I had my ATM blocked. I called WaMu before I left but they still blocked it. WaMu has a new phone menu and I could not figure out what item to select to tell them I was going out of the country. I looked up the web and found a way around the menu. Or so I thought. Whoever I talked to must have been a backup person and they did not enter that I was going out of the country. I should have guessed something was up because they did not tell me to call back in 30 days. Capital One said they could only put the out of country alert on for 30 days.

My ATM card worked fine in Amsterdam and when I arrived in Villefranche. But when I tried to use it a second time in Villefranche, it was refused. I thought it was because I was using it within 24 hours of the last usage. So I waited and tried again before I went to dinner with my friends. I was refused a second time. Eck! I was down to 20 euros. I wanted to panic but I stayed calm and did enjoy dinner.

But I called right after I got back to my apartment. I had to talk to fraud to explain that I was in Europe and yes I did withdrawal money in Amsterdam and France. I totally understand and appreciate it because Bank of America stopped the fraud when my credit card number was stolen via the internet in January. They also called G. He tried to help but I had already contacted them and got the hold released.

What I don’t appreciate is the difficulty it is to communicate with WaMu. Their new phone system is so difficult. Their menu is geared towards a certain customer and they have no options for other services. I have been a customer of theirs for 25 years but I am seriously considering leaving. Their service is so poor.

But I’m back in the cash now.