Tall, Small

5.4.2014


I held on to a Starbucks® Coffee gift certificate for 10 years or so.  Notice I said, "gift certificate," and not "gift card."  That should tell you that it was some time ago indeed that I got the gift certificate.  I put the date of reception at 1995 or so.  I got it from my producer for pulling an entire week of triple-shifts (it sucked!).  My producer was very cool, so while the triple was no fun, it wasn't that big of a deal and her $10 coffee gift was appreciated.  Even though it was Starbucks® - ha.

If ya did the math, you probably put my redemption of the gift certificate at around 2005 or so.  The gal at the register had to check with her manager in the back who looked the artifact over and said, OK.

I'm rehashing this riveting story here to set up a story of another relic that I dug up but was not successful at redeeming:  An AT&T "phone card."  I had a ONE HUNDRED DOLLAR AT&T "PHONE CARD."

I found it a while back while purging one of the various archives I have laying about the place.  It was nestled up against my Chicago Public Library library card, several business cards and my Blockbuster™video card.  I chucked all of them but the phone card.  I wondered how much money was left on it and, Hell, if it still worked.

I called the customer service number on the back of the card and got an error message.  No such number.  I said, the Hell with it and followed the numbered instructions:  First call the service.  That failed too.  There was no such service.  I called AT&T and the goon who answered did not even know what I was talking about.  I figured as much - AT&T has merged, changed and overhauled itself so many times that today's AT&T isn't the same company as AT&T five years ago, let alone 20 years ago.

So I pitched the card into the recycle bin, chalking up $100 in long distance calls to a couple ounces of plastic.

Say ... are long distance calls called "long distance calls" anymore? 

Tonight - The Homestead (naturally...)


bye-ee!
whrr ... clik!