The Universe Thinks It Is Sooooo Funny

Last month, when I was paying my bills online on a headache day, I didn't notice that I had put one payment in the wrong line. I only realized it the following week, when it was processing and too late to cancel.

The money that was supposed to go to my credit card went to Macy's instead, which was particularly annoying given that I haven't used the Macy's card in over five years. I was uneasy at the thought of how much work it would be to get my money back. (Cue ominous music.) I dug out an old bill (2005!), and procrastinate.

My first actual progress was to go into a Macy's store and ask. No dice, the in-store people can't do anything.

Step two, call Macy's. Navigate through the auto-system, which wants my account number and then claims it's no good. What's worse, it's a "press or say" system, meaning I can't curse out loud without getting the bland "I'm sorry, I didn't understand that."

Eventually get through to a human, but she is no help. She doesn't understand my explanation, I have trouble with her accent, she can't find my account (even by SSN), and eventually she says she will have to transfer me to billing adjustments. Click click, and dead air. She didn't cut me off, but the call goes nowhere.

I hang up and call back, fight the autobot again, and get another person. Very pleasant, but no more able to find the account than the first one. She tells me that I will have to get my bank to fax them a "transmittal" so they can research it. She gives me the fax number, and tells me that the bank will know what a transmittal is.

I looked at the transaction online, and notice that there is a link to send a payment inquiry about it. What the heck, I put the request in and send it. This was July 16th. A few days later, there was a message acknowledging the request, but then nothing further.

I decide to go into an actual bank, and today at lunch walked to the branch in town and asked. The woman was very pleasant, but did not know what a transmittal was (nor did her manager), and she had to call the online banking people to ask. Who knew that the building and online were such different banks? Eventually the man on the phone had enough information to say that he should be able to take care of it. Whew.

When I got home, I found a letter from the bank telling me that they faxed the information to Macy's as I requested, on Tuesday.

...

So, will Macy's send me a refund without my having to follow up? Will they send it twice, if the bank faxes twice? What will happen next in this crazy story? I'm afraid to find out.