Maybe I was just feeling overly confident after getting my visa at the first attempt and being let into the US without a strip search - where I come from, such feats make it to the papers, right below "athlete almost makes it to first round of obscure unknown Olympic sport". Maybe it was that hogwash 'secret' book I'd just read which claims that if you really want something the universe hears you and makes sure you get it. Because that fateful day when I walked into HSBC to open an account, I expected to walk out with a credit card. With a giant spending limit. First of all, what the hell is a person supposed to do here with a credit card and second, any activities I had in mind (read shopping, eating and shopping) absolutely could not be carried out without one. So imagine my dismay when the nice man behind the desk politely told me that I'd been rejected. Reason: no credit history. Err...I just got here 3 days ago, how am I supposed to build up a credit history if you don't give me a credit card?
So after rejecting me and rendering 80% of my list-of-things-to-do-in-America undoable, I was cheerily told to "have a good one!" and escorted right out of the bank. Ironically, the door to the bank was right next to the bus stop and the universe could not have done a better job of putting me in my place.
That was the first one. What followed after was like a rejection sitcom. Every week I would find myself in a not-so-funny situation where someone would turn me down (and secretly giggle about it, I'm sure!)
Gap Shopping Card? Rejected. Reason - no credit history.
State Driving License Test? Not allowed to take. Reason - not enough credit cards or shopping cards, thus not enough points required to take it.
ZipCar Membership? Not eligible. Reason - absence of state driving license.
You see?? You see how crap feeds on itself and gives you more crap to deal with? And do you see how no American movie ever prepares you for rejections of this nature? I mean, the worst thing that ever happened to Carrie was when her shoes got stolen at a party. And at the end of the episode, she even got that lady to buy her a new pair. Sigh. This was not what I signed up for.
3 comments:
ha.
somewhat earlier in time, but when I went to Canada for my undergrad, I had to look for an apartment. But landlords would not rent to me because I didn't have a bank account. So I went to the bank, only to be told that I could not open an account because I did not have an address.
These are to life what infinite loops and cyclic redundancy failures are to Windows.
Credit history accrues from not defaulting on phone/internet/utility bills and maintaining decent bank balances and whatnot. But I'm sure you've figured it out by now.
wow! i'm just (very happily) shocked that you found my new blog and left me a message.
thank you cyberswami! you just made my day. and although i'm not sure how, i suspect your comment is going to have a very profound effect on me and this blog...
you're right of course, about the infinite loops, the veiled insult at windows and what it takes to figure on a bank's lending radar.
thanks again for coming, reading and commenting. hopefully we'll be seeing more of each other.
Well, maybe a lesson learned ( meant in a good way ).
Hope you have some cards by now!
Keep writing ..I enjoyed reading every bit of it.
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