WHEN THERE ARE PROBLEMS FROM EVERYWHERE TIME IS USED UP AND WASTED -

 Sorry to post so late – we had one of those weeks which seem to be coming more often these days.  

We went Friday a week ago to buy buy vitamins at Costco.  While there we spoke with the assistant manager of the tire department about buying new tires for our RV and having them put on same.  He said that they were no longer working on RVs (despite their website saying they do) and husband explained that it was a not a large RV, but a Chevy van converted to same.  We had to bring it into for him to look at and did so on Monday – sounds simple, right?  To back our RV out I have to stand in the middle of the 4 lane major road on which we live with a walkie talkie.  When the roadway is clear I yell for husband to back out and run to the curb.  He pulls over the curb after backing in so I can get in, which has to be done quickly as the RV/van is wider than the parking lane and vehicles are coming almost constantly.  Biggest problems are weight and the fact that it cannot be raised up on one of those platform lifts due to 4 water tanks and a generator attached underneath.  It is also taller than normal vans, but that was not anticipated to a problem as they were set up for taller vans.  He took some photos, and said he would call us.  If they could do it we would need to bring it in at 6:30 am on Sunday so they could work on it in the empty parking lot before the store opened – Huh?  This was like telling a normal person they would have to bring it at 1 am or so – we are not morning people to begin with and over the past year have been staying up later and waking up later – but if only way to get this done, we will have figure it out.  The tires had to be changed using jacks to lift the RV and it would take longer than normal.

Tuesday he called us and said it could be done – we had to come in and order the tires which we did (in our car of course, not the RV.  The tires were to come in on Friday and on Sunday morning they would put them on.  (So as of this point – we have made 3 trips to the next county about the tires – ½ hour drive each way, allow ½ hour to back out of driveway, etc each time.)  

Friday we received the call that tires were ready  - but instead of being reminded about 6:30 am on Sunday we were asked “3pm or 4pm appointment today?”  I explained what we had been told and reply was “We never do that – all work has to be done in our work area”.  I picked 3 pm and we scrambled to get dressed, eat lunch and get out in time to be there for 3 pm – fully anticipating being told to come back on Sunday at 6:30 am.  It was suppose to rain Friday night – but as we arrived at the store the rain started.  The parking spaces set aside for the tire center were filled and we cannot just pull the RV into any parking space as it is LONG.  We managed to find a usable space along a side aisle (front end could be drive off the pavement to fit) and parked there.  The assistant manager was there – no explanation of the change in when the work was being done.  We left the keys and went into the Costco store to use up 2 hours as they had said 2 to 2 and a half hours.  We  v e r y  s l o w l y w a l k e d around inside the store – separate trips for each side of each aisle – and then started over.  At 2 hours we went to the tire department to check and leave my cell phone number in case of problem and when the work was done as they had our home number.  At 3 and a half hours total time we went back again and the work was done – we don't know how long we were meandering in the store as they never called us to let us know it was finished.  (We kept expecting security to ask why we were in the store for that long a time without buying anything – the seating area for their snack bar was gone due to Covid -19 rules.)  But at least we have new tires and that is done with.

Overlapping this – husband does some work online and his pay is paid to a checking account at Credit Union “A” in his name and we then write a check from same to our regular checking account.  He was paid the beginning of the month but the payment was rejected by “A” as account inactive.  I called and straightened this out – he was paid and we took the money by check in January – so it is has been used recently and well within a year.  He then setup the account on the payer and again it was not able to pay him as the account was inactive.  I spoke to a manager and was told the craziest story I have heard in decades of being an accountant – they only count deposits made by the account holder towards activity – we could write a hundred checks a month and have 100 credits to the account – but it would become inactive without us making a deposit.  Not only was the checking account inactive – his entire membership and all of our accounts were inactive – strangely an electronic form we had to come in and fill out which could not be mailed to us (per an employee we spoke to before him - with no concept of people not going out to Covid) no longer seemed to be needed.  I then checked on the accounts in my name – also inactive, again despite transactions in January in and out – but no deposit.  He fixed those accounts also.  THEN – I realized I have the accounts for my embroidery club there – deposit was made to checking last May – but nothing since, and nothing deposited to the savings account where a deposit had to be made to keep the account active in years – which makes me wonder why this problem did arise with same years earlier.  He reactivated these accounts also.  

This is on top of a variety of other problems which have arisen with “A” since it changed its name (including no more live tellers for those needed deposits).   Husband was furious and this was the end.  We put on our masks and drove a location of Credit Union “B” where he also accounts – but not a checking account.  We opened a checking account there.  We have now set up everything which used to be sent for credit to the checking accounts at  “A” to be sent to the account we opened at “B”.  We will now have to check and make sure two transfers were made to that account.  

All of this took so much time this past week that I only was able to check email twice during the week.  What this proves is that no matter how well organized one is – the disorganization and stupidity of others can take up too much of one's time and make one disorganized.  

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK (OR THE HALF WEEK LEFT) -

Keep good track of your finances and always expect the unexpected to happen.