Not Going To Happen 'Cause I'm Not Harry Potter (Impossible Patron Requests)

[MommyPenguin]

From what I've heard of Dave Ramsey, I like some/a lot of his ideas.  I don't actually know where to go to actually read all the stuff he says... I found his website but didn't really know where to go on it.  However, I definitely don't like the no credit card idea.  I guess it's an idea for somebody who *really* can't handle temptation.  And I'll admit that I do spend more when it's a credit card, although we do pay ours off every month.  But I think having a credit card that you use *only* for hotels and rental cars is a much better idea, if you travel a lot.  If you use it only for those, it shouldn't be too much of a problem.  Although I agree that those volunteers might have liked Ramsey's ideas when it suited them but were *not* real followers if they ran up the bill by buying overpriced hotel stuff *and* not paying the coworker back.  Nasty critters.

[wolfie]

From what I've heard of Dave Ramsey, I like some/a lot of his ideas.  I don't actually know where to go to actually read all the stuff he says... I found his website but didn't really know where to go on it.  However, I definitely don't like the no credit card idea.  I guess it's an idea for somebody who *really* can't handle temptation.  And I'll admit that I do spend more when it's a credit card, although we do pay ours off every month.  But I think having a credit card that you use *only* for hotels and rental cars is a much better idea, if you travel a lot.  If you use it only for those, it shouldn't be too much of a problem.  Although I agree that those volunteers might have liked Ramsey's ideas when it suited them but were *not* real followers if they ran up the bill by buying overpriced hotel stuff *and* not paying the coworker back.  Nasty critters.

I hope they at least had the decency to never show their faces again.

[goldilocks]

I have to travel for business occasionally, and use my personal card.  I had a company card at one time (at another company) and it was a night mare.

The company could never get the bill paid on time, no matter how quick I submitted my expenses.  Then, I'd be charged late fees, which the company refused to pay.  This card also reflected my name, and showed up on my credit report when I tried to buy a house.  I had to write a letter explaining why I had such bad credit with this card.

Now, I simply use my own card, submit my expenses as soon as I get back.  I usually have the check before the CC bill comes in. 

[Outdoor Girl]

My work credit card is in my name and the bill comes to me at my home.  It is set up with a 5 week payment window versus the normal 3 week window.  So if I submit my expenses right when I get back from any travelling, they are back in plenty of time to pay the bill.  We are responsible for any interest if we don't pay it off in time, unless there is an issue with getting our expenses back, in which case we can petition for the interest to also be covered.

I'm definitely not a Dave Ramsey convert.  I put absolutely everything on my credit cards, earning rewards points, and pay them off every time the bill comes in.  I actually find it better for tracking my expenses because I always get a receipt, which I tally in a daytimer.  Often, when I pay cash, the store doesn't automatically give me a receipt and I forget to ask for one.

The rewards points on the one card helps to fund my gardening addiction.   

[VorFemme]

We just got two gift cards ($200 total) purely with rewards points - bought four small space heaters for the various bedrooms (gas heater not working - turns out that the twenty-year-old system will have to be replaced - but not THIS week)..................

But those rewards points can be wonderful.............reminds me, there are some left on the Amazon account..............wonder if VorGuy would notice if I "spent" them?  Probably...............he is an accountant..........durn it.

[Ceallach]

Please don't blame Dave Ramsey. He is correct that you don't need a credit card to travel (I personally haven't had one in almost 15 years), but he does recomment getting a debit card through Visa or somesuch that works as well as a credit card most of the time. He travels all the time on business both nationally and internationally and uses only a debit card. Your people may need to go through FPU training again if they are insisting they don't need at least a debit card.

Plus, anyone who does what is in the last sentence in the original quote (about running up a bill and not paying back), hasn't really listened to Dave Ramsey anyway. They've just taken a few statements of his, probably out of context, and used them to do whatever they want.

We usually just use our debit card, which can be run through a system like a credit card, but acts as a debit card.

I admit I was scratching my head a bit at that post and wondering if nobody has heard of VISA/Mastercard debit cards over there.  It's clear that those people have bigger things going on than "credit is evil", or they'd find a solution. It sounds as though they don't want to find a solution - they want to run up huge bills on somebody else's dime.

DH and I don't have any credit cards anymore.  We buy heaps of stuff online (most things, actually - groceries, gifts, alcohol, bills!), and also like to stay at hotels frequently, but we don't need credit.  Ever since visa debit cards were introduced life has been so much easier - ditched the credit card, don't have to worry about remembering to pay the bill or pay stupid annual fees etc, and still have all of the convenience of a card.   

Hotel clerks tend to use credit card and debit card interchangeably; I certainly do as I can't tell a VISA debit from credit unless the guest happens to say so.

And these "no credit card!" people are idiots as many many people check in with a credit card and check out paying cash, thus never actually running up anything on their card (a hold is not charging).

Oh absolutely!  Most people I interact with assume my card is credit.  That's my point exactly - you can have all of the benefits and appearance of a credit card without actually any risk of using credit / running up bills you can't afford / getting into debt.   So it makes no sense to use the no credit excuse as a reason for why you can't check into hotels.  I get that perhaps not everybody wants a debit card either (although I don't see why!) but still... there are solutions to some problems in life!  And it's certainly not borrowing somebody else's card and running up huge debts....   

[alkira6]

My work credit card is in my name and the bill comes to me at my home.  It is set up with a 5 week payment window versus the normal 3 week window.  So if I submit my expenses right when I get back from any travelling, they are back in plenty of time to pay the bill.  We are responsible for any interest if we don't pay it off in time, unless there is an issue with getting our expenses back, in which case we can petition for the interest to also be covered.

I'm definitely not a Dave Ramsey convert.  I put absolutely everything on my credit cards, earning rewards points, and pay them off every time the bill comes in.  I actually find it better for tracking my expenses because I always get a receipt, which I tally in a daytimer.  Often, when I pay cash, the store doesn't automatically give me a receipt and I forget to ask for one.

The rewards points on the one card helps to fund my gardening addiction.   

See, the problem is that people who follow Ramsey get stuck on one stage - paying off debt and keeping it gone. He actually has advice for people who want to manage their money once they are dept free. What you are doing is part of it - pay off debt monthly/as it is accrued.  A lot of people stay so afraid that they get stuck on stages 1 & 2 of debt ellimination and never move on.

[Avi]

^  In stark contrast to a hotel I stayed at whilst travelling about on my bike.

Country town.  I walked into a pub, requesting a room for the night.  "No problems - take your pick!"  Gave my name (but no ID or other details).  Offered to pay upfront - "Don't worry about that Love, we'll fix it up tomorrow."  Good-o, then.  Wandered up the stairs, where all doors were open, and all keys in doors.  Picked the nicest room, went back down to the bike to grab my gear.  On the way back through, mentioned I was in room 10 to the barperson.  "Oh, that's a good room!  You'll like that one."

So, the next morning, I headed down to fix up the bill around 10am.  One very bleary looking older bloke cleaning up after what had obviously been a big night.  Explained I was checking out, and wanted to pay for room no. 10, one person, one night.

Him:  "Oh!"  Blank look ensued.  "I don't know what to charge you, and the boss is still drunk!  We had a pretty big one last night." 

Me:     "Well is there a book with prices anywhere, or someone you could ask?"

Him:    "Nah, don't worry about it mate.  Just ring the boss later send us a cheque in the mail when you get home."

Me:      "Are you sure?  There's no-one else you can check with?"

Him:   "Nah, mate - she'll be right!" 

So I did.  Phoned through when I got home, explained the circumstances.  The "Boss" seemed mildly surprised that I'd worried about it!  "Well, if you really want to you can send us a cheque through.  Call it thrity bucks, and that'll do.  We'll see you next time you come through - come and have a drink with us!"

Wow, I'm amazed they stay in business that way! That they do, shows that there are still people (like Redsoil) that have integrity

And there is an Aussie country town for ya!

[Redsoil]

Oh my wordy, yes indeedy!

[Daffodil]

I personally ruined 3 different Christmases in the first two hours at work today.

On our website, it clearly says:
Order and pay by X date = to get it by Xmas Eve
Between X-Y date = $shipping to get it by Xmas Eve
Between Y-Z date = $$shipping to get it by Xmas Eve

The ones I spoke to this morning ordered between Y-Z but didn't pay for the extra shipping to get it there in time. I could have upgraded it for free and usually I would have, but when they accuse the business and me personally of false advertising and that I've ruined their Christmas, suddenly I don't feel all that helpful. If you wait until the last minute to order your presents and don't want to pay to get it there fast, it helps to be polite to the voice on the end of the phone.

Being polite *always* helps !

Sometimes, if a customer asks nicely, or needs the help, we will help them with setting up their email, facebook, online banking etc. on their phone. We will also do phonebook transfers and set up voicemail, etc. Keep in mind, we don't have to do any of this. It's not part of our job, but some of us do it, because we like to help. Sometimes we can spend almost up to an hour with a customer, walking them through everything. It feels good to help, and it makes for happy customers 

If you come in and demand we set up XY&Z for you and act rude .. well, suddenly it's not possible as we do not perform those services, as it's your personal info - sorry. We'll show you the basics, but it's up to you to learn facebook and email, yourself.

[whiterose]

- Customers wanting us to accept credit/debit cards. Both at the circulation desk and at the printer.
- Customers wanting us to accept foreign coins at both.
- Customers wanting us to "make the printer print in color". It is not physically able to do so- period.
- Customers wanting us to fax to long distance numbers and pitching hissy fits when we cannot, claiming some long distance number is local simply because it is in-state.

[Twik]

This is kind of a reverse one, because customers are also not Harry Potter.

Dear Service Tech, you can tell me to change all the settings on my computer you want, but I won't get back on line until your company fixes the server outage in my area.

[Xallanthia]

This is kind of a reverse one, because customers are also not Harry Potter.

Dear Service Tech, you can tell me to change all the settings on my computer you want, but I won't get back on line until your company fixes the server outage in my area.

I had a similar issue recently... dear service tech, the lack of Norton Antivirus on the machine 1) does NOT mean I must have a virus that is slowing down my computer and 2) is NOT the reason that every single internet-capable device in the house (we have 6) is also running slow.

[Reika]

This is kind of a reverse one, because customers are also not Harry Potter.

Dear Service Tech, you can tell me to change all the settings on my computer you want, but I won't get back on line until your company fixes the server outage in my area.

I had a similar issue recently... dear service tech, the lack of Norton Antivirus on the machine 1) does NOT mean I must have a virus that is slowing down my computer and 2) is NOT the reason that every single internet-capable device in the house (we have 6) is also running slow.

I had something similar a few weeks ago. My ISP is a 4G network on cell towers. Granted 4G is different from 3G (which my Kindle is on and was getting 5 bars of full connectivity) and especially from normal cellphone usage (I was calling the ISP on said cellphone which also had full connectivity). But don't tell me that the cell towers near me are completely out of use when I'm using the darn things on devices that aren't connected to my computer. And wasn't the router either, that was the first I unhooked to make sure that wasn't interfering.

There was much stammering of looking into it, then 5 minutes later I had my connection back. Maybe a coincidence, but I don't think so considering the tech's response after looking at something.

[heathert]

I can't believe the number of people this year who call me, an insurance csr who is low on the totum pole, thinking that because it's Christmas we will give them free insurance. I even had an agent ask if he could make a payment through his personal checking account to get a policy re-activated, but "If they don't pay me back, will you reverse the charges?"  Um, no?

I was telling this to my DH, who was no help at all. He has the attitude that because it's insurance, they should give you months to pay, just like credit card companies do.   
I say "Ok, once credit is approved in your name, you can't cancel it at anytime like you do with insurance. I know we're the 'big bad insurance company' but if we gave people months to pay, what's the incentive to pay at all? Why not just cancel it and go to someone else and continue not to pay?"

I guess I don't understand people who don't see that insurance is a business, not a charity. That may sound mean but if we paid everyone's bill who was down on his luck, just got out of the hospital, lost their job, kids won't have Christmas otherwise, *we* would be out of business too!