Just when you think...

Ok.. I know I shouldn't count on the stimulus check from the government... but I am looking forward to it... was looking forward to it... still am, but not for the reasons I was looking forward to it... confused yet?

$600 from the government would be a very welcomed thing...I was hoping to put it towards an entertainment center I want... and some other things at the new place.. BUT instead... the money, when I get it... will go to a Chevy dealer...

Last night I finally went to schedule the repairs that needed to be done on my truck form when the woman dented it a couple weeks back. On my way to work yesterday my truck dinged at me and a message came up saying I needed to tighten the fuel cap... huh? I kind of ignored that... in a 'let it stew in the back of my mind that it is indicative of a larger issue' way... so.. after work I headed to the garage where my truck will be fixed... and got an appointment to get it worked on next week, Monday. I mentioned the fuel cap thing to the repair guy and he didn't think it was related to the accident and asked if the check engine light had been on... nope.... so no big deal... right? WRONG... I drove out of there and the check engine light came on. Damn! So today I called my regular garage and got them to look at it... some oxygen thing that has to do with emissions...it won't cause me to break down, but it will mean my truck fails inspection... which is conveniently due this month. Rock .... me..... hardplace... so I have to get it done. It will be pricey... the diagnostics, plus the parts, plus labor, plus inspection... will cost me over $500... Money... So... back to the repair on Monday... the garage will need my truck for 4 days to repair it... The rental car place, being paid for by the other lady's insurance co., yay, can pick me up at the garage at 8:15 or so and I could be on my way by 8:45 or so... ummm.. I need to be at work by 7:30.. could probably get my bosses to give me a little extra time.. but they have been so good to me I don't want to have to do that... so... my other option is to get the car tomorrow and pay $15 out of my pocket for some cleverly titled program they have going for the weekend... So I said yes... I need a big vehicle, large car, a truck, or an SUV... well... the insurance company has only approved a midsized car... umm... NOPE... 6'6 barely rides in a midsized car let alone drives it... so I called my insurance agency... for about 8 minutes they kept telling me how happy they are that I am a customer and how important my call is to them and how they will get to me as soon as possible.... I hung up... and called my local agent and told them to deal with it. They did. I get a bigger vehicle... tomorrow... when I drop off my truck to get fixed... Money.

Last night... I stopped at an ATM to get a little cash, $20 , for a reason I may share in another post... or may not share..... I slid my card in and out as it directed me to do.. entered my pin number, punched in that I wanted $20 withdrawn... and I got a receipt saying I withdrew $20... the ATM did not give me any cash. UGH! Calm down, I told myself...there has to be a number to call... nope.. no contact information anywhere on the machine. Today I tried to contact that particular bank, that I went to because I knew I would not have to pay a fee...and it was ridiculous. They are not listed in a phone book... online their contact information consists only of email addresses... so I called information. They gave me a number... I called... a woman at a call center in northern Maine answered. I asked for the direct number to the branch that stole my money... they don't do that. What? They don't do phone calls. I was advised to go to my bank and take it up with them... which would require completing a form and waiting up to 30 days to see if my claim was valid. So I decided to go to the bank in person... surely face to face would work... Stupid optimist.
The manager informed me that I needed to go to my bank.
But it's not my banks error.
The ATM is broken but we are not responsible for it.
so... you know the ATM machine is broken and you can't give me my money?
Well... it MAY be broken... we have had a few complaints today... but it is not our ATM.
But your banks logo is the ONLY writing on the ATM. There is no contact info, nothing.Nothing that says your bank is not responsible for that ATM.
I can't help you.

30 days... what if I had tried to wthdraw more than that? what if I had needed that money for a bill? to have to wait 30 days? in this economy? People can't afford to do that...

GRRRRRRR... For those of you who know me, this will not come as a surprise. I sent a tangential email to the president of the bank, whose email address I did locate on their website. I ranted and raved and accused the bank of "passing the buck" when it came to dealing with this issue. (Yes I patted myself on the back for coming up with that one!) At the conclusion of the email I put the Maine area code in parenthesis, as if I was going to leave my number, but then added... something like, oh yeah, it would be foolish for me to give a phone number to a company without phones... I also told him that I felt I was owed some kind of "transaction fee" for all this because they charge transaction fees and other fees for everything... I should get reimbursed for gas that I had to use to get to that phoneless bank...(apparently the phone in the manager's office was just a prop.)

Rental Car fee for the weekend... $15... ATM fiasco.$20 + 30 days... Truck repair.. too much... gas... arm, leg, & first born... How do we get ahead?