You can take the GRITS out of Florida, but you can't take Florida out of the GRITS!

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Yuck Day

So I just got back from the park. I dumped my piggy banks, gathered up all the change, went and poured it all into the CoinStar machine at my grocery store. Then I took the money, went and got gas and a beer. Then went to the park, parked under a tree and drank my beer. It's been a long, crappy day.

First, last Wednesday somebody used my bank account to pay their FPL bill. Without my knowledge or permission. FRAUD. I went to the bank, called FPL and well...now I wait. I have a bad feeling the asshole who did this is going to get away with it and I am out basically my entire paycheck. I don't get paid again until NEEEEXXXXT Friday. Not this Friday, but the following. And I was left with $6 and change. Wonderful. Not even enough to fill my car up with gas.

Next, my computer at work took a crap on me, so now I am computerless for 8 hours a day. Wonderful.

And, of course, my old pup still has the big C. She had her toe amputated today (which my mother had to pay for!). She's doing good. For now. The Doc says either with or without the chemo vaccine ($2400 for 4 shots), she'll have about 2 years left. So I am seriously thinking about forgetting about putting her through chemo, eventhough they say there are no side effects.

So, I wanted a beer. I got a beer. Now I am home. I still feel like shit. Excuse my language, but it's just how I feel.

So, how was your day?

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your excused!

I will leave you to your thoughts and your decision. Be well my friend.

(((HUGS)))

storyteller said...

Mine was hectic & crazy with a few frightening and puzzling moments, but definitely better than yourz. Sorry about all the misfortune and hope tomorrow’s a better one.
Hugs and blessings,

SwampAngel65 said...

Thanks "Olive". I took 2 "sleepy Bayers" and am about to hit the hay...feeling a little better. Taking it one day at a time.

Storyteller, I didn't think about my needing Nikki's blog today, but yeah, you're right! I sure hope tomorrow is better, too.

Joey B said...

If it's any consolation, I'll bet this turns out to be a case of bank error or FPL error rather than fraud. Someone would have to be extremely stupid to fraudulently access your bank account to pay a bill that is tied to their name. That said, you should be super vigilant with FPL and your bank. Make sure you get a name of someone from the fraud department at your bank and hound them. Do the same with FPL and assure them that you will file a police report. You have to light a fire under them. They will most likely both try to blame the other, but if you start mentioning a police report, it can encourage them to be a little quicker in addressing the issue.

If it looks like things are going nowhere, I would also suggest taking a look at consumerist.com. It is an excellent resource in situations like this and may be able to provide you with some assistance.

I hope things turn out for you quickly.

Unknown said...

I'm so sorry! That absolutely would have the makings of a bad day!

I hope tomorrow goes better and I won't even say how it couldn't get any w. . .

SophieMae said...

What Joey B said! You gotta watch 'em every steenkin' minute! If the crooks don't get ya, the incompetents will.

Have a better tomorrow. Meanwhile, I'll upload some French Silk ice cream for ya. Might even share my banana split blast. 8-}

ChrisB said...

That's terrible~I don't understand your banking system you but surely you cannot be the loser for fraud!

Glad to hear your pup's op went well. That is a lot of money for 4 shots of chemo, no wonder you are re-considering!

SwampAngel65 said...

Thanks everyone.

Joey B.-You're right. FPL told me I would need a subpoeana to get any info. I said, "What INFO?" and she told me, "The name and address of the person whose accounty your money paid for." Ahhh...so I called my bank back and asked if I needed to go file a police report. The woman there said not yet, to let them work on it first...we'll see what happens. And I plan on calling them at least once a week until this is cleared up.

Lisa - Yeah...don't jinx iot. Things can ALWAYS get worse!

SophieMae - Thanks! French Silk...ummmmm...sounds deelish!So true about the incompetents...they are crawling in my department at work. Hey, just go back a few of my posts to the one about the manatee area sign! Prime example. Idiots.

Chris - Heck, I don't even understand out banking system half the time! The $ for the shots isn't so much it. My sister said she'd help me pay for it. It's just that I am debating whether or not it's really going to make any difference at her age. The vaccine is very new, only about a year. My Doc said that once, it was easier to make decisions because there weren't that many options. But today, there are new things coming out all the time. More options, more decisions = HARDER! I think I'll talk it over with my sister, but I am leaning towards no chemo right now.

Anonymous said...

Speaking of fraud, we've had 3 separate incidents using a debit card at local restaurants, in which the waiters changed their tip to a larger amount and changed the total, too.
In one case, the waiter changed the 3 to an 8... etc. Sometimes it's easy to slide a dash through a number to change it.

Each time, the bank has come through for us. I ALWAYS save my restaurant receipt until it clears at the bank!

Hope they find out what happened with your FPL account.
Joey's comment makes a lot of sense.

And I'm so sorry about your dog! That's exorbitant! I'd probably do the same thing as you, sad to say. It's just financially impossible sometimes.

Hang in there girl. You deserved that beer!

Anonymous said...

JG here...go ahead and b*tch...you deserve to after a day like that...Last year some doofus hacked my credit card and used it to buy a bunch of logo items from a very exclusive private school in Connecticut...yes, I know that's kind of funny now, but it wasn't at the time...turns out he was a student there and didn't want to have to pay for his own t-shirts or something...it eventually was all straightened out...From your post it sort of sounds like you've got a suspect in mind...True?

Lunch meeting today and we've got a big box of Hooters wings left over...I'm sending you some right now :D Nothing like greasy wings to raise your spirits

Hang in there too with the pupster...Every morning now as I watch Bruno have trouble getting down the front steps (there's only 3 of them) I get very sad and think about the days when he could run like the wind and never tire...but they still love us and just seeing us or feeling our touch is all they ask for...and when the right time comes she'll let you know...when Murphy (Labrador) got cancer at 11 and they wanted to hospitalize her and put her through surgery & chemo I thought about what that would do to her spirit and realized that she'd be much happier spending her days with me and her 'sister' Cecil (German Shepherd) as long as she could...on the last day I had taken her to the dog park and tossed bumpers off a dock into an icy lake (Madison, WI in February) till my shoulder ached...she had the greatest time jumping into that water, swimming out and bringing them back to me...This was her very favorite thing to do...that night, after dinner, she let me know it was time...I still take great comfort in the fact that her last day with me was a joyous one. Next time you see me ask me about the gift she left for me about a week later.

Sandcastle Momma said...

What a horrible day! How devastating to have your bank account wiped out like that. Hopefully your bank will be able to get to the bottom of it and you'll get your money back. And your poor pup - I'm so sorry to hear about that. The decision regarding the chemo will be a hard one. I was surprised to read that the vet offered the chemo but doesn't really expect it to prolong her life. Give her lots of love and we'll be praying for her.
Hope tomorrow is a better day for you!

Anonymous said...

Oh, what a shitty day! Surely the bank will correct the error. They only have obligation to you and your account, not to FPL. By the way - what is FPL? Maybe you should have the funds taken from a credit card and not your bank from now on. Credit cards are usually pretty good about immediately reversing a charge - or at least putting a hold on it so you don't have to pay.

Sorry about your dog. I've had leukemia issues with cats for years (hopefully no more, though) so I know how you feel. I think the options make the decisions worse.

SwampAngel65 said...

FPL is Florida Power and Light, our electric company. I do not pay them online and never have. I do no even own anymore credit cards, so everything is either cash, check or debit card. The illegal transaction was somehow made using my debit card, eventhough it never left my possession. I have no idea how it happened. The bank says they need FPL to reimburse the money to me, not them. So until FPL decides that I was robbed, I am out of the money. It totally sucks. I am very careful with my card and bank account. It's scary to think that no matter what you do, there are people out there who can still manage to screw you over.

Sayre said...

Dang. That IS a shitty day. I wish you could come hang out at MY office - at least on Friday afternoons. I usually leave there smiling.

I hope your puppy dog has a good rest of his life. That chemo sounds steep to me too and I would definitely be having second thoughts about treating a dog that may not get much out of it except some extra misery. Shoot - I'd think twice about doing it if it was ME that had the big C. I'd rather have some good times than extend my life but have to be sick for that extra time.

I hope next week is much better. And stay on FPL's ass. And get the supoena if you need to. If it turns out to be a waiter somewhere, they're probably doing it to lots of people, not just you.

marcandeliana said...

Whoa holy comments! Sorry to hear about the bad day, glad it got cleared up though. We've had a hell of a week too with our VW. Beer was definitely in order!