FirstUsa Chase UnitedMileage Creditcards: Sith Happens.

There is a fine line between security and annoyance when it comes to credit cards.

Episode VIII: The House move: I know I moved from Philadelphia to Redmond and now am moving to Bellevue to my new Condo (yay - I am a homeowner now) ... which incurs different costs on my credit cards viz. Home inspection, furniture buys etc etc.

But herez what FirstUSA Chase Credit cards have to do to me....

Ofcourse I am assuming as intelligent adults who are in the cutting edge of technology we have logically come to the conclusion that we will be asked to our card number by the system and And after you do and have stated the passwords - u will asked for the same thing again by a rep who picks the fone call. No - You'd think they havent yet figured out the concept of Keyword query on their database - but thats not true. It is just Sith way. Ask the same thing again and again - till the force is drained from the customer.

Its thursday. This time - its not about just that - my credit card has been frozen and sent to the "fraud detection" gang. Who ask you the other set of "identifier" question - which could be series of Whoz-who qns "Whoz yr momma?" "Whoz your Daddy?" etc etc. So they identified that my address has been changed recently and these homeinspection and furniture buys were abnormal based on past activities and it flagged up. Excellent - thats security I like. Hey I have seen the identity-theft commercials with the 30yrold beerbelly dude talking like a fashiondiva - so this is cool.

Its friday. This time I am at Safeway buying Milk and My credit card is frozen again. Hullo... Its milk. Its $1.75 with my safeway card and $1.90 without - Wat can be fraudulent abt that? Same shennanigan of Whoz da daddy qns and they give me the same set of reasons on why it was frozen and that it is all cleared. I can see the Dark Side getting to me. "Fear leads to Anger. Anger leads to Hate....."

Sunday evening. Taco Time at Redmond. Frozen Credit card again. Dammit - whats the point of all this? Another fone call and the same set of qns again.... Learn Ppl.... Remember.... At this point.... "Anger led to Hate... and Hate led to suffering." .... I told in not so many words that this was strike 3 and After this - I am out of Chase cards.

Monday afternoon - same problem. I called them and said i am out. I think their customer service sux and that I refuse to join the Dark Side. But the Dark Side offered me 2000 Mileage points if I chose to stay. and Stay I did.

And FINALLY - its all working (Or atleast as of now)..... the internet account checking comes along in 2 days.... Which i dont understand. What is the point in giving credit card access and locking internet access for 2 days??? Thats one policy that makes absolutely no sense (among the others)

To FirstUSA Chase Creditcards: "....Customers we must earn and respect.... For granted, them we must not take...."

Oh yeah.... There is another thing they should learn .... "Listen to the voice of the customer"..... Keyword being LISTEN.