Here's a good one! I logged into my credit card account tonight and, presto chango, the entire site had changed and would not accept my user name and password. Indeed, in the name of security, after three attempts to log in, it locked me out of my own account.
What happened? Chase must have bought FirstUSA, which was managing my credit card (and which had previously bought First Chicago). And some jerk (probably some arrogant IT jerk) decided to make my credit card access like their credit card access. So tonight my web browser didn't recognize the URL they switched me to -- without any warning whatsoever. And, having switched me to a new URL, they no longer accept my user name and password, forcing me to call the customer service line.
Of course, I got a very nice person who told me that she was sorry but I had to talk to an "Internet specialist" and that the wait time for this specialist was seven minutes. I got somewhat upset that I could no longer access my own account information. She said that she was sorry but she couldn't work magic and that she could either give me the direct phone number to call later or transfer me onto hold for seven minutes.
Now I'm on hold and the hold system told me that the wait time is more than 10 minutes. And, every few minutes, a very friendly message comes on to tell me that, for MY convenience, I can use the web site or call back and use the automated response system. Hold on a minute, someone answered....
There: I finally got to talk to the "internet specialist". Chase did a web-site merger, and obviously a lot of people were having a problem with the change, which is why the hold time (at 8:45pm PST!) was so long. I had to come up with a new password. The new password had to be more than seven characters, had to have at least one letter or number but couldn't use any special characters. It also couldn't be the same password as the last five passwords I had used on the same account. In essence: I have to come up with an entirely new password, one that doesn't look or sound anything like the five or six passwords that I'm already trying to remember that also can't be the same as this one. I got upset again and it's really hard to come up with a new password when you're pissed off at the customer service agent who's doing their darndest not to get pissed off back at you. So I came up with a brand-new password and wrote it down, which is exactly the worst thing to do with a new password. But it's the only way I'm going to be able to remember it!
You know what? I don't care how many miles I get from United Airlines for this credit card. It's not worth dealing with these arrogant, insensitive people. I will be getting a new credit card as soon as I can fit that into everything else I'm trying to do every day. And it certainly won't be a credit card managed by Chase!
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