Yesterday, a new credit card arrived in the mail. I knew immediately what that meant. It meant that I would have to call the credit card company to "activate" the card. And, I knew that doing so meant going through the ordeal of listening to them try to sell me other services while my card was being "activated."
Let me just say that the credit card in question is one that I've had for more than 10 years. All they're doing is giving me a new card with a new expiration date. Why they have to "activate" anything is beyond me. I believe it's just an excuse to get you to call them so they can try to sell you more stuff. But, since we're not asking questions here, let's move on.
So, I grit my teeth and steel myself for what's coming. Then, I dial the number. After punching in the account number and the special code, I was transferred to a service center. Where I was promptly put on hold.
After a minute or so, an actual person came on the line. She said she was "activating" my card, then she asked me if I wanted identity theft protection. "No," I said. Undeterred, she tried to convince me of how big a problem it is. Then, she said, "May I ask when is the last time you checked your credit report?" My answer, " No, you may not ask."
Pause. Credit card activated. Call over. End of story.
Now, here's a completely different story as told by the J. Giles Band and as illustrated by some animated characters.