Crap

[Kermit]

I lost my wallet this morning. I'm not the kind of person who looses his wallet. In fact, in over 15 years of using one, I have never lost a wallet or had it stolen. Ever.

Due to circumstances beyond my control it is now long gone.

Luckily for me, I'm slightly anally retentive. I have a photocopy of everything of monetary or informational value in a lock-box. An hour of waiting on hold with various credit card companies this morning and I'm just a drivers licence away from being back on track. I am slightly surprised by how hard it is in some cases to report a credit card as lost or stolen. You'd think that's the kind of crap they would want to know about ASAP as I am not responsible for fraudulent charges. Oh well, it's their dime.

Now to tackle the great 3 headed beast of the Wisconsin Department of Motor Vehicles. I stopped by this morning to see what materials were needed to get a duplicate license and the line was out the door. Literally. There must have been over 100 people waiting in line. I'm pretty sure by the time I get the duplicate it will have expired, and I will be forced to wait in line again.

I don't have a blog so I'm sharing this here. Everyone make a photocopy of the contents of your purses and wallets. Get a duplicate ID if possible and leave both items in a safety deposit box or fire-proof lock box. DO NOT CARRY YOUR SS CARD WITH YOU or have the number on any insurance card. And if you don't see me posting here for a while... send a grilled cheese sandwich after me!

[Orion]

Grilled cheese sammich is en route.

[jackrabbit]

That sucks, man.

I remember years ago the powers that be wanted to get the technical department to help take "hotcarding" calls since the department that took them was being outsourced to a temp agency and couldn't manage the volume. It turned out that technical people don't have patience for drunks or abusive morons, but that's another story.

Anyhow, most people that called to report a card lost or stolen couldn't tell us if it was "lost" (they don't really know where it is, but may find it again, so the card is put on hold) or "stolen" (someone else has it, it needs to be shut down, and cannot be reactivated under any circumstance). They'd report it stolen, call back and say they'd found it and just filled a tank of gas or bought $80 of baby formula. *sigh*

I didn't expect people to know the number on their cards, but in most cases you do expect them to know the name on it, or -worst case- their own address. Usually these people were calling from a payphone, were frantic, and already upset... but if they could't provide any of the above three, there wasn't anything anyone short of Jesus Our Savior could do for them. Most people tended to swear a LOT at that stage.

I had people call and want to cancel their wives card cause she was out shopping and had spending problems. I had people want to cancel debit cards with the same number on them for only one of the cardholders. I had girlfriends "loan" their cards to their boyfriends and then want the charged $3000 returned. I had people ask for limit increases, activation, balances, or to speak with Leslie, the teller at the bank. I think most of them were thrown off by the line on the card that says "Call this number if this card is lost or stolen", but really... if the card is... how are they supposed to know the number anyhow? Keep in mind, we're not a bank. We were doing technical support for a handful of desktop applications at the time, none of us had financial experience, and few of use had the tolerance to deal with upset, irrational people. I can't blame them that they were irrational or upset. But taking it out on us wasn't getting anyone anywhere.

Holy derail. Sorry Kermit.

Anyhow, sound advice. Sorry about your lost wallet. Do we get the story as to how the wallet turned up lost?

[Circuit]

I am confused about "turned up lost".

[Medic]

It's a bit like "borrow me some money".

And so as not to throw this thread off course, Kermit, there is no worse feeling in the world than thinking (or discovering) you've lost your wallet. I keep my life in my wallet, and should most likely to the preventive maintenance as described above to keep my poop in a group in the event that I do lose it someday.

For about 24 hours last summer I thought I had lost my wallet. Turns out I had left it in the freezer.

[Kermit]

I checked the freezer and it's not there. Crap.

The story will not be told as it is:
#1. Not really that entertaining.
#2. Not relevant to the fact that the wallet is gone and never coming back... It's not like it got run through the wash, or misplaced. It was sitting on the back of a vehicle which is now very far away and the wallet fell off somewhere between there and here. It wasn't my fault, but blame is not the issue here. Getting my personal/financial/informational life back on track is.

I tried to be as patient as possible with the people answering the phones at all the locations I had to call (Thank God I only have 1 debit card, 1 credit card and a health savings account debit card) But one of them made me truly angry. As I was talking to the rep (after only 10 minutes of being on hold, this being my second call as they don't open the call center until 9:00 local) I asked him, "As long as I've got you on the line, can I get the current account balance?" I was informed that that could only be given to the primary account holder, my wife in this case who has a job that actually has insurance and access to a HSA. I was patient but firm. I informed him that Wisconsin is a marital property state and that the sooner the rest of the country caught on to that idea the better off we'd all be. Then reminded him that as soon as our local banks got their paperwork in order to start up Health Savings Accounts, I would be pulling my account and they would be losing their $3.00 monthly "gravy train" access fee from my family.

:paddle:
(gratuitous paddle)

[Paladin]

SCDMV is automated, at long last. I can simply go to their web site and order a replacement card. $12 later, charged to any major credit card, and the card arrives next business day (give or take) at the address on the license.

In Wisconsin, it looks like you have to do it in person. Cost is $6, and you need proof of identy, and to fill out one of these (http://www.dot.state.wi.us/drivers/forms/mv3001.pdf) forms.

[Shadowrat]

Tales of the wisconsin DMV

One time, i needed to reinstate my license. This was in the late 90's. I paid my fine and was shocked to discover that it would be weeks before the system in Madison was updated. How could it be in the computer system in milwaukee, but take a week to get in the system in madison?

The reason was due to some contract the state had with it's data entry personel. Apparently all the offices print out information like who has recently paid their fines, then mail it to madison where it is typed into the system there.

(where's that barfing smilie?)

Also, i'm pretty sure that the state employs people to crowd the dmv. Most dmv employees are paid to stand in line and occupy the fewer employees who work behind the counters.

[Budly]

Turned up lost is like woke up dead. duh.