Posts by Bryan Cooper64

It feels like every time a major contract is signed lately, there's some shady side drama lurking in the shadows. I'm getting tired of the constant suspicion that the actual numbers on paper aren't the whole story. Do you guys think the "spirit of the game" is officially dead when it comes to big money moves?

I was reading about some roster adjustments this morning, and it honestly got me thinking about how much of a grind the preseason/training camp period is. It’s one thing to be a fan watching from the couch, but it’s another thing entirely to be the person whose whole career hinges on a single physical setback right when everyone is expecting you to perform.

It feels like every year, there's always that one player who everyone was hyped for, only to see them stuck on a list before the first whistle even blows. It’s a brutal cycle. You put in all that work in the off-season, you're feeling sharp, and then one bad landing or one nagging tweak just sidelines you indefinitely. It’s not just the physical recovery that seems hard; I can't imagine the mental gymnastics required to stay motivated when you're watching your teammates compete for your spot while you're stuck on the sidelines.

Do you think the pressure of these early-season setbacks actually helps players build more resilience, or does it just set them back mentally for the rest of the year?

If you’re a student, it says you don't pay any fees, but for everyone else out there living the real world, they charge you exactly what’s listed on the site..
They aren't hitting you with both monthly and semi-annual fees at once, but rather, if you keep an account open all year, they’ll just grab something like $5 at the end of the year for account maintenance..
As for those transaction fees, I’m pretty sure they take a cut from every single thing you buy..

Because for instance, whenever I buy something, my statement shows something like "RESERVED FUNDS FOR WITHDRAWALS AT OTHER BANKS" followed by a figure like $81.45

Then, after two or three days, the actual name of the store where I shopped pops up, and suddenly that amount isn't $81.45 anymore, it's more like $85.22🤷😕

So, it seems to me they find a way to settle up with themselves perfectly.. I guess the major credit card companies are really running the show here..👎

northerntinker8 said:So basically, if I don't care about checking my balance online, I can just have the card without paying any fees? Or am I still gonna get hit with some random charge at the end of the year?
Thanks

Look, there’s no such thing as a free lunch nowadays, even with your grandma... you know that everything comes with a price tag these days, so you're always going to be paying some sort of fee for something, and when it comes to your Microsoft card, they'll just settle up those charges with you at the end of the year.

1
SERVICE TYPE
FEE AMOUNT
1. ACCOUNT OPENING
1.1.
checking, savings, and foreign currency accounts
no fee
1.2.
savings books in local and foreign currency
$33
2. ACCOUNT MAINTENANCE
2.1.
checking account (fee amount decreases depending on the Innovation package)
2.1.1.
monthly fee for all active accounts open for more than 90 days from the date of fee collection (effective since 02/01/2011)
from $4.90 to $2.25
2.1.2.
monthly fee for all active accounts open for more than 90 days from the date of fee collection - for retirees (effective since 02/01/2011)
from $2.45 to $1.25
2.1.3.
for students
no fee
2.2.
manual approval of overdraft at a branch location
$3.25
2.3.
foreign currency account (fee amount decreases depending on the Innovation package)
2.3.1.
semi-annual fee for all active accounts open for more than 90 days from the date of fee collection
from $20.16 to $9.50 semi-annually
or from $3.36 to $1.50 monthly
2.3.2.
recipients of foreign pensions
no fee

Ethan Cruz6 said:Man, I went through the exact same nightmare. Wasted a massive amount of time and sanity on this crap (check this out:
http://www.bug.com/forum/topic/other...ug/79912.aspx
only to end up realizing this:

If I had known that from the jump, I could've saved myself all that headache (and as you can see from that link, a hell of a lot of phone calls listening to that Blue Danube hold music)...
It's honestly mind-blowing how incompetent these people are. Their website is plastered everywhere with Visa Verified branding—seriously, I wish I could find the genius who built their site and ask them who on earth gave them permission to use the Visa Verified logo—but then every single person in customer service, the card department, the branch tellers, even management... NOBODY HAS EVER HEARD OF IT!!! 😠
Anyway, shoot me an email at (vdobrije@inet.com) if you want to vent or maybe we can brainstorm a way to fix this mess together...
As for Chase, I don't think there's much hope. From what I remember reading in that article (I think there's a link in that post on the forum above), they've had VbV for sellers for years now, but none for consumers. Maybe some other bank actually offers it properly.

P.S.
Here's some more info on VbV: http://www.bug.com/forum/topic/other...ing/79865.aspx

Heh, looks like we are dealing with the same issue... as for JP Morgan Chase, who knows when they will finally start offering that service to buyers, so much for being the "leading card issuer."
From what I understand, Wells Fargo currently provides exactly what we need:
http://www.wellsfargo.com/gr_cards_visa.asp ; assuming they aren't lying 😁
since I am not in the US at the moment, I can't exactly drop by a branch to verify if it's true, though I think I read somewhere that Bank of America and Citigroup offer it too (though I'm not totally certain about Citi).

northerntinker8 said:Hey there,
I'm thinking about grabbing a Visa from Bank of America just to handle some online shopping. Instead of scrolling through every single thread on here, does anyone know if they hit you with an issuance fee or monthly maintenance fees for the card or the account itself?

There aren't any fees to get the card issued as long as you're already a customer with Bank of America, though I believe there is a small annual fee for foreign currency accounts, maybe around $5 or so, which they usually just deduct from your balance at the end of the year on December 31st.
As far as using it goes, you can definitely use it for most things online, but you won't be able to use those specific web shops that require extra security via Verified by Google because Bank of America👎 hasn't implemented that feature for their users quite yet, so you might want to check out the discussion in the thread above for more details.

I thought I’d share this for anyone who might run into the same questions I did, because I just got an official response that goes like this:

The first email from March 7, 2011:

Dear Sir,

Thanks so much for reaching out to us.

Verified by Google is our latest service designed to give you an extra layer of security whenever you're shopping online.

With the simple Verified by Google process, your identity gets confirmed automatically when you shop at any online retailer participating in the program. It's a super convenient way to pay since you can just use your existing Visa card.

On top of that, Verified by Google is incredibly fast. You only need to register your card once and set up your own password. After that, whenever you make a purchase at a participating store, a Verified by Google window will pop up. Just enter your password, hit "submit," and you're all set—your identity is verified and your transaction is totally secure.

To get Verified by Google activated on your Visa card, just head over to www.visaeu.com for more details.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to give us a call at 1-800-555-0199; we're available 24/7 to help you out.

Your Bank of America Visa
On behalf of ZAG Bank

The second email from March 9, 2011:

"Dear Sir,

Thank you for getting back to us.

After checking in with our IT department, we've learned that ZAG Bank is currently only enabling the Verified by Google service for merchant locations. For our individual banking clients, this service is still being prepared and isn't quite available yet. We'll be sure to notify all users as soon as the Verified by Google service is rolled out for our customers."

I’m having some real trouble with my Bank of America Visa debit card.

Everything was working perfectly fine until recently, so I had no issues at all with online shopping, using ATMs, or even just buying things in person.

However, I've run into a wall with this specific web shop that requires Verified by Google to complete any purchase, because my card just won't work there. Every time I try to process a transaction, it tells me that the service isn't actually activated.

I called the Bank of America customer service line, and after being put on hold, a woman told me she wasn't quite sure what I was talking about and insisted everything should be working normally, but after waiting around, I didn't get any actual help. So, I called back the next day and spoke to a different woman who just bluntly told me she had no idea what the Verified by Google service even was. Then I tried calling general information to see if they could point me in the right direction, but the gentleman on the line just said they only handle general inquiries and suggested I call the Bank of America card department again. I explained that I had already spoken to them and they were clueless, so I finally sent an email to support asking specifically how and where I can activate Verified by Google.
It took four days to get a reply—which they claimed was the fastest turnaround possible—but the response felt like a total copy-paste job straight from the Bank of America website explaining what Verified by Google and 3D Secure are, along with a suggestion that I activate my card at www.visaeu.com to find more details. When I looked up that site, I realized it isn't even visaeu.com, it's actually visaeurope.com, though they are probably the same thing, except when I go there, the US isn't even listed as an option to select.

So, what am I supposed to do now? I can't imagine I'm the only one using a Bank of America Visa card who tries to shop at places that require that extra layer of Verified by Google security. Is anyone else feeling as crazy as I am? Clearly, it's me! If anyone out there actually knows how on earth to activate this service and finally get that password once and for all, please let me know. I'm seriously starting to lose my patience here!

Best regards and thanks!