Goddamnit Visa. I can't register my prepaid debit card over the internet, so I call your customer support. Here's what I get from their so-called "award winning" customer service.
"Thank you for calling, please press 1 for English, <whatever the hell "2 for Spanish" is in Spanish>".
*presses 1*
"Thank you for calling, please press 1 for English, <whatever the hell "2 for Spanish" is in Spanish>".
*presses 1*
"Thank you for calling, please press 1 for English, <whatever the hell "2 for Spanish" is in Spanish>".
*presses <End>*
I try again.
"Thank you for calling, please press 1 for English, <whatever the hell "2 for Spanish" is in Spanish>".
*presses 1*
"Please enter your card number" <- This right there automatically assumes you have an account, even though their website and the package for the card specifically told me to use the phone service in case doing it online didn't work.
"Please enter your PIN#." <- Which doesn't exist because it hasn't been created yet.
So I enter a fake PIN. This transfers me over to a woman(finally, a presumed-human!)... who sounds like she has a speech impediment. No offense to people with speech impediments, but I don't think customer service over the phone is the best place for your talents. Anyway, I ask to have the card activated, and her first question is why I didn't do it online. I tell her the website gave me errors, so she puts me on hold for five minutes, with that calming elevator music that serves only to further infuriate any who hear it. When she comes back, I give her my personal information, the same information I gave the website. On hold again for more than five minutes.
Finally, she comes back, tells me they couldn't verify my identifaction, despite giving very verifiable information(phone, address, zip code, SSN), and they cannot activate my card. She offers me a choice, to convert the card into a gift card, or mail me back my own money, which will take a month for the check to arrive and cost me about $10. I take the first option because I don't want to lose about an eighth of the money I had on it because they can't do their fucking job. Put on hold again. Then she comes back, asks my zip code again. PUT ON HOLD AGAIN. Then she asks me if I have any questions, and I ask if I could still use the card to make purchases online(the whole point of getting the card in the first place), and she PUTS ME ON FUCKING HOLD AGAIN FOR ANOTHER FIVE MINUTES BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO A QUESTION SHE SHOULD KNOW OFF THE TOP OF HER HEAD. Turns out, it won't work if they have to verify more than just my zip code, but that shouldn't be too much of an issue. The total call lasted a little over 25 minutes, about 24 of which I'm sure were on hold.
Long story short, don't bother doing anything with Visa.
And in other money issues, I had to surrender all but a few dollars to my stepdad's brother, so he could buy gas. It's almost reasonable, as his daughter did come back with 20 gallons for the house, in case the power goes out again. Supposedly, my parents will reimburse me. Supposedly.