Credit card madness

So, small business owners often have to "float" expenses.  Our new magazine has a line of credit, but when I draw on it the magazine will have to pay interest starting the day I make the draw. Whereas if I put the expense on another credit card, say, for instance, one that I pay off every month and therefore never have to pay interest on....well, the company will not have interest charges for that amount for 3-5 weeks, until I file for reimbursement.

So.....

Last Thursday I filled out the authorization to put the magazine pre-bill (half of the cost of printing an issue) on my personal credit card. I noticed that the expiration date was two weeks hence.  I called the company. "Please send new cards....and by the way, please let the fraud division know that today a charge larger than my usual monthly total will come through. "No problem, Ms. Stewart" (cardholder since 1998).

About 30 minutes later the phone rang. It was a supervisor from the credit card company. He informed me, regretfully, that the customer service rep had accidentally/inadvertently cancelled my card. Oops.  I told him about the abnormally large charge, and basically laid a big guilt-trip on him about holding up the publication of the magazine (publishing world strange fact: you don't get your real bill until you submit all materials, and then it is due immediately or you delay printing.

After an hour on the phone and a 3-way with fabulous Missy at the printers, I had had a new card issued, used to pay the printer via phone, and then cancelled because the fraud division requires that when a card is "compromised" by being given out by phone.  A new card was issued. I asked for overnight delivery. The rep knew I was traveling the next day and wanted to send the new cards to my destination--but I was going to the Outer Banks, and honestly didn't know my destination address. "Send them to my husband's office."

No cards arrived the next day, a Friday. I spent most of the weekend trying to call the supervisor. On Monday I got rather nasty when I received email notification that Amazon was gonna pull my latest purchase off my Kindle because the card had failed.  Finally I called the 800 number on the back of my (3x) expired card, explained what had happened, and was immediately patched thru to another supervisor. He said the card order had been cancelled (!) because I had not answered either of two calls from the fraud division to confirm that I had ordered cards sent to my husband's office. Um, even though I had TOLD them that I would be traveling. The order for the 4th replacement cards was issued.

The next day an overnight package arrived. A credit card. Mine only.  I had another exchange and ordered a card for my husband, who is traveling this week.

Next time, the company can pay the darn interest.