a heartwarming tale for Christmas...

As the dialogue in "Home Alone" goes: "This is *Christmas*. The season of perpetual hope. And I don't care if I have to get out on your runway and hitchhike. If it costs me everything I own, if I have to sell my soul to the devil himself, I am going to get home to my son."

well i didn't leave my cute little son at home alone while jaunting off to gay paris.. but i am in a way trying to get back home to ward off thieves..

i have a little Christmas story to tell you.. sit down by the fireplace and get all cozy comfy; bring a hot mug of hot chocolate and settle in.. bring a blanket.. this is one of those scary Christmas tales, my children - and i caution you each to be very afraid, because what happened to our protagonist in this yuletide tale could very well happen to you....

this past thursday as i was getting ready to leave my office, i decided to check my bank balance.. being a single mom who is about to lose managing custody of my son (which also will take away $800.00 a month in child support), i have found myself in not only deep emotional turmoil over losing my son, but incredible financial distress as well, so i thought it best to keep on top of what little money i do have..

imagine my surprise when i saw my balance was WAY OFF - to the tune of now having MINUS $150.00 ... i noticed two charges in my account that i had not made - one is a $200 charge to Sprint PCS, and the other is a $500 charge to Verizon Wireless.. i don't have an account with either of these companies, nor had i made any purchases from them..

i immediately called the phone number on the back of my bank card, issued by Wells Fargo.. and they told me there was nothing they could do except to mail me some forms which would arrive in 3-5 days.. and then i am to sign them, return them, and then a couple of days later, they will investigate the fraudulent charges.. and then hopefully MY money ($700..... argggggggg) would be credited back to me..

thanks a pant load..

meantime - i am BROKE.. and i don't get paid til this friday.. no groceries, no gas.. and definitely no more christmas presnents (jes, i always misspell it) for anyone that i haven't already bought for.. fortunately, my son is out of town this week with his (**COUGH COUGH**) dad, so i don't have to worry about food..

Merry Christmas..

ok.. so on friday, i looked at my account again.. and lo and behold - there was the $500 put back in!! the $200 was still pending, but at least i was in the positive.. i was a happy little girl, for sure..

silly me - i paid a bill saturday morning online without looking at my bank balance - cause guess what?? the $500 was GONE again! and of course, the $200 was still pending - but NOW what was originally dated 12/15 was now dated 12/19 (today's date).. and again, i am at minus $150.00....

huh? wha?

so Doug and i decided to go to my bank and confront them in person.. perhaps get some answers and help.. you know, customer service..

right..

the people working there at Wells Fargo are nothing but mouthpieces for coporate BS.. all they could say was that they understand, but there was nothing they could do to return my money.. despite the fact that their lobby is LINED with FBI warnings, and assurances that the bank protects its customers from fraud.. HA!

to top it all off - i had what is probably my last child support check, and the 1st MORON told me to go through the teller line, and ask them to cash the check, and then deposit into my account (because a deposit from a check takes 2 days to hit my account) so that i would have a positive balance.. so we went through the line, and the teller told us he just can't do that for me... and WHY you ask?????

go ahead, ask why, dear children.. mama will continue her glorious Christmas story --

because my account was in the NEGATIVE!!!!!!!!!!

ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

sure, they can deposit it.. but it will be tuesday before it hits my balance.. i ask why the F the 1st woman told me they could cash it and deposit it.. and they say she is just a personal banker, and doesn't know the rules..

all this time, mind you, i am asking for a supervisor - for someone in charge - and they tell me that there is no super working that day.. when i ask them to call the super, they say they can't do that.. and of course, there is no one there with any authority at all to help me..

so it takes Doug yelling so that all the other VICTIMS of Wells Fargo who are waiting in line to hear that they too could have their money STOLEN and not having any protection from their bank.. and it takes reducing me to SOBBING TEARS, pleading for mercy and help.. before they say they will give me $100 from my child support check i am depositing so i can buy some gas and maybe a little food..

of course they ask for 2 forms of ID.. i have one - my driver's license, but the idiot personal banker took my ATM card since they had to close that account.. and the stupid teller just can't get over the fact that i just now have one form of ID.. i keep telling him that the woman standing TWO PEOPLE away from him has my ATM card, but he is a moron of KING KONG proportions.. finally he asks if i have my social security card as ID, and yeah, i do.. so woopdiedoooooooo, i get $100.00 of my own money..

again, Doug is almonst screaming, and i am bawling like a beaten child.. and i am sure we made a great scene, but damn it - these people just do not care one single bit.. they would not call their supervisor; they wouldn't cash a government issued child support check in order to deposit MONEY into my account; they tried to HUSH my Man who was only looking out for my well being as well as my RIGHTS..

he has written about this on his blog - you can read it under the post called
The Wells Fargo rollercoaster ...

so where are we now in this spine-tingling, spooky story?

back to "Home Alone" -- "I have been awake for almost 60 hours. I'm tired and I'm dirty. I have been from Wells Fargo 800 number to Verizon to Sprint to Wells Fargo bank branch to Paris to Dallas to... where the hell am I? NOWHERE.. I am trying to get home to my eight-year-old son. And now that I'm this close, you're telling me it's hopeless?"

maybe not.. maybe Santy Claus has some answers and resolution.. i just hope none of you, my dear children, do business with the grinchly Wells Fargo..

what i wouldn't do to have little Kevin McCallister on my side so he could set up his arsenal of army men and booby traps to take 'em down!

Keep the change ya filthy animal!