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Shaddim · Feb 7, 2011, 03:12 PM

So, I'm home today and the FedEx guy shows up at my door. He hands me a smallish package, it's from AmEx. I open it and there's a black box inside the larger brown box, and in the black box is a nice black leather card wallet with a thin piece of black, anodized titanium in it. Lots of spiffy paperwork and booklets in there too.

Wow. Not really sure what to do with this, looks cool though. I guess I could throw it at people, like a swanky ninja star.

Who else here has gotten such a strange package from the AmEx peoples?

Doofy · Feb 7, 2011, 03:20 PM

Not I. The CC companies hate me* (since I zero immediately).

(* Back of the queue, boys)

Shaddim · Feb 7, 2011, 03:26 PM

Originally Posted by Doofy

Not I. The CC companies hate me* (since I zero immediately).

(* Back of the queue, boys)

I do too, but we put almost everything we buy on AmEx, so the amount we charged to those cards last year was almost obscene.

imitchellg5 · Feb 7, 2011, 03:41 PM

I put everything I buy on my card and I don't even have enough for DEN-SEA flight

Shaddim · Feb 7, 2011, 04:01 PM

Originally Posted by imitchellg5

I put everything I buy on my card and I don't even have enough for DEN-SEA flight

You have AmEx regular? How much did you charge?

andi*pandi · Feb 7, 2011, 04:18 PM

Costco is the only reason I've considered an AmEx. Enough other cards to keep track of.

My subaru card does give me some nice checks once in a while though.

turtle777 · Feb 7, 2011, 04:23 PM

I have yet to find a card that beats Amex Cash Blue in cash back.
5% on gas, groceries and pharamcay is just great. Everything else is 1.5% (once you spend over $6,500 / year).

-t

Shaddim · Feb 7, 2011, 04:40 PM

I just think it's neat. I called my personal agent to ask what wine goes best with pheasant. She told me to try a Chilean Syrah, but then I confessed that I was just goofing off to see if she'd answer the question. She laughed and told me that it's not even the strangest request she'd had today.

MacinTommy · Feb 7, 2011, 04:51 PM

Did you get the Centurion?

ShortcutToMoncton · Feb 7, 2011, 05:27 PM

Originally Posted by Shaddim

I just think it's neat. I called my personal agent to ask what wine goes best with pheasant. She told me to try a Chilean Syrah, but then I confessed that I was just goofing off to see if she'd answer the question. She laughed and told me that it's not even the strangest request she'd had today.

"What wine goes best with five expensive hookers & suitcase of blow? My name is Charlie"

OldManMac · Feb 7, 2011, 05:58 PM

Originally Posted by Shaddim

Who else here has gotten such a strange package from the AmEx peoples?

I wouldn't boast about it if I did. It's considered tacky (or used to be) to boast about how much money one has, or to discuss one's personal finances with others.

Brien · Feb 7, 2011, 06:06 PM

Pics or it didn't happen?

torsoboy · Feb 7, 2011, 07:26 PM

Originally Posted by OldManMac

I wouldn't boast about it if I did. It's considered tacky (or used to be) to boast about how much money one has, or to discuss one's personal finances with others.

Boasting is still not cool, but discussing personal finances is definitely not taboo like it used to be. In fact, it's all the rage. They even have apps that let you tweet every purchase you make.

Brien · Feb 7, 2011, 07:41 PM

There's a lot of upwardly mobile young people with tons of disposable income to thank for that, methinks.

Phileas · Feb 7, 2011, 08:26 PM

Hopefully they won't all feel they need to brag about their personal net worth in public.

Laminar · 08:52 PM

Originally Posted by Phileas

Hopefully they won't all feel they need to brag about their personal net worth in public.

What do you think a Mercedes is (in the US, at least)?

Shaddim · Feb 7, 2011, 09:03 PM

Huh. So, I get a Centurion card, check here to see if anyone else has gotten one, and people complain that I'm boasting? Damn, you people are just too uptight. It's only money, relax.

Anyway, I've really wanted one ever since I first saw it in the wild a few years ago. I figure with it I won't miss my assistant as much, and since we're doing so much traveling it'll make that more fun. The perks are just insane and it should pay for itself rather easily. Not to mention up to 3 years of extended warranty on things purchased with it.

Shaddim · Feb 7, 2011, 09:08 PM

Originally Posted by Laminar

What do you think a Mercedes is (in the US, at least)?

Everyone should drive a Hyundai or Focus, didn't you know? It's a sin to own something that shows wealth, and if you do you need to be shy about it and apologize.

"No, really, sorry about the Rolex, it was tacky of me to wear it to the grocery store. I'll just drop it into my pocket and we can just forget this whole nasty business."

Laminar · Feb 7, 2011, 09:16 PM

Originally Posted by Shaddim

Everyone should drive a Hyundai or Focus, didn't you know? It's a sin to own something that shows wealth, and if you do you need to be shy about it and apologize.

Nothing against expensive cars. Thomas Stanley did some interesting research and found that people that need others to recognize their wealth are most likely to drive a Mercedes.

Shaddim · Feb 7, 2011, 09:23 PM

Originally Posted by Laminar

Nothing against expensive cars. Thomas Stanley did some interesting research and found that people that need others to recognize their wealth are most likely to drive a Mercedes.

Ugh, I usually can't stand a Merc, just so vanilla. It's like saying, "Hey, I have some money but I really didn't know what to buy". Now an AMG, that's different story. Still not a great value when it comes to performance cars, though. Right now I'm on the hunt for a nice used Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder.

MacinTommy · Feb 7, 2011, 09:29 PM

Originally Posted by Shaddim

Ugh, I usually can't stand a Merc, just so vanilla. It's like saying, "Hey, I have some money but I really didn't know what to buy". Now an AMG, that's different story. Still not a great value when it comes to performance cars, though. Right now I'm on the hunt for a nice used Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder.

I just came.. But seriously, lambopower.com is a great Lamborghini community.

Doofy · Feb 7, 2011, 09:42 PM

Originally Posted by Shaddim

Right now I'm on the hunt for a nice used Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder.

You can achieve the same experience by tipping some meths on yourself and setting it alight.

Shaddim · Feb 7, 2011, 09:51 PM

Originally Posted by Doofy

You can achieve the same experience by tipping some meths on yourself and setting it alight.

I know! I took one for a drive and it was insane. They're more fun than a person should be allowed to have while wearing their trousers.

Originally Posted by MacinTommy

I just came.. But seriously, lambopower.com is a great Lamborghini community.

I'll check it out, thanks.

besson3c · Feb 7, 2011, 10:22 PM

Was there any sex involved?

Shaddim · Feb 7, 2011, 10:29 PM

Originally Posted by ShortcutToMoncton

"What wine goes best with five expensive hookers & suitcase of blow? My name is Charlie"

No, no, you call and they know who you are. "Hello, Mr. Sheen, how can I make your day better?"

Originally Posted by besson3c

Was there any sex involved?

Quit trying to pollute my thread. Take your filthy mind and go elsewhere.

Doofy · Feb 8, 2011, 02:48 AM

Originally Posted by Shaddim

No, no, you call and they know who you are. "Hello, Mr. Sheen, how can I make your day better?"

Next up, the Amex "Clear" - where you don't even have to bother calling them and things happen anyway.

angelmb · Feb 8, 2011, 03:17 AM

Did you get the Centurion?

That was (going to be) my question as well; the laser-etched titanium Centurion “no limit” card…

, good for him.

dav · Feb 8, 2011, 06:16 AM

happy for you Shaddim, that's pretty cool

FireWire · Feb 8, 2011, 10:02 AM

Centurion Card Annual Fees

United States US$ 2,500 + One-time joining fee of US$ 5,000

Holy!!

The Final Dakar · Feb 8, 2011, 10:05 AM

$2,500?! I don't even make that in a year!

andi*pandi · Feb 8, 2011, 11:02 AM

I guess Shaddim's not using this card at Costco.

Shaddim · Feb 8, 2011, 11:29 AM

Originally Posted by andi*pandi

I guess Shaddim's not using this card at Costco.

I don't have a Costco near me.

I wish I did. We do buy a lot of things at Sam's though, and that's pretty similar.

Shaddim · Feb 8, 2011, 11:34 AM

Originally Posted by FireWire

Centurion Card Annual Fees

United States US$ 2,500 + One-time joining fee of US$ 5,000

Holy!!

That's not bad considering what you get. Honestly, I don't see how AmEx makes any money off of it, if people take advantage of the perks. They must rely on people to just forget what they can do, and hope the customer charges most of their purchases to it.

mattyb · Feb 9, 2011, 07:17 AM

Shit, I thought that you were going public with your kinky experience.

What a letdown.

hayesk · Feb 9, 2011, 09:26 AM

Originally Posted by Shaddim

Everyone should drive a Hyundai or Focus, didn't you know? It's a sin to own something that shows wealth, and if you do you need to be shy about it and apologize.

If it's just for the purpose of showing wealth, then well, yes, it is tacky. If you have an appreciation for the build quality or feature set of the item, then it isn't. After all, we all use Macs here - some consider that as a luxury item.

"No, really, sorry about the Rolex, it was tacky of me to wear it to the grocery store. I'll just drop it into my pocket and we can just forget this whole nasty business."

Well, if you wore the Rolex because you like the design and quality of the Rolex, there's nothing wrong with it. If you wore the Rolex to tell everyone that you can afford a Rolex, well, in my opinion, there is something wrong with that.

Shaddim · Feb 9, 2011, 11:17 AM

Originally Posted by hayesk

If it's just for the purpose of showing wealth, then well, yes, it is tacky. If you have an appreciation for the build quality or feature set of the item, then it isn't. After all, we all use Macs here - some consider that as a luxury item.

Well, appreciating the build quality usually goes hand in hand with "showing off", you want others to appreciate it too. We may say that we buy our beloved Apple products because they work better, or because we like the fit and finish, but it doesn't hurt that they're a status symbol and we see them used by stars and people of influence. Otherwise, just rub off the Apple logo or cover it up, doesn't really matter, does it?

Well, if you wore the Rolex because you like the design and quality of the Rolex, there's nothing wrong with it. If you wore the Rolex to tell everyone that you can afford a Rolex, well, in my opinion, there is something wrong with that.

Not really. If people who have such items will be honest about it, they like how people react when they're seen with those things. People wear jewelry to stand out, other items do the same thing. A prime example is clothing. While it's true that I really like the way True Religion and Versace jeans fit, often Levi's and Wranglers fit just as well. We like being seen in this stuff because we believe it makes us look impressive and because the brand is attention-grabbing. Example, let's say you need to borrow a suit from someone who is a similar size. There are two that fit just as well, look nice, and are made from similar materials, one is an Armani the other is something like Kenneth Cole. What do you choose? While that scenario is unlikely, who wouldn't prefer to roll in an Armani? Some people will say that it doesn't matter to them, but personally I think they're full of crap.

Originally Posted by mattyb

Shit, I thought that you were going public with your kinky experience.

I did go public in a different forum, but let's not discuss it in this thread.

besson3c · Feb 9, 2011, 11:45 AM

Displays of wealth don't impress or interest me, I'm far more impressed with knowing and/or seeing that somebody built something cool.

ShortcutToMoncton · Feb 9, 2011, 11:59 AM

Originally Posted by besson3c

Displays of wealth don't impress or interest me, I'm far more impressed with knowing and/or seeing that somebody did something kinky

Fixinated

besson3c · Feb 9, 2011, 12:01 PM

Well, that's true too, but I don't think that Shaddim could come up with something kinky that he did that would surprise me. I've thought of it all.

MacinTommy · Feb 9, 2011, 12:11 PM

Originally Posted by besson3c

Well, that's true too, but I don't think that Shaddim could come up with something kinky that he did that would surprise me. I've thought of it all.

Even using a pulley system?

besson3c · Feb 9, 2011, 12:30 PM

Originally Posted by MacinTommy

Even using a pulley system?

You might have me there.

Shaddim · Feb 9, 2011, 12:43 PM

Originally Posted by MacinTommy

Even using a pulley system?

Doesn't everyone have a block and tackle system in their bedroom?

turtle777 · Feb 9, 2011, 12:57 PM

Originally Posted by MacinTommy

Even using a pulley system?

Only *ONE* pulley system ? Amateurs.

Here's how it goes down in Shaddim land:

Shaddim (calling Amex Centurion)

Amex Rep: Hello, Mr. Shaddim. How are you doing today ?
Shaddim: Splendid.
Amex Rep: What kind of pulley system can I get you TODAY ?

-t

Doofy · Feb 9, 2011, 02:53 PM

Originally Posted by besson3c

Well, that's true too, but I don't think that Shaddim could come up with something kinky that he did that would surprise me. I've thought of it all.

Even the McDonalds hot apple pie trick?

besson3c · Feb 9, 2011, 03:18 PM

Originally Posted by Doofy

Even the McDonalds hot apple pie trick?

Oh yeah... That's just like the American Pie apple pie trick, unless this is different in the Buckingham Palace area?

mattyb · Feb 9, 2011, 04:36 PM

Originally Posted by besson3c

Oh yeah... That's just like the American Pie apple pie trick, unless this is different in the Buckingham Palace area?

In the Buckingham Palace area, using corgis is all the rage.

ghporter · Feb 9, 2011, 04:54 PM

Countdown to thread lockage... 5....4....3....

Can we get back on the "luxury credit card" subject please? Corgis and apple pies aren't really on topic...

Shaddim · Feb 9, 2011, 05:22 PM

You really can't take these turds anywhere. I'd like for this to be about luxury cards, or even material excess, but the usual suspects are running away with things... again.

Laminar · Feb 9, 2011, 06:41 PM

Dicks.

MacinTommy · Feb 9, 2011, 07:40 PM

Pulley systems are all the rage here in south Georgia. Bungie cords and plungers are a thing of the past!

Here's a visual:

That IS what she said!