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michaelalreadytaken

Technology Improves Our Lives---

Hello,

Technology has had quite an impact on my life this week:

1) I arrived at work a couple of days ago to find that ten highly potent narcotics were missing under my login into the great big automated dispenser that keeps track of these things. There just isn't more of a sinking feeling of despair. Of course, these findings always occur at the beginning of a shift so the black cloud can follow you around as you try to concentrate on the patients. Then, there are no secrets in a workplace. Everyone's attitude was remote and I was entertaining visions of polygraphs, and drug screens, and wondering what the State Board would have to say on the matter--all in silence--as I went about my work.

I finally took it upon myself to call the pharmacist and have them come inventory the entire machine and, sure enough, they found them in another bin--which is extremely aggravating considering that only one bin at a time opens and closes. How did it get there? Who put it there? All unanswered. Apparently, the machine just "ate" the blisterpack somehow and spit it into a different drawer. Yeah, uh huh, sure.

2) I check my bank balance, online, most days. It's part of the check email ritual. I have HUGE charges appearing on my card today from all over the country. I called the bank (big, huge, national bank) and their response couldn't have been less reassuring (in direct opposition to their multi-million dollar ad campaigns designed to convey the opposite impression.) We'll have to wait and see if they're really yours--in the meanwhile you need to call all the merchants involved......

OK.

I did call the merchants involved. The biggest one told me that the orders (for jewelry being shipped to Oklahoma) had already been flagged as fraud. One order had already been shipped though but they said since it was still in UPS possession they could "kill" it.

OK. We'll see how that goes.

True story: When I was a kid, the manager of a local variety store in Lake Charles made his customary night deposit at the bank. The bank said they never received it. The man's life was ruined, absolutely ruined. I still remember reading about it in the paper and my parents talking about it.

Years pass. The bank closes the location. The building is torn down. Oh yeah--you guessed it. The deposit is found in the night deposit drop, somehow wedged into the mechanism.

Can you imagine? Can you imagine??????

Anyway, I messed up and bought instant pudding instead of the real thing for the banana pudding I'm making as a retreat from the world.

So, I'm going to venture out again--in my GPS enabled vehicle--past the clearly spirit-possessed automated California traffic lights--to the automated self checkout at Albertson's--

But first, I'm going to go pray online. Surely, there's a site somewhere. ;)

MichaelAT

Comments (9)

  • beerhog
    17 years ago

    I feel for you as I work in a factory in hickville. I have very long hair so I get the drug screenings everytime we have one. I think this is on purpose to keep bodies there. If they sent someone to drug screening and they failed then they would lose a body. I have asked the man that travels to the restroom with me about it and accused him of just wanting to see what I had and since have not had to go again.

  • michaelalreadytaken
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    I understand completely.

    It's a shame that "random" testing is too often done on the basis of outward appearances rather than behavior patterns but people do love their stereotypes--saves them from the dangerous business of having to think. LOL.

    Well, all the charges have disappeared--thank God.

    I thought it was interesting that the customer rep I spoke with at the jewelry store--in Pennsylvania--was able, through experience, to piece together my whole story before I told it to her.

    She asked me if I'd been to Oklahoma lately and if I'd stayed at a hotel. I told her "yes," about six months ago.

    She told me she couldn't share any specific details from her end but that virtually all of their fraudulent transactions arise from information gathered during registration at hotels.

    From that I surmised that registration at the front desk, along with the mandatory presentation of ID and home address creates the critical mass of information necessary to make the scams work. How one is supposed to avoid that risk is something I just don't know.

    MichaelAT

  • pagan
    17 years ago

    maybe we could give false info at hotels?? That is a rotten start to your day, MAT - glad it got better.

  • carla17
    17 years ago

    I'm sorry Miikul. I hope you get that bank straightened out. Today I'm taking a break from the world and doctors. Sometimes we can get stretched to our limits by other people's human mistakes.

    Carla

  • meredith_e Z7b, Piedmont of NC, 1000' elevation
    17 years ago

    Scary, scary, MAT and utterly believable to me.

    I had a bizarre 9 months or so wherein my mail was not coming to me after I moved, the post office could not say why, and my accounts were changed to another address that the companies couldn't give me! I was able to put a 'possible' fraud alert on all but Amex, which I didn't pay so that the card would be useless.

    In the end, a banker who knew me gave me the address, I physically DROVE out there, walked up to the lady's house and asked her what the h*ll was going on.

    She had a cousin with my name, whom she hated and was owed money by. She thought the mail was hers.

    The post office found later that the woman had lived at my apartment complex, and she had checked 'family' when she moved on her change of address form. The post office then uses last name, street name and last 3 or 4 digits of the street number. Ours matched, so she got my mail!

    I was never able to prove that she did anything to my accounts because the comapanies don't keep the things that need signatures! Or they charge $20 an hour to look through records. Hopefully that's changed due to computer databases being more popular nowadays but who knows?

    The planets align against us sometimes, is what I think ;] There's a hauled-to-jail story over a $7.50 check from 10 years previous that has a technological/human glitch, too, that is fun to tell at family reunions.

    Always expect the unexpected, lol.

  • moodyblue
    17 years ago

    Dear Michael,
    Your first chapter. What a nerve-racking time that must have been for you, so sorry this happened but thank God it got sorted out and any doubts by the rest of the staff where soon halted. What a relief!
    #2 What another terrible shock (most people's worst nightmare) and a hastle that was, Let's hope all is nipped in the bud. But the banks should stand by what they offer and the credit card companies do for sure I believe, so hopefully you will not be out of pocket in the end. But still a huge pain. Just seen your later post on how it was linked to a hotel you stayed at. Even credit card info is not safe there, and you would think that it would be! harrumph!!

    That was a terribl sad story about the guy who deposit his days cash into the night deposit. Oh, how cruel that was. People like that should be well compensated for the rest of their life.

    ............and if you need to pray, stay away from computers or machines - that's if you want to get the message accross! tee-hee! ........and you will, because you need all "good things from now on"
    Big Hug Michael and have a GREAT day today!
    Pauline - VI

  • michaelalreadytaken
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    ha ha

    The jokes on me.

    I just checked again and all the charges are back--plus a few more.

    Just have to laugh.

    This is going to be fun--

    (I really am laughing, in all sincerity what other course is there?)


    MichaelAT

  • moodyblue
    17 years ago

    I don't get it, this is definitely not your fault and the recourse is with the bank or credit card company, surely.

    I am sure it will get sorted, Good luck again!
    P

  • meredith_e Z7b, Piedmont of NC, 1000' elevation
    17 years ago

    Gallows humor ;]

    Although, clearly there are worse nightmares. I like to think the universe throws these curveballs in little dribbles, thereby staving off one massive curveball that would be a nightmare.

    There, you're not gonna be hit by a bus tomorrow. Smile and sleep soundly ;]