On Hold. Again

Unsurprisingly, calling the credit card company to notify them of travel outside the country is a pain in the ass. Push 1, push 4, push 4, push 1, push 1 to notify of travel starting in 48 hours. So I tell "Kathy" that I need to notify the company of travel so I don't have my card turned off. She tells me I need to talk to the fraud department and transfers me.

On hold for 5 minutes and "Natasha" answers. I give her my cc num, name, and some other information. How can she help. I need to let them know I'm travelling. Back on hold...

"Natasha" is back a couple minutes. She's having problems retrieving information and I'm back on hold. She's back. Where am I going? Costa Rica. She doesn't know what that is. I have to spell it for her. Back on hold...

Finally she comes back and says I'm set up. What bothered me was having to go through the whole phone system to get a menu option that is exactly what I want and then have to go on hold while they transfer me to someone else. There's no call for that crap.

I also noticed that my credit card company is scaling back despite raising everyone's rates into the stratosphere. The phone line connecting me to India was terrible. Staticy and cutting in and out the entire time. And "Kathy" and "Natasha" need some more training. Multiple times I was sitting there, not on hold, and there was radio silence from their end.