So this rant about the PC Mastercard system, is a great example of what happens when on-line systems change. It is 8 years old, but now that CIBC has taken over PC Financial and has introduced Simplii, it could mean more changes for the PC Mastercard as well.

On July 1st, I got up early to catch up on my Home Finances, which had been neglected due to a very busy home schedule. While I managed to get most things balanced up, then I ran into a brick wall, which was my PC Mastercard.

Many  e-mails arrived about how things were going to change with my card and such, but I hadn’t really realized what this actually meant, because the e-mails I received were at best cryptic and at worst unreadable.

The on-line PC interface was a completely different interface, which caused my breakfast to move up my esophagus a fair distance. I attempted to get around the page by using my previous login information, which failed miserably. I even changed tried different passwords hoping it was just me forgetting, but no dice, I was not allowed in using the existing credentials that I had.  Obscenity strewn rant #1 followed, which I won’t elaborate on.

My memory seemed to recollect a comment from the Rosetta Stone-like e-mails saying that I would need to recreate my user id, and the bottom of this page seemed to imply I should do this, so I then put in my credit card number and name to attempt to start creating a new user id. This failed 3 times, and you guessed it: Obscenity strewn rant #2 followed.

The “error” message implied I should call the PC help line (on Canada Day morning, no less), so I dutifully got the cordless phone (which you should not use if you are inputting any banking info, but I forgot that important security point), and was asked my Credit Card info after navigating a few menus. The system said the information I had input was incorrect, and I should wait for an operator, and then it said my wait would be over 10 minutes, correct again: Obscenity strewn rant #3 & #4 followed.

At this point I went away, got another coffee, and came back and was still on hold, but decided that maybe I should try to recreate my userid one more time. This time when I typed in the exact same information, I moved onto the next page: Obscenity strewn rant #5 followed. I then was able to recreate my user id, and I was heartened to think I could complete my task for the morning.

I noted all this new info on paper (very insecure) and then was given a chance to log in using my brand spanking new login information. To my surprise the interface looked very different, and it took me a few minutes to figure out how this new interface worked (no I kept a civil tongue at this point). I finally figured out how to download from the web site to my Quicken account, and pressed the button.

The data file was created, however, when I attempted to import the data file (as usual) into Quicken, I got a message from Quicken that this was a new account, and said it was an RBC Mastercard.  The light went on then, because previously the PC Financial stuff was all CIBC based, and I guess that PC-Financial is now going to use RBC CIBC as their banking back end.

OK, this means I had to disconnect my Mastercard account in Quicken from CIBC and then allow it to connect to the new RBC description, which worked fine (I had stopped swearing, because now I was full of pride in my figuring this out, but wait, there is more).

I then looked at my Quicken account, and on line at my banking accounts and found that there is a week “gap” in place where at least 8 transactions are missing. Obscenity strewn rant #6  followed, because one of those transactions is a sizable payment to PC Mastercard.

I had to go back over the paper statement I received and found most of the missing transactions (they are missing on the “on line” statement which is supposed to reflect the printed statement (which it doesn’t)).

Denouement

So, I seem to have on line banking access, which is OK, but I still have these missing payments, which is worrying.

All of this happened on Canada Day morning, wonder what might have happened if I had gotten through to someone on the phone? I suppose that might have been Obscenity strewn rant #7!

I have also noticed now that every time I log in I am asked a “Security Question” no matter what, which is very annoying as well!