Seeking Escape From Banking With Chase

I loved WaMu, I really did. The service was great. I got what I needed, whether it be deposits, auto-withdrawals loan quotes or simple advice. No more, no less. I fell victim to Chase through the acquisition and with it came a more sterile, blue environment. Most of the staff remained the same for the short term, but I immediately noticed more staff onsite, which I guess was good for the unemployment rate. However, I never really appreciated getting tag-teamed with “Chase Rewards” offers. Those seemed to go away within the first few months and I was left with the service I was more accustomed to – only that which I chose to solicit.

By chance, my loan for the Phantom Hornet worked out with University Mazda through Chase. My first impression was that this would be a good thing so that I could manage that loan alongside my regular banking.

Not the case.

I went to the Chase branch by my office today to deposit a measly $100. I had also intended to stop a $25 annual charge on a debit card that I had never used or authorized. I give Chase credit for giving me the head’s up email for that charge so that I could stop it. After making the deposit with the teller, he referred me to the banker to stop the charge.

I sat down with the “banker” named David. I told him about the charge that I wanted stopped and he proceeded to look up my information.

“Are you a credit card guy?” David asked.

“Nope. Just use my debit. I keep credit cards to a minimum,” I replied.

Lo and behold I was preapproved for a bunch of credit cards. Somehow my description of NOT being a “credit card guy” prompted him to run through his credit card offer pitch.

I declined. I asked that he proceed and just cancel the charge.

Wait, because I also had my car loan on my Chase account David let me know that I could combine to a total debt/credit of $X0,000 and immediately upgrade to a “premium” account that would allow for a bunch of features that I had no use for. All that I had to do was keep the $X0,000 credit/debt balance.

Here I called bullshit.

“Dude, your math is wrong,” I told him in a monotone voice. “You’re combining a car loan that I am paying off with my banking balance that won’t rise while I’m paying off the car loan – So my total balance will surely fall short of the $X0,000 required for a bunch of features that I told you I have no use for. Why would you offer me something that I would default for? How does that help me?”

David looked dumbfounded. Clearly no Chase training that immersed him in quotas and sales routines had not prepared him for me. “Um, right,” he replied, now visibly sweating. David finally hammered a few keys to remove the $25 charge.

His physical signs must have signaled a Chase secondary to come over and assist. She asked if she could be of assistance and David replied no on my behalf, saving himself the embarrassment of a repeated logic.

“We took care of his initial request so I think we’re all set here,” David said. My initial request was my ONLY request.

Before I took off, David completed his task by handing me his business card and letting me know to give him a call if I wanted to talk about his credit card offers, which was great because I needed a piece of paper for gum that I would probably chew later in the day.

I get the good credit/credit card offer play, but now that I know how Chase will look to leverage my car loan to up-sell me I have no choice but to look at moving my car loan and probably move my accounts to different banks. It’ll be worth the trouble now to save time and frustration in the future.

Catching up on summer

It seems like one of those summers that ended before it began, doesn't it? There are still a few weeks left but Amanda is already pulling out Halloween decorations! I've been behind on posting photos for most of the summer, so here are some selects from this summer's events. Click the photo to go to its album to see more. Enjoy!

The Boaz Wedding:

The Reynolds' Visit (with some photos by Sergio):

Chelan:

Gramps & Grams 50th Wedding Anniversary:

Suit up at Men's Wearhouse

Disclosure: This is a sponsored blog post. Men's Wearhouse provided me a spending allowance to write about shopping at its Northgate Seattle location. Photography by Sergio Mottola.

I'm not the kind of guy who wears a suit and tie to work everyday. I rock the flannel, t-shirt and jeans uniform. When duty called this summer in the form of a hot date, wedding or other formal occasion, I wore my wedding suit. That was OK, but a selection of fine, tailored suits is preferable to constantly resorting to my wedding attire. I was excited by the opportunity this past weekend to take advantage of a great "buy one get one free" promotion at the Men's Wearhouse and expand my collection of formal wear.

The shirt and tie is timeless, but I was also motivated by some trendy entertainment. Think Mad Men, How I Met Your Mother and George Clooney in The American (or really any George Clooney movie). It was time to make my best Barney Stinson impression and "Suit up" for the next occasion when I’ll need to don the Don Draper.

I arrived at the Northgate Seattle location with an entourage – Sergio for photography and Amanda for wife perspective – and was greeted by the store manager, Richard Frost.

We kicked off the shopping experience by first reviewing my measurements, which were previously kept between me and my wife. So much for that! After I was anointed a “42 Regular,” Richard hooked me up with a cream turtleneck because the military shirt I was wearing just wouldn't do (poor choice on my part). I was ready for the main event.

We jumped to the suit aisle and Richard pulled out a dozen jackets for me to try on, ranging from the more expensive labels like Tallia ($700) and Calvin Klein ($600), to midrange labels Jones New York ($450) and Pronto Uomo ($400), to the lower price points offered by the Wilke Rodriguez label (starting at $160). In addition to discussing color palettes, styles and fits, I learned a few good style lessons from Richard:

• The width of your tie should match the width of your lapel; hence skinny suits should be worn with skinny ties and not just because emo kids do it
• That visible, thick stitch is called a pick stitch
• Vents have a purpose(!): to relieve the weight of the suit and affect its movement. Side vents are "euro classic" and allow the most movement, though a center vent will do the job, too. These affect the cost of the suit.

Richard is a 17-year veteran of Men’s Wearhouse(!) so I took his word like a book from the Bible.

After extensive modeling for my entourage and too much mirror time even for my taste, I decided on two suits, a $700 black Tallia suit and a dark brown $500 Calvin Klein suit, as well as a $200 grey, plaid Pronto Uomo sport coat. We took the three selections to the table to accessorize with shirts and ties.

I share with most guys two traits: a significant disdain for shopping and impairment in imagining a complete outfit from scratch. I had based my decision on three apparel items based on the general fit and color, but Richard helped to put the package to together so that I could visualize how it’d all come together.

After I settled on a couple shirts and ties (it was buy one get one free, after all), we moved on to tailoring. Richard said that picking out the suit off the rack is “the rough draft” process; getting the suit tailored is what takes the draft to the finished product. I put on some nice deer leather shoes for the fitting. Richard advised to take care of shoes by using cedar shoe trees to store them. The cedar absorbs smells, perspiration and salts to help keep the form optimized and wear minimum. Men's Wearhouse actually offers head-to-toe outfitting, and that includes shoes, socks and belts as well as casual wear.

I put on my pairs of jackets and pants in quick succession, and with a few swipes of the chalk I was done and my suits would be ready for me the following weekend. The whole process took a couple hours. Of course, Richard took his time educating me on the various suit styles, shirt and tie combinations and walked me through the benefits of tailoring. (At Men’s Wearhouse, if you pay for tailoring at the time you buy a suit, you never have to pay again for follow-up tailoring – a nice customer loyalty service).

The time was warranted because my total bill rang up just short of $1,000 before my allowance kicked in. If it hadn’t been the Labor Day sale, the bill probably would have been closer to $2,000. Whenever you spend that much money, you’d better take your time. For a casual suit wearer like me, a suit should last five to seven years (assuming I stay in decent shape), so that’s a long time to rely on decisions made over a couple of hours.

My visit to Men’s Wearhouse coincided with its third annual National Suit Drive, which kicked off via the stunty “Give the Suit Off Your Back” campaign in major metros where nearly naked men drew attention to the cause. Why Men’s Wearhouse didn’t want to consider me for this, I don’t know. Someone must not have seen my headshot. During the Suit Drive, Men’s Wearhouse is collecting articles of professional attire to be used by individuals looking to re-enter the workforce. It’s a great cause, and you get a 25 percent-off coupon for your next purchase when you donate that old suit. Women’s business attire is also accepted. Ladies, if you have that Hillary Clinton pantsuit that you haven’t worn since she ran for president, it may be time to let go.

My overall experience at Men’s Wearhouse was great ­– Richard provided excellent service, the suits, shirts and ties worked for my style and I felt comfortable and confident with my purchases. I’ll definitely return to Men’s Wearhouse when I need to suit up. I guarantee it. (Taglines are so much fun! What up, George!)

The Mazda-Mottola Legacy Continues!

I am so stoked that I got my third Mazda last month! Mazda for life! As many of you know, I have only owned Mazdas in my 11 years of driving. I am no auto mechanic and that's a good thing because I have done little more than changed the oil and tires in all of the Mazdas that I have owned.

My first car was the Green Hornet (RIP Bruce Lee), a 1996 forest green Mazda MX-6. That car earned me a "Nicest Car" award in my high school yearbook sophomore year and drew jealousy from all of the car nuts who spent hundreds of dollars on every body kit, lift, drop and other aesthetic that you could imagine. I, on the other hand, never even changed my license plate cover. It looked fast. It wasn't. It just looked good.

I drove the Green Hornet through high school and college until I could afford a newer Mazda, which I dubbed the Blue Hornet, opting to keep the Hornet surname while acknowledging the new, blue color. This was a 2005 Mazda 3 hatchback and another great car. Like the Green Hornet, the Blue Hornet was a manual and I loved whipping that car around Seattle. I bought it because I needed a little more storage and the car offered me the room with a sporty style.

Then Amanda came along.

My how priorities changed! We bought a house, got married, bought Amanda a Ford Focus after that bus totaled her Volkswagon, got new jobs and overall changed our lifestyles quite dramatically. Additional changes included a significantly longer commute to work and the decision to downsize to one car (The Focus if for sale now!).

Naturally, I wanted to keep the Blue Hornet. I loved that car, but the stick wouldn't make the cut for the often icky freeway commute. I was getting shin splints in my left leg from being on and off the clutch so much on I-5. I searched the depths of the Internet for another car. I started with crossovers and then started looking at sedans. For our price range, I just couldn't find the car that would suit our needs for sporty style, space and gas mileage.

I finally came full circle and began looking at Mazda 3 hatchbacks with automatic transmissions. I already knew that I liked the style and space, but I didn't realize that they also offered best-in-class gas mileage. The following weekend, we went to University Mazda to trade in the Blue Hornet and updgraded a couple years to a lower mileage 2007 Mazda 3 with all of the specs - power everything, Bose sound system, moon roof, leather seats, remote start and a laundry list of other features. Allow me to introduce you to the Phantom Hornet!

It's called Phantom Hornet because the color is technically a "Phantom Blue" and Phantom Hornet just sounds so badass! Bruce Lee would be proud. Don't know what he'd think of the new The Green Hornet movie. Regardless, happy times.

Craigslist Lawn Mower Courtship

Odd title, right? What does a Craigslist ad for a free lawn mower have to do with courtship? Everything. I listed my broken, free lawn mower on Craiglist and felt like a young woman getting harassed on an online dating network. My lawn mower brought ALL the boys to the yard.

The response in the half day I had it listed was overwhelming. Most impressive was the way the responses were crafted. I was intrigued by some and confused or totally turned off by others. I felt like I was on Match.com again. FreeLawnmowerMatch.com.

I've categorized some of the responses I got:

The Quickie Reply:

“If U still have I'll need your address? Paul”

I would like to come pick this up today if possible. I am free all day long. My cell is (360) 829-XXXX.

I'll take it! it's now 11:41 am Sunday. I'm in north Tacoma out near Pt. Defiance can be there in less than 30 minutes. THANK YOU!

The Swooner Reply:

“I'd be more than happy to take that off your hands if you still have it.  Just let me know when and where.  Thanks in advance!”

“I have a Craftsman also, yours looks like mine its not working either maybe between the two I could get one working.  Where can I pick it up?”

Hello, Happy Father's Day! I would like to come down and pick it up. Let me know when and where. Thank you, Earl

The Desperate Reply:

“If you still have the mower or they didn't show”

The Swingers Reply:

“My husband (Marc) could pick this up from you today. You can call him at 253-606-XXXX.”

"do you still have this? Patty and David 253-833-XXXX"

The Pimp Reply:

“we have a mower just like this one so we could use yours for parts call Linda at 253-961-XXXX thank you"

'll PAY you $10 for it as is...it's EXACTLY like mine and mine's missing a couple pieces... and I know they're going to cost me more than that at the lawnmower shop. Thanks!

Hey. I need A lawn mower. I'd love to take that one off your hands if you still have it. 253-381-XXXX. Curt

The Intangible Reply:

“IF NO ANSWER PLEASE LEAVE AMESS & i'LL GET RIGHT BACK TO YA ,THANKS......................................................... “

- - -

What should we learn from this? First, more of Americans are illiterate than we thought. Second, if you’re ever in the need for attention online, just put a free lawn mower on Craigslist. You’ll be in high demand.