Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Chicken and Egg

Funny story happened to me the other night.

I told you we've moving house, right? So we're trying to get everything set up: the cable, the refrigerator delivery, the plumber to run the gas line for the gas stove (because yes I AM that impatient to wait for the electric stove to warm up), and the list goes on.

So there had been a Best Buy flier we'd seen, about a special on cable internet access. We go in, because I'm a sucker for specials. I order it. We're going along great until we hit the local phone number question.

Problem one: we don't have a local phone number yet at the house, because we want to do VoIP phone service--which requires an internet connection. Chicken.

So the Geek Squad guy (their name, not mine) behind the counter overrides it and we eventually get to the credit card payment part. I hand him the plastic, dreaming of my "blazing fast" connection.

Problem two: the billing address to my credit card doesn't match up to the service address where the cable is meant to be installed. Right, because we haven't moved in yet. Egg.

And then when I called to activate my account, once I was home, customer service had no record of my Best Buy interaction taking place!

Luckily, it is not nearly so hard to issue a library card. Or is it? Are there tales out there of distributed systems, when you had to send the would-be new cardholder on a mission to get 2 forms of ID and a letter from their neighbor down to the main library--because your branch couldn't process a special circumstance?

It couldn't be much more comical than my experience the other night!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I do have an incident like that to report also. Although it isn't quite as extreme as yours, but just as confounding. My mother-in-law wanted to purchase an item at Kohl's and wanted to write a check for it. She's not the credit card-type of person. Because she chose to use a check, she was asked for TWO picture id's. How many of us have two forms of picture ID with us? After digging in her purse for what seemed like forever when the whole checkout line is staring at you, my husband finally used his card to pay for the goods. Ugly!! Susie @Denver Public Library

Anonymous said...

Actually it IS that hard (sometimes) to get a library card.

After recently relocating to a different state (where I grew up), I tried to get a local public library card, but found that I needed a new drivers license and proof of address.

Then I faced the nightmare of getting a new driver's license in these days of Homeland Security, taking two visits to the DMV, my old drivers' license, passport, proof of address, PLUS my marriage certificate (since I was still in the system under my maiden name 25 years after leaving the state).

Finally, shiny new drivers lic. in hand, I get to the library , and they had just closed for the day.... ARGGH

lislemck said...

I now considered myself incredibly blessed. My boyfriend, a librarian, issued me my new library card before I'd even moved here, as a welcoming gift. No proof of address, or anything like it...he also reserved the new Sue Monk Kidd for me!

I just did the DMV dance to get a CA license. I was born in Saudi Arabia. My birth certifcate was issued by the State Department as a "Certificate of Live Birth Abroad to American Parents". Four supervisors at the CA DMV had to examine it and my PA license closely . I didn't think they would ever stop on the supervisory chain. I wondered if they would call the State Department. But they finally accepted me, took my photo, and then I took the test and passed. They invalidated my PA license, and gave me a slip of paper as a "temporary ID". I wonder if any library assistant would accept it?

Meanwhile, I passed the background check required by my soon-to-be-employer. I want something in writing, with photo!