Purchasing a Cookie Jar

Purchasing a Cookie Jar

9^th April 2012

I’ve been counting down the days until we dock in St. Maarten. Why? Because I’ll be purchasing my new camera, a Canon 5D Mark II.

Ani and I had a bit of a lay in but it was great to finally get off the ship. Feel land beneath your feet.

Before getting off the ship though, we had to attend the crew safety drill. This time there was a “fire” to the right of our cabin. However, we weren’t spotted by the fire fighters or medical staff and claimed as “someone to be rescued”.

Off the ship, we walked into a few camera shops, asking for prices. Mike, the new AMP said he’d come with us but didn’t pick up the phone when we called, so we were on our own. The cheapest quote I got was $3,200 for the Canon 5D Mark II body, 24-105mm lens, camera bag and memory card. It was the cheapest, I’d had so I decided to go for it. Handing over my card, within seconds it came back declined. Tried another, declined.

Outside the store, I got on the phone to my bank. Once answering all their security questions, I explained the problem. As the camera was over my limit, I couldn’t purchase the camera… even though I had the money in my bank account. Next, I asked if I could up my limit for a special purchase, saying “I hardly ever use my credit card and when I do, I pay it off immediately.” The reply startled me “that’s exactly why we can’t increase your limit, because you don’t use your card”.

Making a series of apologies to the store owner, I walked out with mixed emotions; fury, embarrassment and disappointment.

We sat down at a quiet little ice cream shop with a cute, shaded patio. Within minutes the laptops were out and I was on the phone complaining to my Dad about what had happened. The entire thing was ridiculous, really. You have the money but the bank won’t let you have it. It’s as if the money doesn’t even belong to you. “That’s banks for you” was the only thing Dad could say.

Well, I might not have purchased my Canon 5D Mark II but one thing is a definite: I will be purchasing a cookie jar to store my money in!