I hate Walmart.
I don't hate Walmart for the political reasons most of my liberal, middle-class friends hate Walmart. They cite the low wages, lack of benefits, items that are manufactured cheaply overseas. That is fine if that is your concern. I hate Walmart because it is a time and money suck. The atmosphere is one of depressed people with depressed morals. Only at Walmart can I see a woman clad in pajama pants pulling a screaming toddler who is dressed only in a diaper through the dairy aisle while yelling, "I'm gonna whup your f*&$ing a$$ if you don't stop that screaming'!" It's not even surprising, really. It's just a reminder that I'm shopping at Walmart.
I don't hate Walmart for the political reasons most of my liberal, middle-class friends hate Walmart. They cite the low wages, lack of benefits, items that are manufactured cheaply overseas. That is fine if that is your concern. I hate Walmart because it is a time and money suck. The atmosphere is one of depressed people with depressed morals. Only at Walmart can I see a woman clad in pajama pants pulling a screaming toddler who is dressed only in a diaper through the dairy aisle while yelling, "I'm gonna whup your f*&$ing a$$ if you don't stop that screaming'!" It's not even surprising, really. It's just a reminder that I'm shopping at Walmart.
I do shop at Walmart, though, because it is:
- Cheap, and
- Convenient
But today, yes today, I declare myself no longer bound to Walmart. Why is it that you ask, after all this time, I join the ranks of the morally-better-than-you-I-would-NEVER-shop-at-Walmart-crowd?
My account was hacked. Again.
Last year, about this time, I did some holiday shopping on Walmart.com. I was able to get some of the items I needed for a lower price than anywhere else and free shipping. Unfortunately, about two weeks later, someone else was able to get four iPads using my credit card information that was somehow saved in the Walmart.com account system. I went through all of the pain and hassle of closing the account, getting the charges reversed on my card, having new credit cards issued, and changing my various and sundry passwords just in case. I also learned that Walmart.com accounts are easy to hack and that the problem I had was very common. Not only that, but I received very little help from Walmart. This, I found, was also very common.
http://www.darientimes.com/27909/walmart-account-hacked-laptops-ordered/
http://alekdavis.blogspot.com/2013/04/my-walmart-account-was-hacked.html
http://wreg.com/2013/04/26/little-help-after-walmart-account-hacked/
Skip ahead one year. My family decided to make our own holiday greeting cards. The pictures are adorable. But ordering cards online can get really expensive, especially when you send to as many people as we do. We found that the best prices were from where? That's right. Walmart.com.
My account was hacked. Again.
Last year, about this time, I did some holiday shopping on Walmart.com. I was able to get some of the items I needed for a lower price than anywhere else and free shipping. Unfortunately, about two weeks later, someone else was able to get four iPads using my credit card information that was somehow saved in the Walmart.com account system. I went through all of the pain and hassle of closing the account, getting the charges reversed on my card, having new credit cards issued, and changing my various and sundry passwords just in case. I also learned that Walmart.com accounts are easy to hack and that the problem I had was very common. Not only that, but I received very little help from Walmart. This, I found, was also very common.
http://www.darientimes.com/27909/walmart-account-hacked-laptops-ordered/
http://alekdavis.blogspot.com/2013/04/my-walmart-account-was-hacked.html
http://wreg.com/2013/04/26/little-help-after-walmart-account-hacked/
Skip ahead one year. My family decided to make our own holiday greeting cards. The pictures are adorable. But ordering cards online can get really expensive, especially when you send to as many people as we do. We found that the best prices were from where? That's right. Walmart.com.
I decided to give Walmart.com one more chance. What were the odds that we would have the same problem again? The answer, as it turns out, was 100%. We had a 100% chance of getting our account hacked by someone in Ohio who really wanted an iPad, but was maybe not wise enough to change the email notification address before placing the order. I know I didn't buy an iPad in Ohio, so when I received the order confirmation, it seemed like something was up.
Once again, I called Walmart. I spoke with two different people who told me there was nothing they could do. I was on hold for 30 minutes, but was reassured that my call was important so I should just keep holding. Luckily, at that time, my credit card company called to say there was suspicious activity on my account. They would cancel whatever I told them to cancel, cancel my account, issue new cards, and strongly, STRONGLY encourage me to shop elsewhere.
When your credit card company suggests you stop shopping at the world's largest retailer, it is time to listen.
Today, my money saving advice to you is to stay away from Walmart completely and forever. At the very least, you can avoid situations like this:
Once again, I called Walmart. I spoke with two different people who told me there was nothing they could do. I was on hold for 30 minutes, but was reassured that my call was important so I should just keep holding. Luckily, at that time, my credit card company called to say there was suspicious activity on my account. They would cancel whatever I told them to cancel, cancel my account, issue new cards, and strongly, STRONGLY encourage me to shop elsewhere.
When your credit card company suggests you stop shopping at the world's largest retailer, it is time to listen.
Today, my money saving advice to you is to stay away from Walmart completely and forever. At the very least, you can avoid situations like this: