We're losing market share and we need to rectify that our we will have to address our head count.

This is something I heard at work and started pondering today.  They have hired a lot of new people - some of them completely worthless IMO I might add, no work ethic, have to be forced by their bosses to do anything and I just have no use for such people - and now I am wondering, if a head count reduction is initiated, who's going and who's staying.

Here's one thing about corporate America that is true the field over, that I have seen anyway: NO-ONE is irreplaceable.  That's from the head honcho on down to the dude pulling orders out in the yard.  One person might be harder to replace than another, but I have seen this over and over - they don't care.  When management makes up it's mind and they determine who's going out the door, the relevance of the contribution any given individual might have made and is making takes a back seat to other things, such as compensation and benefit and perks.

In other words, you have to wonder if you are going to lose your position to someone who is willing to take it for less money and benefits. They just came along and got rid of a guy who had been there for 17 years.  It was completely out of the blue - though I guess all lay-offs are, sort of - but there was no other indication within the company that they were getting rid of people.  He immediately found another job and something far less stressful, so good on him.

Well I'm not going to dwell to much on that, at least not during my vacation.  Just sitting there, though.
____________________________________________________________
UNBELIEVABLE.

I check my checking account every day.  Rarely do I miss checking it.  Too many thieves in this world, not to mention the fact of bank errors - hardly ever but it happens - and then checking to see if everything I have paid out has been deducted.  Which it hasn't - I gave my son a check over a week ago for my contribution towards his Hawaii Revolution and it hasn't been cashed yet. I do not like having checks floating around, but that has nothing to do with this and I consider it petty compared to what is going on here.

So, I am in there today, looking at a $155 Reverse Credit.  I knew exactly what this was as soon as I saw it - the dude in the Philippines that stole my money by somehow getting my debit card number and using it to send himself 2 Western Union (the preferred bank of thieves) checks in the amount of $155 each.  I immediately called the bank, as far as I knew, this situation was ended.  Heck, this happened on April 16th and it's now June 3rd?!!!  I only know the date cause' I posted my original entry with Western Union Fraud to make sure I could find it again in case I needed information from it.

I get a lady on the phone of whom I knew was going to be no use to me before I even dialed the number. Management, please.  I get connected to the claims department.    I get to talking with this man, asking him his title within the company, quickly became apparent he's just another incoming call operator for a different department.  I let him attempt to "fix" this situation - which he did not and told me that it would take at least 3 days before they hear back from Visa whether my "claim" is going to be accepted or not.

BUNK.  YOUR manager, please and right NOW.  I was on hold long enough to sit down, look up Chase Bank corporate number on Hoover's (if you ever want to find a corporate phone number, this is the place to go to!), call them, talk to someone including giving my name and what my issue is, get connected to the "executive department" or whatever they called it and have a long discussion with the lady on the phone.  This manager finally gets on the phone but I was in a discussion with this lady at this point.  I simply informed the man that he could wait 15 minutes just like I had to for him.

He started in on something, I put that phone away from my ear. I could hear him going on and on for a while while I was discussing this situation with this lady at corporate.  I put both phones up to my mouth while talking to the lady at some point - the man had no clue I was not talking to him.  Absolutely amazing.  I finally got done with the lady and then put that other phone back up to my ear.

I wasn't taking no for an answer.  This is their business and as far as I'm concerned, this is part of the risk they take, NOT me.  I have talked to several individuals that have gone through similar experiences whose banks just reimbursed them the money regardless of the outcome of any disputes with Visa or whoever. Visa must have a Pentagon sized building full of employees to deal with this kind of thing.  I did NOT give that guy my debit card number and according to the second person I talked to today, Visa stated that Western Union "confirmed" that I had given both my debit card number and my email address for verification.

Email address? THAT is a verification?  As if someone's email address is something hard to get like a social security number?!!!!  Another UNBELIEVABLE coming your way.

Okay. Well whatever.  The conversation turned a bit sour because I was already heated up: I had already been assured some month and a half ago that this situation, regardless of what happens with the bank and it's dealings with this situation, I wouldn't be losing my money. I distinctly remember the man telling me after I asked: NO.  My question? Since your bank hasn't paid Western Union yet, are you going to?

I also questioned them on why they would simply take that money out of my account without ANY kind of notification.  No email; no text; no snail mail.  Just eat it, buddy.  I don't just eat things, especially with thieves stealing from my account and banks that should just eat it. Here's another interesting factor acquired from today's conversations: Western Union was only disputing one of the charges, even though there were 2 for the exact same amount coming from the same person picked up at the same store at the same time.  The manager I was speaking to found that odd.  I didn't care, to be honest, I was just going to remain on the line until my money was refunded or he hung up on me.  Screw corporate, I have this guy now, let's get this over with.

This went on for quite a while until he gave me his "solution": he was going to resubmit a claim to Visa.  I couldn't have cared less. Submit all the claims you want, hope you win, but I want my freaking money back, right now, today! I don't care what you are going to do about it with Visa, this is NOT my problem!!
Finally, the man succumbed.  "I am going to credit that money back to your account".  Great, I replied, and then in 4 days, if Visa denies the claim, I am screwed again?  "No, he replies, this is a permanent credit to your account".

Full name, spell it out please letter by letter and a confirmation number, thanks.  That was, finally, it after a long conversation with this individual.

Welcome to vacation.  Here I was, about to go outside and deal with the pond filters I was supposed to do yesterday.  This has been a couple of hours now in terms of phone calls.  I cannot believe Western Union can just get away with all of this nonsense.  As far as I"m concerned, if legally possible, banks should just refuse to do any business with them at all.  Let them know that they will not honor any credits to anyone's account and let it be done.  But that's just me.

1 pond filter done.  Think I'll let the other go until tomorrow.

G'day

ben