Yesterday, I was rushing to handle some errands and quickly checked my debit card balance to verify the funds were available, then headed out to town. Basically, after swiping the card at three different locations to no avail, I decided to call the toll free number on the back. I was told that the institution put a freeze on my account due to fraud protection. After answering a few questions, my money became available and I could finish up my errands....No harm, no foul, right?............WRONG!!
While I appreciate the concern of the company in the event of a REAL threat, it was super inconvienent (and kinda humiliating,) to be declined repeatedly. Especially when I KNEW the funds were there.
So, what is the lesson in all this....
#1 My dad's advise to ALWAYS carry some cash should not be taken lightly
#2 Don't depend solely on Plastic to meet the needs of our family
#3 Am I really prepared if someone in the Electronic World System pulls the plug on our resources(?)
HMMMMMMMMMMMMMM....Let's get serious about our preparations!
Here's another quick read that I posted awhile back:
http://www.joyfuljunction.com/1/post/2010/11/closely-examine-the-system.html