Photo © Cara Purdy

Last Saturday I received my monthly credit card statement, which included a $49 fee for the privilege of allowing the bank to charge me 15% interest. Irritated, I decided to cancel my VisaMasterExpress card. The first sign of trouble was that there was no customer service phone number on the card. There was, however, a number to call if the card was lost or stolen. (Think about that for a second. The number to report a missing card is on the missing card.)

Feeling rebellious, I called the number even though the card was in my possession. Apparently, a whole lot of other people do this because the automated menu said, “If you’re calling about your membership fee, press 1.” So I did.

When I entered my account information, the computer responded, “Good news! You are eligible for the special offer of a $10 membership fee, but you must act now by pressing 1.” So I did.

Then the computer said, “Congratulations! You are eligible to apply for an increase of your credit limit. If you’d like to do so, press 1.”

By that point, my finger was like a well-trained dog, so I just followed the instructions. Besides, I was hoping the nice computer voice would give me more good news.