Credit Cards...The Trials and Tribulations!

My students have had classroom credit cards for almost a month now.  They can pay for classroom supplies and shop in each other's stores with these credit cards.  I keep track of the amount each student owes in a bank book and collect the money at the end of each month.  If a student doesn't have the money owed on the card to pay me they incur interest and finance fees.  The REAL world!

So....today Chet tells me that he has lost his credit card.  When the kids originally applied for credit (find our class credit card application here), I told them that if they lost it they were at risk of someone buying items with their credit card.  That meant that they would incur the charges during that time period too.  Identity theft....it strikes every age, doesn't it?

I informed Chet that he would need to cancel his credit card.  "Cancel it?," he said.  So many life lessons were happening here!  He wrote a letter to the credit card company, a.k.a. me, requesting to cancel the card.  Twenty minutes later he finds the credit card in his desk.  He comes to me and says, "Never mind the letter I sent you.  I found the card."  Not so fast....I told Chet that he would need to call the company to work it out with them.  

I gave him the run around like any good corporate America call center would do.  His classmates became the "kids at home" yelling in the background so he couldn't make out what the customer service rep was saying to him on the other end of the line.  It was so funny that I had myself in tears!  

Well, Chet, if you're reading this....karma (remember, we learned that term and its concept a few weeks ago in class) came back to bite me this afternoon.  I had to call the V.A. about my grandmother's monthly stipend today.  I have now had the run around with three different phone numbers and they plan to mail me a form since they officially cannot help with direct deposit on her check.  Welcome to the REAL world, friends!

All of my REAL world materials are available for purchase at www.mc4k.com.  You can also find more information about my classroom system on the website.