01.26.12
Posted in Penny Circular at 6:23 PM by Myles
A day early, but read on.
Last night [Wednesday], I was curious to see of Monday’s service ticket had gone through the system.
It had, and the problem was made worse.
::Previously::
My original problem with the Bill Pay section of Bank of America’s online banking website was that two decommissioned credit card account numbers were still listed as if they were active accounts. This can’t be right; it’s confusing, annoying, and should be transparent to end users.
It’s also potentially dangerous. With two decommissioned credit cards listed in my online Bill Pay area, it would be possible for me to send money to a credit card that isn’t there – or, perhaps worse, to a credit card that had been re-issued to someone else located anywhere in the world. Twice. I’m sure there are safeguards against this, but how good could they be if these if one of them already failed – the automatic removal of the decommissioned numbers from my Bill Pay?
On Monday, I was successful in getting a service ticket issued to solve the problem.
::Now::
After most of the 72-hour window I was given for the service ticket to flow through the system, I log in to check results.
Instead of only 2 valid credit cards listed, or 2 valid plus 2 invalid credit card listed [total of 4], I found 5 credit cards listed – 2 valid, 2 invalid, and a duplicate of a valid. I hear Kafka juggling in a 3-ring circus tent.
This morning, I make my fourth phone call to BoA’s tech support. I’m transferred to the Special Services Department where I again explain my original problem along with the new twist. A corner of my mind takes an amused note of a “special services department” existing anywhere.
Today’s Human actually worked through the problem herself whilst on the line with me. No service tickets, no suggesting I use a Microsoft browser. I give her both of my valid credit card numbers, and after an understandable silence I offered the two invalid numbers to make sure we’re all on the same page about what is and isn’t supposed to be in my online Bill Pay. The lady politely declined as she whispered through her process. “…No, you’re fine…” “… ok, over there…”
Eventually, the words I wanted to hear: “Everything should be taken care of now.” Great!
We part hang up on good terms, and I return to a computer to verify.
All is well. The decommissioned credit card accounts are no longer there, and the duplicate valid account has joined them. Clean Up: Complete.
Be Seeing You.
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01.23.12
Posted in Penny Circular at 5:09 PM by Myles
Two of my credit cards are at BoA. Yea yea yea, leave me alone.
My oldest card there is in its third incarnation – most recently caused by the recent region-wide stolen credit card scandal at Lucky’s Grocery.
Now, in BoA’s online banking, there is a section called “Bill Pay”, for doing things like paying your credit card bills.
In my screen, I have four credit card accounts listed – my two active credit cards, and the two previous incarnations of my oldest credit card which have since been decommissioned.
In my desire to keep things simple and efficient, despite my own best efforts, this annoys me. I have to scan four four-digit numbers to see which account I have to be shelling out money for to pay it off. Twice a month. Yea, I could set up “automatic payments”, but I’d prefer to look at how much money is going in and out of where, when.
So I send an electronic message to BoA: “Is there any way I can, or I can have this, cleaned up?” They respond by saying to call their 800 tech support number [1 (800) 933-6262]. I do so.
Twice.
My first experience, the guy was fine. However, I’m not sure if he hung up on me or if my Elvin cheekbones hung up on him – my personal danger of holding a phone between ear and shoulder while typing with both hands. I did pick up some useful phrases to search for or use in a next phone call.
My second try, the girl was quite nice. A coworker of hers suggested I try using the IE browser, which I had considered but hadn’t gotten around to yet. I did try, and it didn’t work. We hung up on good terms.
I did some more searching, and found some more useful terms to either search further or use in a next phone call.
I also found out, interestingly enough, that BoA has a separate tech support phone number special and specific to California [1 (800) 792-0808]. This was not the number originally given to me for my first two telephonic attempts at resolution.
Oh, Joy. Money in the bank says some backwards-thinking progressive California law prevents me from cleaning up my own old credit card numbers from my own national bank. Flashback nightmares of Massachusetts preventing me from buying Progressive Auto Insurance for my entire life there were flashing before my eyes [Massachusetts has since seen the light and changed their ways].
So I call the special California-only tech support number. Robot Man asks me to enter my savings, checking or debit account number.
I don’t have one. I have two credit cards at BoA, and nothing else. I’m crazy, sometimes stupid, but not insane.
So I gymnastic through the call-tree options and find myself a Human to talk to. She seems nice and, bonus, competent. I explain my situation for the third time, but I think I’m on the right track now.
And I am. The woman tells me that the old numbers should be automatically removed each time I’m re-issued a new card number – for example, when greedy assholes install credit-number-stealing software on Lucky Grocery self checkout stations in the Silicon Valley region and then charge $2000 in Walmart purchases to one’s stolen card number.
However, this automatic removal didn’t happen for me. Twice. The woman actually expressed mild surprise as I told her and she discovered it.
We confirmed the two decommissioned numbers, and she filed a ticket to have things taken care of.
The right stuff should happen, like the HAL 9000 said, “within 72 hours”.
I’ll update on Friday about if I was able to open the pod bay doors.
Be Seeing You.
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01.15.12
Posted in Penny Circular at 6:58 PM by Myles
Have been making what feels like progress on a number of minor projects. Getting rid of books, loading up my Kindle, and various teck activities including exploring adventures in IP addresses.
Speaking of, I am slowly getting tired of hearing all this yawn about SOPA and its companion in the Senate. It’s neck and neck with Romney//GOP races.
I should call Sydney.
Be Seeing You.
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12.27.11
Posted in Penny Circular at 5:48 PM by Myles
I’ve seen a lot of flack about GoDaddy supporting SOPA.
Fortunately, when I switched away from Yahoo! in 2007 or so, I took a [UU] Church-member’s advice and went with DreamHost. I haven’t checked, but I hope they also do not support SOPA as I also do not. If they do, I am sure that the shake-up I would endure would be well-worth the trouble. Just like moving, such trouble ends up being worth it.
But it is trouble none-the-less. I shall keep an eye on the evolving situation and attend to it as necessary.
In other news: some kinda-new friends my wife has made have turned out to be people I also have ended up liking [so far, at least]. Yay.
Am getting tired of FF not displaying the text I write in my WorpPress installation. It is getting very annoying to correct mistakes, and reminds me of the olde woman who did not believe me when I hold her I could type in 4th grade. She demanded a test of me typing something with the monitor turned off and the keyboard covered, with a maximum of 3-5 errors total allowed, and when I proved myself I had to then prove my worth to the brand-new-to-me teacher I had due to my recent school-transfer that I was in fact not kicked out due to behavior problems but because I was too smart for the class. Frak you, but you were doing your job. This WordPress crap, Double-Frak you.
But I still live.
Be Seeing You.
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12.25.11
Posted in Telling Stories, The Strange at 9:59 PM by Myles
I wished my musician-self a a good Christmas. Google me if you’re not sure what I’m talking about. It’s enjoyable.
Be Seeing You.
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Posted in Penny Circular at 7:57 AM by Myles
It’s Christmas 
Be Seeing You.
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12.23.11
Posted in Penny Circular at 7:15 PM by Myles
I don’t support SOPA.
I do want to stop a particular person from reading my blog.
Guess what: this is not contradictory. It’s Thoreau [that bit about being large and multitudes, right?].
Be Seeing You.
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