It was the first credit card I
ever had, as a 19-year-old college student. I and a group of friends had gone
to the Regal Hollywood 27 multiplex in Nashville, Tennessee, to see the movie The
Original Kings of Comedy, an uproarious concert film featuring an all-star line-up
of America’s funniest black comedians. It was a Friday night, so the lines at
the box office were very long. Luckily, it didn’t matter: the movie theater had
installed electronic kiosks that accepted plastic means of payment. I inserted
my card, bought my ticket, and ran to screen 15 to see the show.
Many great laughs later, we all went back to my friend’s house, started drinking beer and ordered a pizza. I didn’t have any cash, so I was going to pay with my credit card and my friends would pay me back. Just one problem: where was my credit card?
After frantically rummaging through my wallet and looking in my car, I came to the only possible conclusion: I left my credit card in the machine at the movie theater! Oh no. My life is over, I thought. Some hooligans will have found it immediately after all it was a crowded theater. They might have probably used my card to ring up hundreds of dollars worth of popcorn and Sprite!
I calmed myself down and thought: okay, what can I do about this? It was nearly 11:00 pm, so I assumed the credit card company would be closed for business, but I called the number on my card (using a landline; this was the year 2000, and I may have had my first credit card, but no cell phone yet). Eventually I made it through to a customer service line in India. It took a while to sort out. Meanwhile in the background my stupid friends were getting drunker and drunker, asking why I was still on the phone, which made the whole process even more annoying.
But in the end, everything was fine: the customer service rep was able to cancel the card and send me a new one, which would arrive the following week. He told me to keep an eye on the statement, and make sure no fraudulent charges had been run up by thieves of my old card. The fraud protection offered by the credit card company meant that I would not be held responsible for any disputed charges. What great news!
I was terrified the first time I lost a credit card, but I’ve misplaced and recovered a few since then, and I was never again as panicked. If you’ve been through it once, you know that if your card is lost or even stolen, your credit card company will most likely take care of you. It’s the criminals they want to punish, not you.
Many great laughs later, we all went back to my friend’s house, started drinking beer and ordered a pizza. I didn’t have any cash, so I was going to pay with my credit card and my friends would pay me back. Just one problem: where was my credit card?
After frantically rummaging through my wallet and looking in my car, I came to the only possible conclusion: I left my credit card in the machine at the movie theater! Oh no. My life is over, I thought. Some hooligans will have found it immediately after all it was a crowded theater. They might have probably used my card to ring up hundreds of dollars worth of popcorn and Sprite!
I calmed myself down and thought: okay, what can I do about this? It was nearly 11:00 pm, so I assumed the credit card company would be closed for business, but I called the number on my card (using a landline; this was the year 2000, and I may have had my first credit card, but no cell phone yet). Eventually I made it through to a customer service line in India. It took a while to sort out. Meanwhile in the background my stupid friends were getting drunker and drunker, asking why I was still on the phone, which made the whole process even more annoying.
But in the end, everything was fine: the customer service rep was able to cancel the card and send me a new one, which would arrive the following week. He told me to keep an eye on the statement, and make sure no fraudulent charges had been run up by thieves of my old card. The fraud protection offered by the credit card company meant that I would not be held responsible for any disputed charges. What great news!
I was terrified the first time I lost a credit card, but I’ve misplaced and recovered a few since then, and I was never again as panicked. If you’ve been through it once, you know that if your card is lost or even stolen, your credit card company will most likely take care of you. It’s the criminals they want to punish, not you.
About the Author:
This article is written by Eliza Morgan. Eliza offers lending and debt advice. If you have any questions email her at elizamorgan85@gmail.com.
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