Any similiar experiences? Sordid snafu ordering generator from Northern

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Friday my husband ordered a diesel generator from Northern to be paid for by debit card from Bank of America. He asked at the bank first if a $3200+ debit would be a problem. They said no-you can have all the money you have available. This AM we get a call from Northern saying they can't debit our account for that amount and that a lot of banks are doing this now because of y2k. I called the bank and they said "no you can only withdraw $1500 per day for security reasons. I asked them to waive it for this purchase and they said no. Northern will hold the generator for 1 week. I hope I can make 3 consecutive $1500 withdrawals and overnight them the check by Friday. Then it is 10 days shipping. We also withdrew from our retirement account. An "overnight" check from UPS took 3 days!!! They will refund our $50!! I have never had problems with UPS before. Yesterday we had a large purchase of kerosene, gas containers,canned foods at Bi-Mart. The clerk kept pushing and pushing for info on y2k to see if that is what we were doing. I told her we have a farm and it was a great deal on gas containers(4.99) We were only able to find 3 containers of Stabil and one of diesel stabilizer in the whole town. (I'm just sharing personal experiences to compare notes with others.) Oh, I guess I joined the tin foil brigade this week because we had a HUGE flat black helicopter with 2 rotors fly over. No N # or marking.250-300 feet off the ground. Looked like an aircraft carrier with rotors it was so big. An what really made me mad is I was milking the cow when it came over the hill. She, the worlds most unflappable cow,went heads up and spooked. I saved the bucket and went outside and saw the chopper. So sign me up for the tin foil brigade!

-- morgan (bitbybit@eoni.com), December 13, 1999

Answers

Are you near any bases Morgan? Sounds like a CH47 Chinook. .Mil's biggest twin blade bird. Flat Black? Or Powdery Gray-Black? Like this right?



-- Billy Boy (Rakkasn@yahoo.com), December 13, 1999.


Yes, that was what it looked like. I am near the bombing range in Umatilla, Ore. (100 miles away) The chopper came from the north, though. I have been told there is a base in Idaho, but I'm not sure if it is North of me.

-- morgan (bitbybit@eoni.com), December 13, 1999.

Ppssstt, Morgan! Make sure you have your Shelter-In-Place kit ready. You've got the army's big chemical warfare toxic dump nearby!

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), December 13, 1999.

They're either from the OR national guard at Pendleton or from Ft. Lewis, WA (near Tacoma). There's also an Idaho NG airfield in Boise, so they might have come from there.

Am I missing something here? Wouldn't the bank draw up a cashier's check for you for the generator purchase? If Northern wouldn't take a personal check for that amount (understandable), they probably would have taken a bank check. I can see them limiting the amount on cash withdrawls, but not refusing to pay on a check. What about those people who write large checks for major purchases? Several years ago I bought a car for cash and wrote a check larger that the one you described. I've also written large checks to mutual funds and other such things. I'm not doubting the troubles you had, but did you explore all of the other possibilities?

-- rob minor (rbminor@hotmail.com), December 13, 1999.


Another example of why you should make major purchases locally. The places around here (central MI) that sell generators have either cut back on stock or are having major sales on them. They're afraid of getting stuck with the inventories in a few weeks when used generators flood the market.

An exception to buying locally is PRI-G, a gasoline treatment product that saves alot over STP. I don't have the URL anymore, but they shipped it quickly and total cost for preserving 2000+ gallons was around $85.

I haven't experienced any problems stocking more stuff at last minute. Even last Saturday the crowds weren't bad.

-- Gus (y2kk@usa.net), December 13, 1999.



Morgan, May I ask why you have waited until the middle of December to make these purchases ?

-- Dilbert (Just@asking.OK), December 13, 1999.

I could and did use a cashier's check finally today. We just wanted to use direct debit card to save time of mailing. I have done this lots. I went back into the bank today and they insisted it is a security policy that has been in effect for a long time and has nothing to do with y2k. Maybe so. In any case the whole experience was very frustrating. Thanks for the info,ya'll, on the chopper and bases. We have a significant mountain range between us and the toxic dump so I hope we are somewhat less at risk for chemicals.

-- morgan (bitbybit@eoni.com), December 13, 1999.

Please make sure that before you connect your generator to your house in the event of a blackout, that a: you have the unit properly grounded, and b: that you are disconnected from the grid. You could electrocute a linesman if you are not disconnected and possibly electrocute yourself if not grounded. Peace to you and much luck at ground zero zero. Bear arms, or wear chains.

-- Willy (Wonka@thechocolatefactory.com), December 14, 1999.

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