So, last week I got an email from Paypal that they felt there was an unauthorized transaction on my account and I needed to establish my identity. No big deal, so I went dirctly to their site and begn answering all the questions they were throwing at me. At one point there was a pop up that stated that I had been randomly chosen for this additional level of security. Cool. I finished answering their questions and got back to work.
The next day, Wednesday, was payday. I logged into my bank to check my account balance. -$900! WHAT THE @@#$^$@%@#$%@!!! I go digging and find at $1200+ transaction from paypay AND a $37 currency conversion fee, not to mention the overdraft fees to go with both. I called my bank. They refunded the overdraft fees and told me to call paypal. "I am going to call them next. I called you first. I have every intention of calling them" I said.
I called PayPal and got a really nice guy who helped me file a claim to dispute the charges. He also offered to send me, for free, a $5 chip that would provide an additional level of security for my account, and told me I would get my money back in 24-48 hours. WOW, that's fast! I spent the next 2 days checking my account for the money, and being BROKE!
On Friday, my OTHER payday, I checked my account. Sure enough, now BOTH of my paychecks had been sucked up into my negative balance, and I had not been refunded yet. Just to add to the fun, I have a payment due on a speeding ticket and my car insurance are BOTH due TODAY. I called PayPal and got the most UNSYMPATHETIC person I have EVER spoken to. I mean this girl could not have cared less what I was going through or how badly I needed my money. She didn't even care that a warrant would be issued for my arrest if I didn't pay the ticket. NOTHING I said made this girl soften. AND she informed me that the first, very nice guy, was wrong. I would not get my money back in 24-48 hours, it was going to take 30 days. WHAT?! I told her there was NO WAY I could wait 30 days to get this money back. Her attitude was basically, "too bad, so sad." She could not have cared less if she tried, and had no problem letting is show. I was so upset at this point I just had to get off the phone.
I called my bank back to see if there were any options. I got a VERY nice and helpful girl who sent me the papers I needed to sign and fax back to get the dispute process started. She also WALKED the papers to the dispute area so that I could get my money back THAT DAY. This girl seriously ROCKED. She did suggest that I change my account number. There was no way to know exactly how much info these people got from my Paypal account, and that would be the safest thing to do. I drove 30 minutes on my lunch break to the one and only branch of my UT credit union located in Arizona. I then filled out all the paperwork and they converted all my account information to a new number. What a pain in the ass.
I returned to work and kept checking to see if I had my money back. It finally showed up around 1:30. I immediately got on the court website to make the payment for my ticket. My debit card declined. WHAT NOW?! I was told the account number change wouldn't happen until Monday. I called the very nice girl in UT to see what was going on. My debit card had been added to the list for possible fraud, and would not work. Okay, so let me get this straight. I just got a positive balance in my checking account but I STILL can't access my money? Yep. GRRRREEEEAAAAT. I start calling EVERYONE I know to see if they will let me put $20 on a credit card to I can pay my stupid ticket. I called on the car insurance and learned a have a few days grace period. GOOD! One thing is going my way.
Oh yeah, when you change your account number you have to change ALL direct deposit information and auto withdrawal info. As if the rest of this hasn't been a big enough pain. Rent is due on the 1st. The direct deposit paycheck from the M-F job is deposited on the 1st. They have already cancelled the direct deposit, and are going to mail the check, but it won't arrive until Saturday or even Monday. That is no good. I call them and they make arrangements to have my check overnighted to their office (don't ask me why it couldn't be sent to me. All I can figure is that it would have made my life easier, and that isn't possible when you are on the fun bus.
Okay, everything is coming together but I still haven't paid my ticket. I am so desperate, I have even called my dad's girlfriend to see if she will give me a cc #. She's great and all, but we just don't have that kind of relationship. She is in a car and can't hear me, and her purse is in the trunk where she can't get to it. I FINALLY remembered that I still have my mom's credit card written down from something else she helped me pay for. I can't get ahold of her either, but I'm going to take a chance that she will be okay with me putting $20 more on the card.
ALL of this happened between Wednesday and Friday. I will post more later on the happenings of this week. This is my life, of COURSE the story isn't over! ;)
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