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May 31, 2014, 04:08:25 PM |
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I have never had a problem making a payment in bitcoin.
I can usually avoid payments online using fiat currencies, but when a friend asks and
says it would be really, really helpful, how to refuse?
But I'm away from the bank with my account, in fact in another country with a different
currency, but whatever, I planned for this and there is a local branch not too far away,
just in case anything goes wrong (this is an _International_ Bank and they have powers).
Just log in online, and make the payment with a plastic card, people do this all the time, right?
The login goes through, (only eight entries) and I begin entering all the "needed" bank
details and after a couple of corrections because the bank is kinda anal about these
things (and quite right too) (another six entries in all) I get to the card reader screen.
Only an idiot could get this wrong, right? That's why they only allow two attempts
before the window in the card reader says "card locked ring bank" ...
If you do this all the time, I suppose you learn quickly, because the downside is quite painful.
It starts with an international phone call to their 24 hour help line. ( Why doesn't bitcoin
have a 24 hour help line that takes international calls? Just asking ...)
The helpful guy cannot help, but the 24 hour webchat people should be able to fix my problem.
The webchat girl is very helpful. All I need to do is go to an ATM machine and use "pin services"
to reset my bank issued card and it's all good. Isn't bank technology wonderful?
I walk to the nearest ATM.
It is not working. I walk back. I need to drive to the next ATM, at the _International_
Bank that has powers just in case. My daughter's car is blocking mine. She is in the shower.
She yells at me but I get her keys and get on the road. I park, and try the nearest ATM.
It has "pin services" but will not allow me to reset my card. I walk to the _International_
Bank that has _powers_, and find that the powers do not include "pin services" ... probably
because I am in another country from where my account is based ...
I drive back. In the vague hope that somehow the "system" understood my plight and enabled
my card I try again and get the same message from the card reader.
I open up the web chat. Yes, they understand my frustration. Actually, I am
not frustrated, but whatever ... and they can help. After checking out some more details
all they need to do is to see me logged into my account. No problem, I log in. And they can
send me a new card in three or five days.
They cannot see me. I am electronically invisible. Hmmm ... maybe I could try clearing out the
vaults to see ... but if I cannot make a payment from my already open account ...
Online webchat girl is very apologetic, but the available options are soon exhausted. She suggests
the telephone service I began with two hours ago.
Well, three hours already gone of the 24 hour service, only another 21 to go.
"Hello .... How can I help?" I recite the story, (leaving out the bit about bitcoin.) And yes, he can help.
I just need to give him some numbers and letters. It seems that all is finally well, except that it may
be up to five days before I again have a working plastic card. But he can make the online payment for
me. Wonderful! Done! "enjoy the rest of your day!" "You too"
You see, that's where bitcoin is going wrong. It just works every time. And it dosn't worry if you
have a problem or say "Hello ... how can I help?" or "enjoy the rest of your day" There's definitely
room for improvement somewhere ;-)
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