A Nightmare

September 16, 2017

Yesterday was surreal.

We drove into a Chevron station to get gas.  I put my credit card into the slot on the pump and the machine "ate it”.

So, I head for the building/market at the station, and the place is closed: out of business.

NO SIGNS.  Nothing to indicate that the place is out of business.

Sandy says, “Let’s go home and cancel the credit card.”

"No,” I said, "I need my credit card.”

So, resourceful me, goes to the pump and, without breaking anything, manages to get the front part of of the pump open and retrieve my credit card.

There are also a dozen other credit card in with mine.  There about 8-10 other pumps in the station, so I figure they are filled with credit cards, too.

We call the cops; tell them we will be home in a couple of hours, and to please come and pick up the extra dozen credit cars, since we didn’t want to leave them just sitting in an open pump.  (I was unable to replace the front of the pump after I retrieved my card.)

When I got home, I called Chevron to tell them about the issue and the open pump and, except for one woman I finally was connect to (after 4-5 tries), the Customer Service people were extremely rude.  “That’s a franchise,” they would say.  “Yes,” I replied, “but Chevron’s name is still on it.  Nobody who lost their credit card there gives a damn if it’s a franchise.”

Finally, a nice police officer showed up at our door and picked up the credit cards.  My guess is that they’d all been cancelled.  Still it would not be good if they fell into the wrong hands.

The Moral: Make sure that a gas station is still in business before you use your credit card.

BTW: I drove by the station this morning.  Nothing has changed.  The front of the pump si still hanging down where I left it.

Not my problem.

You have a creative week.

Michael