Continued frustrations with Amex

After nine attempts I finally just give up. A call to the number below gives no results - "oh I didn't know we were having problems".

On-going when it comes to downloading information from the Amex credit card service.
(and forget about trying to get my statements into Quicken).

So I have to wonder why I am paying the very high yearly "membership" fee.

And you know there is not a single think a person can do - you just have to accept it or cancel it.

We're Sorry...

The American Express Online Services system has not properly responded to your request. You can use your browser's back button to resubmit your request now. In many cases, this second attempt will be executed fully. Or you can try again in a few minutes. If the problem persists, please call American Express and provide the problem code shown on this page.

Personal and Small Business Card members: Please call customer service at 1-877-325-AMEX (2639), 7:00a.m. - 12:00a.m. EST.

Whatever.

Contracts and phone companies

I really try to be a calm person. I read books like "Tuesdays with Morrie" (highly recommended - read a chapter every Tuesday to get full benefit.)

However sometimes it is amazing the little things that can trigger me off - like Telus phone service. They upgrade my phone service so all week when I pick up the phone I get a beep beep beep. I finally call repair. Go through the standard messages like, "This call may be monitored for quality" and such BS. I finally get a real person after I got to the repair section and got tired of listening to the computer voice give me options by saying "agent", "agent", "agent". Then I give my 10 digit phone number again, and my name and my mailing address. I ask why - for security. Security? I question - why when I'm a disgruntled consumer calling to get a repair on my voice mail do I need security clearance. It's my phone and I give you $120 plus every month for the use of it!

Anyhow he fixes me up - takes 5 minutes or so. He is nice and pleasant with me even if I was a grump and suggested that I could get a better package.

So I get passed over to Gordon, or was it Jordan, who gives me the sell job but here's the hitch. I must sign a contract for 1 year. If I move I have to pay a $120 cancellation fee. No it doesn't matter that I have been a Telus customer since forever, that all my equipment is from them, that I don't switch around every 6 months - no, it just matters that I sign a contract.

Nasty.

The States Slowly Creep In

Why is it when you get your money from the Automated Teller Machine at the Edmonton Airport they ask if you want English or French language first and then they give you an image of the USA Dollar?

When I call my girlfriend's school at the Durham Board of Education in Ontario that the mechanical voice that come tells me to press Zee instead of Zed?

And at the Holiday Inn where I recently stayed in Alberta the menu is littered with American spelling such as color versus colour?

"In Canada we have enough to do keeping up with two spoken languages without
trying to invent slang, so we just go right ahead and use English for
literature, Scotch for sermons and American for conversation." -- Stephen Leacock

I found the above on http://www.cornerstoneword.com/index.htm or google "differences between English" for more spots.

Air Canada Upgrades - well maybe not

It was my lucky day - I called Air Canada - just before I checked in on the web and asked if one of the two classes of certificates I had would allow me to upgrade. Now the only reason I was doing this was because when I had originally booked the flight and upgraded from Tango to Tango Plus it was suggested that this would be possible.

The telephone reservations clerk was very pleasant and said he could help.
Window or aisle?
Window please.
3K is available.
Perfect.

I thought - wow, that was easy. Mind you it is just a few days prior to Christmas and it is a red eye (like why bother flying business class for a 4 hour trip anyway when all you get is breakfast and service is usually lacking if I think back to previous experience)?

Taxi out to YVR, go into the Executive Class baggage drop off point, pull out my coupons and ask "which one would you like". He says, "Dark blue". Okay I have 14 light blues and 8 black. No dark blue. I ask again. Same answer. Hmm, well he tells me that he will tag my bags (no big deal since he has to tag them anyway since I hold an Elite Gold card - but the way he says it makes it sound like he's treating me nice).

Then he says...it is in the hands of the gate agent.
Great.

It is approaching the witching hour of 11 PM and I'm sure the gate agent would rather just go home instead of dealing with an annoyed passenger.

So I head into the Maple Leaf lounge as that handy card allows me access.
Pour myself a white wine and perrier and that is where I find myself now.

Ah - well let's see what happens.