Minor Rant - Check Approval at Grocery Store

[matt819]

I pay for groceries with a check. Over the past five years I've paid for groceries with a check maybe 150 times (maybe more, maybe less, who the hell knows). I have a check cashing card at the store, and all is right with the world. Yeah, I know, privacy issues and all that, but there you have it. That's what I've got.

Today I go to the store, and my check is declined. No explanation. Fairly humiliating.

I get back home and call the check verification company. The customer service rep was very nice. It turns out something along the line happened to something else in the system, which did something to something else regarding my drivers license number. I asked a few times for clarification, but didn't understand the response (and I'm a smart person - after all, I hang out on DU). In any case, it was resolved.

But not before being humiliated. And not before spending time on the phone with a company I know nothing about (Centergy). And not before providing lots of personal data (just to confirm personal data already in their databases.

I'm less pissed now than I was a little while ago, but I'm still pissed. Not sure at what, really, which is why this is termed a minor rant.

I have to go now to put those groceries away.

[MADem]

1. Get a debit card tied to your checking account

Swipe, enter pin, grab your stuff and go. I haven't written a check in over a year.

[hfojvt]

2. is that humiliating or aggravating

I usually do not get embarrassed at someone else's mistake. Myself, I went to buy a powerball ticket before I remembered that I am not buying those any more. Then I went to the store where I typically shop, and the woman there asked me to remove my backpack. I always find that more annoying than humiliating. They did not have what I went there for so I left without buying anything.

[miss_kitty]

3. that happened to me after my identity had been stolen

even though I had a new acct #. They cross ref'd by DL #, and even though the people using my Checking acct had bogus ID with bogus #s, I was 20 mins waiting for an approval. My 17 yo nephew was with me. I wasn't humiliated, I was in a murderous rage.:grr: :nuke: :grr: If the crims had happened to be nearby, I'd be in jail now.