something that could normally easily be remedied by going online and transferring some money from my savings. Unfortunately I can't do that since their online banking isn't working and I can't do it by phone since I only receive online statements so I have no clue what my savings account numbers are. The numbers I have are from my old accounts from before Evil M&T took over. Of course there is nowhere on M&T's website to inform them that online banking isn't working.

Remedy: I think I was able to do the transfer. The website was working, albeit slowly as hell, for about 2 minutes, but then it sort of petered out. I'll be royally pissed if I'm charged $30 for overdrawing $5. It's my own fault if it happens even though I could have fixed it in 2 minutes if online banking were working properly. M&T sucks massive ass, but it's the only bank that has branches in York and Harrisburg, where I work. When I get a different job (hopefully in York this time) I will be switching banks with a quickness.

I think I'm going to drop out of society.