Mean People Suck

Yes, I’m blogging. It’s because I feel the need tonight.

In short, Ann logged into our online banking account tonight and found a charge to the tune of $221.25 at Office Depot.

First of all, I can’t tell you the last time we went to Office Depot for anything. It’s rare when we have to go there and when we do, we don’t drop over $2oo because we can. It just doesn’t happen, let alone in Tennessee. I’m in California. (The bank transaction included the store’s number which I then looked up online, hence the Tennessee connection.)

On top of all that, I can tell you that I’ve never been to Tennessee let alone an Office Depot in Tennessee. I can’t even think of a situation in this lifetime or any other where that scenario would make any sense.

So after numerous calls to our financial institution, Visa (to report a stolen credit card) and the Office Depot in Tennessee, here’s what I learned:

• Ann’s card was the one that was compromised which is why Visa couldn’t find the transaction. But once I gave them her card number, the person at the other end gave a more-than-nervous chuckle when the charges appeared on her monitor.
• The charges were in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles and Madison, Tennessee (store #58).
• Retailers included JoAnn, FedEx, Rite-Aid and the aforementioned Office Depot.
• Charges exceeded $1,000 but all but one of them were blocked because of the activity on the card.
• The Office Depot charge may go through and then can be disputed. But when speaking with the manager, she said they can cancel the transaction once they find it and then everything will be back in place.

With all of that out of the way, I have a few things to say to some of those involved in this crime ring, both victims and criminals.

To the criminals: Fuck you. Honestly, fuck you fuck you fuck you fuck you to Hell and back and then fuck you again – twice and without lubricant. This is not the first time this has happened to me so I’m doubly pissed about this. It must be nice to sit there at home and with your dirty little criminal mind, figure out how to steal the identities of hard-working and honest people just trying to make ends meet. I wish nothing but the worst for you bastards who find it okay to steal from others. Karma, fate, whatever you call it. I want shit to turn on you so bad that you won’t know what hit you, you fucking assholes. Oh, and guess what? If you were a dumbass enough to use an Office Depot Worklife Rewards card when you bought your stuff, the transaction will be tied to that account which contains all of your personal information for authorities. Wouldn’t that be a goddamned hoot, ya little shit?

To the retailers: While I’m pleased as punch that only one transaction of many went through, WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO CHECKING FOR AN ID for large transactions? Seriously, each charge was well over $200! Holy fucking shit, I can’t even buy a fucking Carl’s Jr. hamburger without being asked for my driver’s license. How’s about a little added safety for the consumer? Am I asking for too much here? You could have captured a criminal who is now free to roam the streets and defraud others.

To my financial institution: I can’t believe what a pain in the ass it was to get the ball rolling on this. I moved from a big bank to a credit union in the hopes of having things run a lot smoother and get that so-called “attention” that I never got from BofA. Well, I didn’t. Each call was a royal pain and led to dead ends until the final call. And every time I call for something you make me jump through hoops of fire and because of that, it’s not likely we’ll stay with you very much longer. At this point it seems that keeping our money under the proverbial mattress might be a better idea.

We spent at least an hour on the phone speaking with Office Depot managers, the credit union, Visa, etc. While I’m glad that most of the situation has been remedied, I’m still pissed at the thought of having a criminal asshole out there with a copy of Ann’s debit card even if it has been cancelled. All they have to do is look up someone else and make a card with their info on it.

And in the end, it’s us honest people who pay for the actions of the criminals in the form of personal time invested trying to get things sorted out and price increases due to shrinkage (retail lingo for stolen merchandise).

Mean people suck.