I recently walked into a store to change cell phone carrier. I wanted to get out of my present contract and these people were offering to pay my early termination fees. I was greeted by a very nice clerk whose name is Jaime. She was rather tall and a little heavy and very feminine. There was something about the way she carried herself that made me wonder if Jaime was a male. I decide to be sure to remain neutral and not arrive at a conclusion on this.
We discussed the available plans and options. Jaime instantly connected with Ruth and me. We joked and enjoyed the experience very much. There was a glitch, however. I had placed a freeze on my credit as recommended by those experts that recommend these things and had forgotten all about it. My application was declined.
Imagine my frustration since I have excellent credit and the reason for the rejection was not disclosed. Jaime called someone who then asked to speak to me. The person on the phone asked many questions and during the conversation Ruth remembered the freeze. All would be delayed until I lifted the freeze on my credit. The person on the phone asked to speak to the individual who was helping us at the store. I said, “Here she is” and handed the phone to the Jaime. I instantly realized that I broke my neutrality and that there was a 50% chance that I made a mistake. The 50/50/80 rule states that if there is a 50/50 chance of getting it right, you will get it wrong 80% of the time.
There was no reaction from the Jaime so I was relieved that I did not insult her. We left the store and Ruth and I discussed that there was a possibility that the store clerk was a male. Ruth mentioned that she saw chest hairs. I mentioned that I saw a small amount of eye makeup. We decided to go back to neutrality.
The next day, I need to talk to Jaime so I called the store and asked to speak to Jaime. The person on the phone said, “He is not here right now.” Yikes, I fully implemented the 50/50/80 rule. In the two subsequent trips to visit Jaime, we all acted as if no harm was done and completed our transactions satisfactorily.
So what is the lesson in this story? Don’t freeze your credit!
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