Cancelling my Xbox Live Account

You know times are hard when you start reducing your TV channels, your Xbox Live account, and start sending less txt msg's and look for a cheaper Cell phone contract.

I was a little sad when I contacted Xbox to not automatically renew my subscription. It is sad because I have friends online. I mean these are people I will never meat, but they are people I raced with, I shot with, I sniped with or I killed. Oh the Killing!!

I found it interesting that I was actually a little bit upset. I got a little sad. I look forward to the day when I go back to my online community, my friends. So I can kick there ass in Grand Theft Auto!!

So goodbye teammates, goodbye enemies. I hope to see you soon.

Today is a bad day.

Today is a bad day. I find myself pushing my limits physically, mentally, socially, but I just can’t seem to get anywhere. Since my accident, I have learned how to walk and talk again. I have taken a first aid course and passed. I went back to adult education and passed the math and English. I made an attempt to go back to work and passed. I started to live on my own and succeeded. I enrolled in college and did well first year. Second year I did not do as well. So I changed my major. I tried a trade school, and that did not go well. So I went back to retail job.
I was ok with this. I could put myself into the job because I believed in the company. Unfortunately the demands of a fast paste store, and a boss who was very demanding and was supportive as long as she didn’t have to do any extra work. Well that didn’t go well. My hours were reduced to 4 hours once a week. So I went to another store to work.
I know work more hours at a higher wage. I work with a great boss, and a very understanding family. I push myself every day to bring something to the table. I so very grateful for all they do for me and my wife; especially in this economic time. I just can’t help but feel there is something more to life than working two days a week.
I push myself into my training; I see the Ironman and my Marathons as some sort of answer to my cognitive functions. Maybe if I can run far enough, swim fast enough, bike somewhere other than hear. I can find something more fulfilling to live.
Today is a hard day. I am financially hurting, I am feeling setbacks. My student loans have come due. I tried to open a bank account with an over draft, but was declined because of note on my credit report. I contacted Equifax and there is still a bad record from when I was in the Hospital. This was when I was on long term disability before my stroke (after my first mini stroke that had gone undiagnosed) I had contacted the credit report companies and made a note on my record. I advised them I was late on my payments because I was in a coma. I had to threaten my company with a lawsuit to get my lost wages, and when I got my money I paid off all my creditors.
It’s not a big deal, I don’t really care, and maybe I am just looking for something to fight. I don’t know. I just want to work somewhere that is challenging and rewarding. Without being talked down to, yelled at, made to feel inferior. I don’t know what else to do anymore. I am not biking today, I am going to sit down and play some video games instead.
I have gone to my Dr. I have gone to the Government, I have contacted media, I have yelled and screamed at anyone that would listen to me. There is no follow through, there is no contact. The ministry just constantly puts up road blocks for me. I get treated like I am trying to take something from them; when all I want to do is work.
Today is a bad day. Tomorrow will be better. I am going to close the computer and play some video games. Try to not to dwell. Benefits of a memory problem is I will soon forget how bad things are; until I am reminded once again. I just want to run...........run for ever.

NSF Fee complaint to RBC Royal Bank

Below is my complaint letter I sent in to RBC Royal Bank. For a $40.00 NSF charge.

My Name is David McGuire. I would like to make a complaint about an NSF
Charge in my account; specifically the cheque # 247 on April 2nd 2009 in
the amount of $500.00 This check was for my rent for the month of April. I
had recently started a new job and I was getting adjusted to my change in
pay schedules. I check my accounts multiple times each day, and I saw my
check went through, but it go over my overdraft limit.

I immediately called RBC Customer service operator named Dan, who said
"the cheque has gone through. If it hasn't been returned then you are OK, just
make sure you deposits before 6:00 pm to make sure".

So I phoned my Fiance who works right next to an RBC. I asked if I can
borrow some money until I get paid (less than a week) and I emphasized
what Dan said about getting in before 6:00pm. She is working but could meet
me at 5:30. She works just one business down from the RBC branch on
Broadway & Granville 1497 W Broadway Vancouver, BC.

I am about two hours away, and Mandy can't meet me until 5:30pm. So I make
sure I am at her place early. I get to her work, she gives me a cheque. It
is a cheque made to her, and she signs the back of it.

I run to the RBC just a store away. I stand in line for over 15 minutes. I
get to the cashier and let her know I want to deposit. She states that she
needs to see Mandy before she can deposit the cheque. I inform her of the
urgency, that Mandy has written me cheques before. That if I deposit
thought the ATM it would be accepted. She refuses.

It is now 5:55pm. I ask to speak to someone above her. Another female comes out who is really rude.

She throws the cheque on the counter and says, "how do I know this is
really Mandy'? I ask "what" So she says louder and much slower, like she is
talking to a child
"HOW........DO........I.........KNOW............YOU.........DIDNT........JU
ST.........FIND...........THIS...........CHEQUE?"

"are you saying that I forged a cheque"?

"How do I know this is Mandy"

I am now frustrated, the two ladies are looking at me like I am a thief,
treating me like I am trying to get away something. I phone Mandy.
"Get over here now"

I tell the two ladies that Mandy is on her way

"well we are closed now, you will have to come back tomorrow"

"I looked it is exactly 6:00pm"

There are still customers in the line behind me. I say

"no you will wait, I came all the way to do this, you will make sure
this happens because I am trying to avoid an NSF charge for me and
landlord"

Now keep in my mind, I have a traumatic brain injury. I respond to
stimulation differently than other people do. I have a slow reaction time.
For this "manager" to start talking down to me, I took as an insult. She
has no idea what I have been through. That I was never supposed to walk and
talk again, that I am training for an Ironman, that I work so hard every
day for all the things people take for granted.

Mandy is there at 6:03. She shows her ID, She has a bank account there. She
is also the bookkeeper for her company Aliki Gladwin and Associates. This
company is an interior design company that has worked for RBC, many times. They have worked on some of there buildings, and done the designs for them.

This doesn't stop the teller from making this statement

"if you make sure you have the money in the account you won't bounce cheques"

I just look at her. This wasn't done on purpose; I don't need a lecture from teller at the bank.

We were treated like we were scammers and dead beats. I am obviously trying everything I can to save both myself and my landlord fee's here. I
am aware of the situation, in fact I am the one that contacted you, not the
other way around. I am not running from my responsibility I am standing
here trying to resolve it before it happens.

What adds to my frustration is that I got no understanding. You see I am a
person with a disability. I was actually an employee of RBC in 2005 when I
had a stroke at work. I was in a coma and intensive care for 29 days. I
spent over a year in recovery. Learning how to walk and talk again.
Everything had to be relearned. As a result of my Traumatic Brain Injury I
know longer make new memories. Every day when I wake up, I have no memory
of the previous day. This puts an intense amount of stress upon me.

Despite my Short Term Memory Loss, and my Aphasia, I have gone back
to school, I have finished a Marathon, I am currently training for the
Penticton Ironman in 2009, and I hold a job.

I have submitted my issues with my disability, seeking a lower rate account
to RBC. I live off of a disability income and a settlement I got from RBC
when they terminated me while in the hospital (that took the threat of a
lawsuit however) I have dealt with Manulife, I have dealt with Short and
long term disability income with RBC. In fact the only other time I ever
was late on a bill was when I was an employee at RBC in the collections
department. I was going through the transition from short to long term
disability. I received no cheque do to Manulife. I was ultimately refunded
for any charges.

So not only do you not have accounts for people on fixed incomes, you then
charge me an NSF fee when I took every step to resolve this issue. But for
the fact that this cashier took her time, but for the fact that I went to
the teller instead of the ATM machine (I thought it faster to go to the
till) I would not have been charged this.

Where the funds in my account on the moment of the deposit, Now, but as
soon as I realised I phoned RBC and talked to Dan. I then literally ran to
my fiance's work, then to the branch. I deposited enough to cover and
cleared that with the teller. Low and behold I get home that night, and the
cheque comes back.

This letter is to inform you of two things. First, I am now setting up new
accounts with I will be opening a new chequering account at Presidents
Choice Financial, and a savings account at ING Direct. Not only do they
have accounts for people with disabilities, they have no charge accounts. I
have been overwhelmed by the customer service and the people I have talked
to. I will be taking the appropriate measures to change my automatic
withdrawals for my bills, and then I will pay off my Visa.

Second, I am now requesting refund of the $40.00 charge to my account. I am
a person on a very fixed budget. As a result of my injury I am unable to
work a full time job. With the economy the way it is, getting hit with a
$40.00 charge is several days of food for me. That is my visa payment. I
have not only been a valued customer, but I was a valued and award winning
staff member. As a previous collection agent for RBC I stay on top of my
banking. I never run from my responsibilities

I just think that RBC is nickel and dimming a person with disability. Who
struggles to make ends meet every day? Who is trying to carry the torch for
the Olympics in 2010. You have in your power, at the cost of 40.00, the
chance to do an amazing thing. Give me back my money.

p.s. I remember all these things because my accident was over 5 years ago.
I worked very hard every day to retain some semblance of my ability to
store memories. One thing I was taught in Collection at RBC was to record
everything. I make notes on my phone, my laptop, with everything I do. I
also have the transaction record of my deposit
Transit: 05680
Date: 03 Apr 2009-04-05
Time: 17:03:46
Reference # 1090936142886205680
That 3 minutes and 46 seconds cost me $40.00.





This is RBC response, with a nice little lecture of how banking works.


Dear Mr. McGuire:


We have received your message regarding the NSF fee in your account. My name is Cathy and I can be reached at 1-866-889-8860 ext 7371. Your message has been brought to my attention and I welcome the opportunity to respond. I am very sorry to hear of the difficulty and inconvenience you encountered recently with your rent cheque.



Upon review of your message and your account, Mr. McGuire, I will reverse the NSF fee as a courtesy to you. Funds are required in the account on the date the cheque is issued. For preauthorized payments, the funds are required on deposit prior to 6 p.m. that same day.



Please note, you will want to retrieve the NSF cheque if you replace it for your landlord, as it can be cashed if the payee has it certified.


I apologize for the delay in replying to your message. If I can be of further assistance, Mr. McGuire, please do not hesitate to contact me through this message center or by phone.

Sincerely,

Cathy O'Dell
Client Care Specialist
Royal Bank of Canada
1-866-889-8860, Ext 7371






So I am done with RBC. I worked for them for years, I had allot of issues when I was a collections officer. I never treated people like they were bad for owing money. On the one hand here is RBC advertising on Buses, TV, Movies, Radio, they camp outside of colleges and university's getting you sign up for credit. The second you owe money, or make a mistake. You are treated like a criminal. I am tired of being nickle and dimmed to death. I mean here are there earnings in 2008. They talk about how bad things are because they only earned Net 4,555 million. Now I am not a banker or an economist. I do know though that what they claim is the net income is allot les than there actual earnings.

TORONTO, December 5, 2008 – Royal Bank of Canada (RY on TSX and NYSE) today reported net income of $4,555 million for the
year ended October 31, 2008, down $937 million or 17% from $5,492 million a year ago. Earnings over last year were reduced by
write downs of $2,785 million before-tax ($1,418 million after-tax and compensation adjustments) and higher provisions for credit losses
primarily in our U.S. banking business. These factors were partially offset by gains of $533 million ($273 million after-tax and
compensation adjustments) on the fair value of adjustments on RBC debt designated as held-for-trading(1), and the reduction of the
Enron Corp. (Enron)-related litigation provision by $542 million ($252 million after-tax and related compensation adjustments). We had
solid results in Canadian Banking and certain businesses in Capital Markets

I got this from http://www.rbc.com/investorrelations/pdf/q408release.pdf RBC's Investment websight.

I mean there a bank, if they know how to get .25 cents out of you and me, imagine what they do to the government and big business. Next to Politician, and Cell Phone company's, banks well they are just after themselves.

For years I was there collector. I know.

Anyway I am now on the journey for a better bank. A bank that will work with me, my disability, and my specific needs. Not what the banks "Demographic" says I should have or do. So we will see. That is my rant for the day.

I hate smokers at bus stops and on Transit

I have the strangest thoughts sometimes. Even after brain injury, drug addiction, marriage, and a whole host of other issues, I still find myself day dreaming really odd things.

Today I am out on a run through town. As I get to the bus stop there is this fat old white guy smoking a cigarette. Just behind him is a really skinny middle aged Asian dude smoking a cigarette to. I get this weird image in my head. It goes something like this.

I grab there cigarettes and toss them into the oncoming traffic. When they say something about it, I just look at them and say

"What are you mad that I won't you give me cancer"?

In my head I see them backing down, I run down the road saving the world from two more cigarettes. Maybe they even decide to quit smoking.

You see smoking at bus stops is kind of an issue for me. Well smoking anywhere in public pisses me off. Especially when I am running and I get a nice excelled mouth full of there exhaust.

What gets me about the bus stops is that when it is really wet out everyone stand under the little cover. There is usually one guy who lights up a smoke, oblivious that this then goes into every ones breathing space. I am faced with two options as I see it, I can walk out in the rain, or I can tell them to get out of the covered area and smoke in the rain.

The way I see this is go ahead and kill yourself I don't care. Just don't kill me, or the others in the same space. If you have to stand out in the rain that's your issue. You can always put it out and stand in the covered area.

The other smoker I hate is the one that takes that last big drag just before they got on the bus. Exhaling just as they get on. Some bus drivers get pissed off, others don't care. I hate standing next to these idiots on a crowded bus. I can feel the smoke in my eyes. The smell is something else to.

Then there are the smokers on the skytrain platforms. I am that guy that points to the "no smoking" signs everywhere. I don't care if you can't speak English, you can tell what a sign that has a cigarette with a cross over it is telling you.

I am sure one day I will get punched in the head for the comments I make to them. I just don't get it. I was a smoker, for years. I quit in 2002. I was always very aware that I was smoking though.

I would like to see transit get a little more aggressive with the smokers at the bus stops.

That is my rant for the day. The reason I posted this was because as I have running the last few days, I have really started to notice the amount of smokers everywhere. I know you can't smoke in doors. This now means that people just stand outside a business and smoke right at the door. Meaning that when I have to go in, or run buy, I get a nice inhale of second hand smoke.

I have been starting to get more aggressive. I have no idea what the psychology behind that is, I just know that I am getting a little to angry. I just want to rip those cigs out of there hands, steal the box, and then run away. Oh I dream of a guy with a nice big cigar......easy target.