Orel Family

I tend to live on plastic. I charge everything I can. I use cards with no annual fees and cash back features, and I never carry a balance or pay late. Except for not paying interest, I'm a "good customer." So I'm always surprised when something seems to go wrong. Yesterday, something went wrong. I went to the incomparable Russell Street Deli in Detroit's Eastern Market for lunch. I used to go there frequently when I worked within walking distance, but have only been rarely in recent times. They serve the best $3.95 soups money can buy (cash only). Eating lunch there -- even by myself, which was the case yesterday -- always makes me feel good. So, as I sometimes do after a lunch at Russell Street, I decided to roam the nearby shops. First stop was to Germack . Germack is known for their pistachios, but what I love is their fresh-made peanut butter. A simple old-fashioned grinder, and they'll do it on the spot if there's none on the shelves. And ...

A few weeks ago, I wrote about a seeming snafu with the GM Card , in which cardmembers such as myself received trivial credits for something called "SHEA CLASS ACTION LIT. SETTLEMENT AWARD." It turned out that that was the result of a class action lawsuit against GM Card for slow process of payments, but most cardholders hadn't been informed of the settlement until they got their pennies. Not recalling how I'd been damaged, I suppose the nickel credit was welcome. Sure, I've now received comments from bloggers who received more than a full dollar, and I almost feel deprived. But where the GM Card thing was mostly a curiosity to me, I'm now in a more serious situation: The repeated failure of American Express to process payments. I pay my American Express bill by scheduling the electronic payment in advance; I've been doing this for several years. In November, my payment was due on November 30. Using the olnine system, I logged in on November 22nd to s...