More Adventures in Unemployment

I don't mind telling you, folks, that if this weren't happening to me... if this weren't something I was painfully experiencing on pretty much a daily basis, I wouldn't believe it. No, I really wouldn't. When I asked my roommate if she would have believed me, if I had tried to tell her the story of what she has seen unfolding, she agreed that she would have assumed I was telling tales. Unfortunately for me, I am not embellishing one iota of my dealings with the California EDD, The United States Postal Service and now... Washington Mutual Bank.

No, I'm not looking to be extremist or pathetically desiring of dramatic effect, so I am not suggesting that these institutions are in cahoots with one another. What I'm putting forth, here, is nothing like that. But what I am finding is that apathy and opportunism have gained an all-time low that many people are probably lucky enough to not have to notice. Yet, when you are in the position that I am in... bent over a barrel, so to speak... you have no choice but to deal with that cold incompetence and hope to heaven that someone is feeling like doing a little work that day and that is what has led me to the keyboard today.

Now that I seem to be getting my unemployment checks with some semblance of regularity, a new crux has arisen and it goes by the name of WAMU.

I opened an account with WAMU on December 10th, seeking refuge from the rampant bumbling that now curses my once efficient credit union. Take-overs can do that to any good business and it certainly has with Vista (now Partners). If they were not the loan holders for my car and a credit card I have no chance of paying off any time soon, I would already have closed my accounts with them. I had hoped that WAMU would be better. They have been exponentially worse.

It took them two months to get my ATM card and pin number to me. I finally had both as of last weekend and flushed with relief of standing in lengthy lines at the branch, I deposited my unemployment check on Monday night. Charges were about to go through and it never, ever occurred to me that a bank would be suspicious of my unemployment check.

I was wrong, so very wrong.

Washington Mutual put a 10 day hold on the funds. These funds were supposed to cover such necessities as rent, car insurance, etc.

When I called them to find out why they had put a hold on a government check, they said, "We can't get someone at the State of California to confirm that the check is good."

We're talking about 900 dollars. If the State of California doesn't have 900 bucks in the kitty, we are in DEEP SHIT, people!

If that weren't bad enough, the harpie that I managed to get on the line was hostile toward me when I didn't understand what she was telling me. I have never heard of government checks being held under such suspicion and scrutiny. I've never had trouble cashing such checks at liquor stores or seedy check cashing places, so of course it didn't dawn on me that WAMU would have issue. Again, I was mistaken.

I tried to explain to the beeeawtch that was yelling at me over the phone, that I genuinely didn't understand what was being told to me, and she literally began yelling over me. I asked for a supervisor, she said she was one. I asked for a manager. She asked for my callback number. That was two hours ago and I've not had one phone call since.

So I called back and got someone reasonably pleasant and helpful and she told me that when she called the California State Treasurer, they refused to confirm that the check was good or not. All he was at liberty to discuss was that there was no hold placed on the check at their end. That was not good enough for WAMU to release my money. She suggested I go down to the unemployment office and get a letter stating that the check is good.

Hahahahahah! Human interatction? Seriously?


I explained to her that this was not only impossible, but that even if I called to request such a letter, it would take at least until their ridiculous hold was over to get it, and by then my rent check, insurance, etc, would all be bounced and cost me at least 100 dollars. She said her hands were tied, so I asked for the Treasurer's phone number and called. I got some guy named Jeff.

Jeff didn't answer his phone but his voicemail said that if there was an emergency, to call another number he gave. I called that number. Nobody answered.

You have GOT to be kidding me, right?

So I called the EDD and went in the sneaky way. When I got a hold of an operator he exasperatedly transferred me to claims, where a woman of about 200 answered the phone and immediately put me on hold. Four minutes later, she came back and transferred me to an adjuster. Apparently, the adjuster is working on this situation now.

Am I hopeful? No. Not even remotely.

As always I am struck by the fact that this is happening to me, someone who desperately needs the flow of her money to stay fluid in order for her very survival to continue, but I don't really hear of these things happening to others. Not much, anyway. Is everyone being quiet? Are you all just hoping someone else will take care of it? What is going on here?!

All I know is that the more I try to follow the rules and stick within the lines, the more I am thwarted. But I'll keep going for now. There's not much else better to do. But I think I will start cashing my checks and stuffing the money in my mattress. Seriously. This is rigoddamneddiculous!