I'm about one week into the trip.
Saga 1, the stretch from Minneapolis to Edmonton, Alberta is completed. My motorcycle Lechuza is now sitting at a Bunk-A-Biker home, it is more of a "Bunk-a-Bike" at the moment, and I'll have so much more to say about the folks it's staying with later. In a word, they're amazing.
Anyway, I've started to run into some snags. I know everyone is different, but the reason I get upset when I run into issues is for several reasons. For one, there's a noticeable delay in the fun. Things I 'want' to do are delayed for things I 'must' do and that can really cause some mental anguish. This is all supposed to be for FUN right? Why am I not having FUN!?
Also, issues can arise because things that are both in or outside of my control. They both upset me for different reasons, and sometimes it's both within and outside of my control!
Example 1: My US-Cellphone carrier: StraightTalk Wireless:
StraightTalk is a kind of discount phone carrier. A close friend has had them for years and never had an issue. In fact they've probably saved thousands over the decade or so they've been using them. So, I decided I would switch from a major carrier I'd been using for years, since I was a middle-schooler, to StraightTalk. The setup was clunky but I thought it was worth it. Then, out of no where, my service stopped. NO more calls, no more texts. That means no calls to the bank, no confirmation / verification texts to get into websites, among other issues. I was hopping into Canada in less than 2 days when it occurred, so I look at my schedule and decided, because I had downtime today, I was going to tackle it.
How I tried:
-I don't have calling or texting, so I use instant messaging on StraightTalk Website.
-Website asks me if I can confirm my identity by sending a text to my phone. I cannot receive texts.
-I receive email, and they get to work.
-I reset network settings, take SIM card in and out, reset phone numerous times.
-Customer service rep asks me if I have another phone I can call from. I don't, I was outside of a closed library on open Wi-Fi by myself a thousand miles from home, alone.
-They tell me that the service must be broken because I'm away from home. Thanks for talking with us, bye.
I was furious.
I decide to use resources at my disposal and utilize my tax dollars in a unique way- I'll ask the customer service desk at the National Park if I can use their landline.
-They send me to the HQ / office building and I sit at the reception desk.
- I call, they put me through the SAME process of taking the SIM in and out, resetting network settings, restarting phone. I cannot skip the process, they insist I do it again.
- After begrudgingly humoring them and wasting another 20 minutes, I find out new information!
- The status of my SIM card had been changed from "active" to "registering".
- They say it's going to take 20 minutes to change it and they CANNOT stay on the phone.
- They'll call me back in 20 or I can call a number and go to an extension they give me.
- After hanging up, 20 minutes later, nothing. I call the number, enter the extension, and it's the same waiting-music. I'm in a queue for a new person. "What horseshit" I can't help but think.
- I hang up, the office gets a call. It's from a similar 888 number. I answer, it's waiting-music. I'm in queue again.
SCREW IT.
I thank the people in the office for letting me use their phone. It was a Friday. They wanted to close up soon. I was bitter. It's inside my control to pay extra for a more reliable cell carrier, but it was outside my control that the "registering" status was my status.
4 hours later, I receive a rush of texts and it seems it's working again. They must've got to work. I cheaped out on a discount carrier, I'm going to inferior service. It burned a good 2-3 hours on the phone and on a chat program to get this back.
Example 2: My Credit Union, Credit Card, and Debit Card:
It's good to have cash in another country. Some things cannot be paid for by card. Sometimes the card stops working. Some things are just easier in cash.
On the phone with my Credit Union in Montana, I inform them I'm going to be in Canada for a few months so they should make a declaration on my card.
Later, across the 48th parallel in Medicine Hat, Alberta, after I'd gotten my new Canadian SIM card squared away in my cellphone, I went to an ATM in the same mall to withdraw some cash.
-It tells me I cannot withdraw in cash, the card is not valid.
-I swear to myself and try to call the number on the card, but it's a US number. I cannot call from a Canadian SIM card that doesn't have international calls. I'm going to have to email them.
-I try to use my Credit Card, that too doesn't work.
-I call the international number on my Credit Card and it turns out "Cash Advance" has interest and exchange fees that are obscene. The credit card is out.
-I try to look at the balance on the Credit Card but I can only access my app with a "two-factor authentication"
-One is tapping your credit card against your phone. It reads it but says it's not the right number. The function is obviously broken, the numbers match. I still have no idea how to fix this.
-The other authentication process is sending a verification text. It's to my US SIM. I cannot get that in Canada.
-The situation is looking worse than it started. I cannot even get into my credit card website or app. They don't allow verification emails.
I'm still on a quest for Cash. I gotta make this work.
-I remember an episode of the podcast "Adventure Rider Radio" that some ATMs don't take MasterCard, or other types of cards. I figure it's possible that the ATM I used wasn't accustomed to a MasterCard, so I should try to do it at another location.
-Once I arrive in Calgary, I try to use it at a bank next to a gas station.
-The ATM eats my card. It's now gone.
I'm furious, once again. I try riding in the direction of the hostel I'm going to stay at but I'm too pissed and take a few wrong turns. I'll have to communicate to the Credit Union by email from here to find out what happened.
I informed them I'd be in Canada on a Friday, it was now Sunday. Is it possible the guy just said "Yeah I'll get to it" and then went away for the weekend?
In conclusion, I'm now stateside for a wedding that is the break between Saga 1 and Saga 2.
I'm going to the Credit Union to get a new card and I've straightened things out with the card's status.
I also found out that if I'm in Wifi, I can stil receive and send texts as if I was on my US phone, so I found a bridge for accessing my credit card account online or via app. I just have to be within wifi.
The thing is, all of these things can be handled, but they cannot always be done so in the time we want them to be. We want things to be fixed because we have the time and are able, but we must learn to be flexible when the problems arise. Some are within our control, some are not. Some problems start with us, again, many of them don't.
I know there will be more. The more I run into, the more flexible I'll be for a BIG one that hopefully never rears its ugly head.
JT - 7/15/2022