Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Banking for Bug

It's difficult to give money away these days.

When Bug went to Asia, of course she left things until the last minute (oh, my ceiling light just went off by itself — see here if that means nothing to you). She's like that, you know, always has been, and this banking was one of those things. She called and asked me to do her banking for her whilst she was globe trotting. Since a dad always agrees to help as he can, I acquiesced.

Without dredging up all of the details and reciting long-winded accounts about my running hither, thither and yon to obtain her funds, let me share this. In the end, I presented myself at a branch of Bug's bank (this involved a out-of-town trip because we don't have one of those branches in this town) with a thousand dollars in my pocket last week. Simply desiring to deposit said amount into her account, I presented Bug's access code to the teller. "Sorry sir, I can't punch in her access code from a piece of paper. I have to have the plastic card."

"No really, all I want to do is deposit money, not find out details. Besides the account is set up jointly. It's just that I've never used it and don't know the numbers. I can access the details online you know, I simply want to deposit money."

Of course, my yammerings were futile. Apparently, while it is deemed inappropriate to punch in my own daughter's access code, it is just hunky dory to verbally and within earshot of others dredge up all sorts of information about a person and find the account number through the back door as it were. So, I stood there for about fifteen minutes, answering all sorts of questions. To her credit, the teller eventually found the account numbers for me and deposited the money. She gave me a receipt and painstakingly highlighted Bug's account numbers for me .. to make it easier in future doncha know.

So, it's okay for me to have her account numbers but not okay for me to present her access card number to a teller to make the process easier? I mean to say, she could have used the access number to look at a screen that I couldn't have possibly seen. The end result would have been to obtain the very same information fifteen minutes sooner that the circuitous method that she ended up employing. It's the very same result in the end. What is it that I don't get?

It's crazy, I tell you. Crazy!



Speaking of Bug (and Puff), guess what southeast Asian country they're visiting right now? Remember the bomb last weekend, down south in the beach and tourist area? Guess where the girls were last weekend? Guess what country experienced a coup yesterday? Guess who hasn't communicated with the folks at home since last Thursday? Guess who's a tad anxious?

Also, I sometimes forget my audience. While most real-life friends know of Butterfly's struggles with fertility, I pretty well forgot that y'all weren't up to speed. However, Cuppa revealed some of this in her blog yesterday.

13 comments:

karla said...

Just a thought about the ceiling fan AC. You mentioned it came with a remote, which means there is a good chance it is an x10 compatible device (http://www.smarthome.com). In our experience with this technology, there can be static on the electrical lines that causes appliances to misfire (or turn on and off). Computers in particular generate a lot of static, although your fan could go haywire when other appliances in your home turn on, like a fridge, or a furnace or even a blowdryer. Our computer produced a lot of static on our x10 devices (so lights would turn on and off on their own all the time) so my husband put in a noise blocker.

Just thinking out loud….

Ginger said...

Hey, about that coup over there? As a kid who was born in Thailand and lived there her first 5 years and has been back a number of times, I'd just say: You need not worry, for the following reasons:

1) Thailand has coups all the time. They've had dozens since I lived there. What I'm trying to figure out is why the media decided to make a fuss about this one. News must be minimal at the moment.

2) Thai people are gracious and roll with the punches. The only folk that might get hurt are university students protesting, if they do, and possibly someone connected to the ousted prime minister's bunch, if they get resistant.

3) Thailand will do anything to make sure they don't hurt their own tourist trade.

As long as, for some obscure reason, Bug & Butterfly don't get interested in hanging out at the ousted prime minister's house, they're not likely to see much of a blip at all in their visit to the country.

And that's my take on it all.

Ginger said...

Oops. I meant "Bug & Puff," not "Bug & Butterfly." But you knew that.

Gina said...

Well, doesn't the word "coup" conjure up some nasty images! But, hopefully Ginger is right and it is all just the same old, same old. But, I would be anxious too!

Dale said...

Yes, my friend, I'd be a little anxious as well. Hope you hear from them soon!

Banks. Pfff. Billions in profits. Always announcing lay-offs or new service charges. Paranoid about risking a dollar. Oh great! Now I'm in a bad mood. LOL!

luna pie said...

Hahah. I think Bug and I are kindred spirits - I am sure I have taken off a few times and left the banking up to them. Glad you were able to get it all sorted! See you Saturday.

Ginnie said...

Aren't banks and their clerks fun to deal with? My bank is instituting a new deal and I now have a card that they can scan and will automatically know all my stuff. Hmmmmmm. Don't computers fail to work sometimes???

oshee said...

You are a kind dad. Course from the title of the post I was wondering where to sign up to be on the receiving end of the give away. LOL

PBS said...

That was nice of you to go out of your way to do the banking. Too bad it became such a hassle. Hope Ginger is right that the coup is really not that big of a deal and they are safe.

The very nice man said...

Banks!! They are just gorram awful! Why do we use them??

Julia said...

hope bug is ok!

Banks never cease to amaze me with their weird rules, and have you ever tried to get a straight answer from them about something. I asked a simple question about my account this week and was passed through 5 different people...

Anonymous said...

I can certainly understand your concerns with Bug being overseas. So sad the world is the way it is right now. I hope you hear from her soon.

Sue said...

My son Dan is also in Thailand at present (on the MV Doulos). We had an official message from the Captain saying that everything is peaceful, and they have no plans to change their schedule - they're moving to Bangkok later this week and planning to stay there for a month. I gather Thailand's way of changing government is to have a coup - they're pretty common, and rarely cause any violence. Hope you hear from your daughter soon,anyway!