Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Need Assistance on checkout lane #5...

I was unloading my cart at Wally World, ready for the cashier to scan my two boxes of light bulbs, case of waters, six pack of toilet paper and my jug of milk, not thinking of anything in particular... it was just another day. Only, when I went to pay, the machine refused my debit card. I didn't panic, for I had had trouble at this store before with this card swiping and I knew beyond a shadow of doubt there was money in the bank...

I swiped the card again.

Refused.

I said "try it as a credit card."

Refused.

I asked the lady if she would wait just a minute for me to go to the ATM around the corner.

The ATM refused my card.

"SAY WHAT???!!!"

I paid with a credit card, totally embarrassed and left quickly. I was on my lunch break, so I didn't have much time. I hurried home, pulled up my account online and discovered I HAD THE MONEY!!! Makes me want to go back to Wally World and yell at the top of my voice; "I HAD THE MONEY, People! IT IS NOT MY FAULT!" Don't you hate the looks people give when something goes wrong at checkout?

I called the bank.

Someone stole my debit card number.

Someone tried to charge 20.00 to my debit card, but the bank caught it (how I don't know!!!) and put a hold on the card. (Thanks for letting me know, friends at the bank.)

So, I am debit card free for a while. I didn't realize until today how much I depend on one little card. Scary. (There is probably a lesson in all of this, isn't there, Lord?)

I am thankful the bank caught it before they withdrew my thousands... (HA! HA!) Actually, when the frustration over not having a debit card subsided and my anger at the big mean person who did this to me (Why me?) wilted away, I did have to thank the Lord for looking out for me. It could have been much worse.

The bank says it has been a problem lately, not just with my bank or my little town. So dear friends, the next time your card doesn't go through and the old man in line grumbles behind you, you might want to check with your bank. The "BIG MEANY" might have struck the card in your wallet. I am told it can really happen to anyone, these days, no matter how cautious you are.

Alright, You Big Meany, whoever you are, I am going to say a pray for you tonight... Wouldn't want you to lose any sleep over all of this. But really, I would have handed you the twenty if you had just asked.

8 comments:

Kristin said...

That is awesome that they caught it so soon, but I would have been aggravated too if that happened to me.....I rely on mine for everything too and I don't have a credit card, so I would have really been upset! Ha!

Angela said...

Since our store (yes, Walmart,lol) got the debit chip in now (instead of swiping) we have had quite some trouble with it. Most trouble is the ones that have forgotten their pin numbers, which than means if they don't have a credit card, AND if they don't know that pin card, well they are stuck with leaving the purchase behind. Talk about over a 200 dollar order, talk about throwing food away...sigh. I always tell the customers when they are growing through something similar to you..'your not the first one that has gone through this, everyone has from time to time. Don't worry about it.' Thank God for His faithfulness in protecting you.."Your faithfulness is our shield and protection."Psalm 91~

Sharon Sloan said...

This happened to us too! They stole it from a compromised machine at a national craft store. The theives accessed all of our accounts and left us with $1.16!!! By God's grace and the diligence of our bank's staff,the monies were restored 2 days later.

I was "rejected" at the grocery store and the check out woman was VERY LOUD about it!! Embarassing!!!

Kellie said...

Wow!! Glad you were able to find out what happened.

Bridget said...

So glad the bank caught it!!

Stacie, A Firefighter's Wife said...

Wow, praise God they caught it! Humiliating, though. It totally get that!

jules said...

Thank goodness your bank found that but it sure would have been nice if they told you about it. I use my debit card for EVERYTHING and would be totally lost without it.

Anonymous said...

Someone used my husband's business card to load up $75K on NBA boxes one year. Luckily, the bank always calls to check on stuff like that. They also call to check if he's using it in another country and they don't know he's there. Yeah for Banks!!!! Boo! for thieves!

Glad you were O.K.