Don't Think....We Have Computers For That

It seems that I am more dismayed on a daily basis with the insanity that surrounds us in the world. At this particular moment I am referring to arbitrary rules and regulations; those things that must be considered black or white, right or wrong with no consideration to situations and individuals.

I was reading the post of a fellow blogger and just got irritated. Why should Jeremy not get a promotion that he is qualified for and essentially have to train his own boss just because HR has decided that he can’t get another promotion for a few months? It’s just stupid.

What ever happened to a human being looking at a specific situation, determining what the facts are, exploring the options, weighing the pros and cons and then making an educated decision using deductive reasoning?

I’ll explain why this is so frustrating to me today. Unfortunately, I have been stewing about this since Friday….

I called my credit card company to check my balance and available credit. I didn’t have any concern to think anything would be amiss; I just have several large purchases coming up and wanted to put my mind at ease that everything was in order.

I was shocked when I heard the recorded message that my account was past due. Apparently, my husband had forgotten to make the payment. What’s worse is not only was my account past due…..it was turned off. No available credit. Nothing.

After going through the “press this button” maze I finally ended up with a human on the phone…..in India (but that’s another issue that I won’t tackle today).

Here are the facts:

I have had this account for 3 years.

I have never been late on a payment.

My available credit was $6000.00.

I had a balance of $54.00.

My payment that was due was $15.00.

The account was only 5 days past due.

I was on the phone attempting to rectify the situation and pay off the balance.

Here’s my problem:

Why wouldn’t a company let an account rep look at that situation and go….hey….this truly was a mistake. This person wants to give us money. Let’s take their money and set their account back up.

Nope.

Apparently there is a letter that goes out when your account is turned off. But no human person at the credit card company can tell you about this letter or the details of it. You must receive the letter, read what it says, and call them back.

So here’s the end of my conversation with the nice account rep in India:

Me: So after I read this letter I’m supposed to call you back?

Account Rep: Yes. At that time you can call us back to discuss the details of the letter.

Me: So then I can get my account set back up?

Account Rep: There is no guarantee of that. It depends on what is in the letter.

Me: And why can’t you tell me what is in the letter again?

Account Rep: We have no access to the letter or its contents.

Me: Is there someone, somewhere who wrote this letter? Can I speak to them?

Account Rep: No. There is no one who would have access to this letter or know what is in it.

Me: Um….then how was it written?

They had no answer for me. All I can deduce is that there is some giant credit card company computer making black and white decisions, never considering the gray, which spews out letters and makes our lives hell. I shall call it Hal.

Is it me or is the world just a little more absurd everyday?

Thanks Hal.