I traveled up to the Manchester derby by train today from Wolverhampton. My wife had been down on the South coast for a few days and she was getting into Wolverhampton station about an hour after I left it. So I hatched a cunning plan: I was to drive to the station in her car, leave it in the car park, catch my train, text her where I'd left the car so she could find it and drive home, picking me up later.
Sounds fine, except I left my mobile at home. End of cunning plan.
So there I was on Wolverhampton station unable to contact my wife to tell her were I'd left the car. I couldn't remember her mobile number but could remember the telephone number of a friend who could. New plan: ring the friend and get them to ring my wife. Problem: I had no change.
So, into a phone kiosk that accepts credit cards. In goes the Barclaycard, I dial the number and get the international operator, who cuts me off!
I try again, same result! By now my train is due so I hop on board. I have to change at Crewe and decide to try again there. In goes my card: Card Refused!
Only a few minutes to spare, I dash into W.H. Smiths and get change. I use cash and get through to my friend: yes, she'll ring my wife.
I get to the match, City win and my wife picks me up later from the station. I get home to find that there are four calls from the same, unknown number on my mobile and a recorded message: Please Ring Barclaycard.
Barclaycard: Yes we stopped your card because there was an unusual usage pattern. We rang your mobile four times but you didn't respond.
Me: I couldn't respond because I didn't have my mobile and that was also the reason for the unusual usage.
I don't know whether to be pleased or not.
Anyway, Barclaycard also asked me to confirm that the last 3 transactions were indeed mine. As a result I found that each of those calls (that didn't go through) cost £6!!!!! That's £12 just to be cut off by the international operator!
Sounds fine, except I left my mobile at home. End of cunning plan.
So there I was on Wolverhampton station unable to contact my wife to tell her were I'd left the car. I couldn't remember her mobile number but could remember the telephone number of a friend who could. New plan: ring the friend and get them to ring my wife. Problem: I had no change.
So, into a phone kiosk that accepts credit cards. In goes the Barclaycard, I dial the number and get the international operator, who cuts me off!
I try again, same result! By now my train is due so I hop on board. I have to change at Crewe and decide to try again there. In goes my card: Card Refused! Only a few minutes to spare, I dash into W.H. Smiths and get change. I use cash and get through to my friend: yes, she'll ring my wife.
I get to the match, City win and my wife picks me up later from the station. I get home to find that there are four calls from the same, unknown number on my mobile and a recorded message: Please Ring Barclaycard.
Barclaycard: Yes we stopped your card because there was an unusual usage pattern. We rang your mobile four times but you didn't respond.
Me: I couldn't respond because I didn't have my mobile and that was also the reason for the unusual usage.
I don't know whether to be pleased or not.
Anyway, Barclaycard also asked me to confirm that the last 3 transactions were indeed mine. As a result I found that each of those calls (that didn't go through) cost £6!!!!!
That's £12 just to be cut off by the international operator!
