Since things have been going so well with the BoA bank accounts in Chicago, it occurred to me that I should, perhaps, get some cash from the local TBK bank for my upcoming Chicago birthday trip.

I cruised through the ATM lane to ask for some cash. The screen remained very blank.  I realized I had not really counted up to see how much cash I might need for my planned Birthday Extravaganza.  I opened my wallet and counted my cash and realized—to my surprise— I still have two $100 bills left over from a  whirlwind April trip to Reno to watch  granddaughter Elise play volleyball. Time between games was spent in the casino.

I don’t know about you, but a $100 bill, for me, is about as useful as an umbrella on a sunny day.

It was clear that I was going to have to go into the bank: (1) find out why my debit card did not work in the ATM  (2) to get smaller bills for the Reno hundreds—cash I might actually be able to use.

FIRST HURDLE

I was parked in back of the bank.

It was in the eighties. The back door of the bank was locked. I had to walk around the entire building to  gain access to the front door entry to the interior lobby.

SECOND HURDLE

The second hurdle was explaining exactly what had gone “wrong” with the ATM machine and presenting my driver’s license.

My driver’s license—which is from Texas—had fallen into the interior of a purse roughly the size of a large laundry basket. I finally located it. I also dragged out my defunct Illinois driver’s license, even though it has a hole punched in it.

THIRD HURDLE

The clerk wanted to walk out to the ATM machine to see what, exactly, was happening with my card. She made reference to them having “worked on” the machine earlier in the day.

What I  primarily wanted to do was to find a rest room. I had just spent 3 and 1/2 hours playing cards and drinking Diet Dr. Pepper. No rest room stop was factored into our trek outside.

Off to the ATM in the eighty-four degree heat we went. (The clerk seemed surprised to find no car at the ATM lane. She said, “Did you walk here?” I explained that I had parked my car and walked the entire circumference of the building to gain entrance, certainly what I was hoping would happen—-(not). I didn’t think other customers behind me would be too forgivig of a car abandoned in the ATM lane, so I drove to the parking area.

The ATM now spit out a message saying  my debit card had expired. 

FOURTH HURDLE

We went back inside. The bank clerk made phone calls. I was told I would either have to wait 6 weeks or drive to Iowa to the TBK Bank in Bettendorf—a bank I have never even been inside—to pick up my debit card.

So, bright and early today, I drove to the Bettendorf bank in the nearby state of Iowa across the I-74 bridge. After some explanation of the situation, I was given an envelope. The already-opened envelope had apparently been sent to my East Moline home when I was in Texas. Envelopes rarely make it to me in a timely fashion once I flee the Midwest.  Usually, this results in a late fee if I don’t use a charge card that is connected to bank moneys (assuming they ever straighten out my bank money accounts, an account which the BofA bot recently told me could not be found at all.)

This envelope was probably one of many such missives that fell into the USPO trap. The post office will  not forward credit cards, which is also not helpful.

FIFTH HURDLE

I now had the actual debit card, within the envelope. I was told to  take it home and activate it.

[Have you read Installation #4 about activating my BoA card?]

I suggested that we activate the debit card right then and there. 

I got the card out of the envelope, dialed the number on it, and followed the bot’s directions. Two times. The bot said it could not activate my credit card.

I suggested that the bank clerk try to activate my credit card.

She, also, followed the bot’s activation directions two times. It would  not activate it for her, either.

MORE PHONE CALLS

Eventual diagnosis: the activation period ran out  June 30th.

Today was July 7th.

Fortunately, since I had the foresight to try to activate the card BEFORE I left the bank, someone somewhere was able to direct the bank clerk and extend the time for me to activate  my TBK debit card. I did tell the clerk that I never use it in Austin, Texas, because they don’t have TBK banks in Texas. She protested that there Are TBK banks in Texas.

She was right, but I am also right.

There are 2 TBK banks in Texas in Dallas. There are no TBK banks in Austin. That’s another reason I don’t just tell the BoA to “take this card and shove it.” BoA is my cash lifeline when we are in Austin.

I hope this is the end of my having to deal with bank bots and misleading directions , but somehow, I doubt it.

Wish me luck on July 15th in Chicago—again— with Felipe.