This may seem like a strange thing to say, but after much thought and serious consideration, I have to face the fact that there really is such a thing as evil, and it lives right beside us in the world now, not only in whatever may come hereafter.
I met a personification of evil today. It's in the person of someone whom I have known for a long, long time, but it wasn't until today that I realized just how truly vicious, despicable, loathsome, self-centered and purely twisted this person is.
This person is someone who takes pride in how honest and forthright they are, but in reality, they lie, cheat, steal and twist up everything to make them look good and make everyone else around them wrong, petty, selfish and small.
I now know who the person is that is petty, selfish to a degree I can only imagine, and so small that they are and have nothing of value to anyone, even their own self. I suppose that explains why they are the way they are, and that is beyond sad, it's tragic, but it's like an alcoholic - they can't even begin to recover until they can admit to what they are. This person is incapable of admitting that they are now or ever have been wrong, not about anything.
If you happen to meet someone like this, or about whom you feel anything like this, you can try to be nice to them, to sympathize with all their awful plights, their horrid relationships, get them gifts, do anything they ask, but it will never make a difference, because they can't even see that you are a person, that you have your own thoughts that might not be the same as theirs, or things to do that are just as important to you as every whim of theirs is to them. If are nice to them, or give them things, or do things for them, don't expect any gratitude - they are incapable of recognizing that you did anything, for them, about which they should be grateful. They can't conceive of anything outside their own narrow, narcissistic warped view of the world.
I can't say who this person is, but I can conclude with one comforting thought:
It isn't me, and I thank God every day for that, no matter how much I complain (and, yes, yell at Him) about anything else.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Credit Card Fraud, by the Issuer
I was just informed of a fascinating situation that someone I know ran into with their credit card company. I won't name my informant (and it was not me), but I will name the credit card issuer: HSBC (Household Services Banking Corporation).
HSBC offers a "service" whereby a debtor can make a credit card payment online, but there is a one or two day delay built into the payment processing time. Why? Because they like to make money, of course. Given that banks can afford the fastest computers in creation and that most electronic transactions take a few microseconds to perform, even allowing for a few milliseconds for the disks to record the transactions, and even then allowing a few seconds for trans-network transmissions - these folks don't use the internet for transactions like these - a one day delay is purely for show. Actually, it is entirely possible that the delay is arranged so the bank can use the money during that time to make even more off of it through other investment services, but I can't prove that. (But think about it - why would a virtually instantaneous transaction be delayed for 24 hours, 86400 seconds, 86.4 billion microseconds, or longer, other than to make more money off of it through back channels that don't have such delays?)
To get past this, they offer another "service" called "Rush Payment," whereby they say the one day delay won't apply. What they don't really say is that the payment will actually be processed the same day or by the next day. They don't say this because, although the "offer" of such a service to get the payments processed faster, for a fee, generates lots of rush payments and, hence, more money to HSBC, frequently out of the pocket of someone who is already having trouble making the payments in the first place, the actual payment is not rushed at all.
So this person I know sent HSBC a message through HSBC's internal messaging system for contacting them, explaining the situation and asking for a refund on the rush payment.
Here is what HSBC sent back, verbatim, with identifying data removed (and some emphasis added):
from: HSBC Card Services Customer Care
Dear [name redacted],
We are writing to you in response to your inquiry regarding your Account ending in [redacted] issued by HSBC Bank Nevada N.A.
We can certainly understand your concern regarding the payment hold on your account. Your payment in the amount of $115.00 was received and posted on 02/01/2010; however, a temporary hold for the same amount has been placed onyour account. * The available funds will be released no later than 14 days after the payment posts to your account. At this time, you have no available credit on your account. Please refer to the Maximum Credit Limit portion of your Cardmember Agreement and Disclosure Statement for more details.
*On your online statement, the temporary hold will show as a Pending Charge in your Recent Transactions. The Merchant Name will be HCS (HSBC Credit Services) and the transaction amount will be $1.00 less than your payment amount.
Unfortunately, we are unable to comply with your request to remove the fee for rush payment from your account . Our rush payment service has been added as a convenient option for our Cardmembers. Although there is a charge for this service, it frequently helps our Cardmembers avoid late charges. We guarantee payment will be applied the fastest way possible at a cost that is less than a late penalty.
You are important to us and we appreciate your business.
Sincerely,
[I shouldn't redact this person's name, but I will anyway]
HSBC Card Services Customer Care
HSBC Bank Nevada will not send or request sensitive personal or account information through e-mail or the telephone. If you receive suspicious email or phone calls regarding your credit card account, contact us immediately at the phone number printed on the back of your credit card or on your billing statement.
HSBC Bank Nevada, N.A., P.O. Box 703, Wood Dale, IL 60191-0703
© Copyright HSBC Finance Corporation. 2010. All rights reserved.
---
In other words, the payment is marked as posted on the account, but even though electronic funds transfers are virtually instantaneous, they're going to hold onto the money anyway, just for the heck of it, for up to 14 days. Back in the days when these funds transfers were done via U.S. Mail, or at least not posted until the paper proof of transaction was transmitted and received, this might make sense, but with EFTs???
Unfortunately, HSBC is "unable to comply" with the request to remove the rush fee from the account. Apparently, they are incapable of changing their rules or making exceptions that actually benefit the customer. Notice that credit card issuers have no trouble amending their credit card contracts at any time when they want to increase their fess, penalties, interest (usury) rates, and so on, but when you want an adjustment in your favor, they are "unable to comply." So my source paid $15 for nothing, and HSBC is going to keep that, too.
However, "You are important to us and we appreciate your business." Well, DUH! They just rooked another customer of another $15 in a fee that bought the customer nothing. I'd appreciate that business, too.
But, we can trust the banks - they're too big to fail, they keep the economy alive (with their $400,000 yacht cruises and such). In short:
WE DON'T NEED TO REGULATE THE BANKS AT ALL!
Right? Right? Is anyone out there?
HSBC offers a "service" whereby a debtor can make a credit card payment online, but there is a one or two day delay built into the payment processing time. Why? Because they like to make money, of course. Given that banks can afford the fastest computers in creation and that most electronic transactions take a few microseconds to perform, even allowing for a few milliseconds for the disks to record the transactions, and even then allowing a few seconds for trans-network transmissions - these folks don't use the internet for transactions like these - a one day delay is purely for show. Actually, it is entirely possible that the delay is arranged so the bank can use the money during that time to make even more off of it through other investment services, but I can't prove that. (But think about it - why would a virtually instantaneous transaction be delayed for 24 hours, 86400 seconds, 86.4 billion microseconds, or longer, other than to make more money off of it through back channels that don't have such delays?)
To get past this, they offer another "service" called "Rush Payment," whereby they say the one day delay won't apply. What they don't really say is that the payment will actually be processed the same day or by the next day. They don't say this because, although the "offer" of such a service to get the payments processed faster, for a fee, generates lots of rush payments and, hence, more money to HSBC, frequently out of the pocket of someone who is already having trouble making the payments in the first place, the actual payment is not rushed at all.
So this person I know sent HSBC a message through HSBC's internal messaging system for contacting them, explaining the situation and asking for a refund on the rush payment.
Here is what HSBC sent back, verbatim, with identifying data removed (and some emphasis added):
from: HSBC Card Services Customer Care
| ||||||||||||||||||
We are writing to you in response to your inquiry regarding your Account ending in [redacted] issued by HSBC Bank Nevada N.A.
We can certainly understand your concern regarding the payment hold on your account. Your payment in the amount of $115.00 was received and posted on 02/01/2010; however, a temporary hold for the same amount has been placed onyour account. * The available funds will be released no later than 14 days after the payment posts to your account. At this time, you have no available credit on your account. Please refer to the Maximum Credit Limit portion of your Cardmember Agreement and Disclosure Statement for more details.
*On your online statement, the temporary hold will show as a Pending Charge in your Recent Transactions. The Merchant Name will be HCS (HSBC Credit Services) and the transaction amount will be $1.00 less than your payment amount.
Unfortunately, we are unable to comply with your request to remove the fee for rush payment from your account . Our rush payment service has been added as a convenient option for our Cardmembers. Although there is a charge for this service, it frequently helps our Cardmembers avoid late charges. We guarantee payment will be applied the fastest way possible at a cost that is less than a late penalty.
You are important to us and we appreciate your business.
Sincerely,
[I shouldn't redact this person's name, but I will anyway]
HSBC Card Services Customer Care
HSBC Bank Nevada will not send or request sensitive personal or account information through e-mail or the telephone. If you receive suspicious email or phone calls regarding your credit card account, contact us immediately at the phone number printed on the back of your credit card or on your billing statement.
HSBC Bank Nevada, N.A., P.O. Box 703, Wood Dale, IL 60191-0703
© Copyright HSBC Finance Corporation. 2010. All rights reserved.
---
In other words, the payment is marked as posted on the account, but even though electronic funds transfers are virtually instantaneous, they're going to hold onto the money anyway, just for the heck of it, for up to 14 days. Back in the days when these funds transfers were done via U.S. Mail, or at least not posted until the paper proof of transaction was transmitted and received, this might make sense, but with EFTs???
Unfortunately, HSBC is "unable to comply" with the request to remove the rush fee from the account. Apparently, they are incapable of changing their rules or making exceptions that actually benefit the customer. Notice that credit card issuers have no trouble amending their credit card contracts at any time when they want to increase their fess, penalties, interest (usury) rates, and so on, but when you want an adjustment in your favor, they are "unable to comply." So my source paid $15 for nothing, and HSBC is going to keep that, too.
However, "You are important to us and we appreciate your business." Well, DUH! They just rooked another customer of another $15 in a fee that bought the customer nothing. I'd appreciate that business, too.
But, we can trust the banks - they're too big to fail, they keep the economy alive (with their $400,000 yacht cruises and such). In short:
WE DON'T NEED TO REGULATE THE BANKS AT ALL!
Right? Right? Is anyone out there?
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