POA or POS?

Grrr...I am so frustrated at the moment. We prepared well before deployment and had some time to get all of our affairs in order, but I swear some institutions are just sadists!

Of course within a week of leaving the car starts making noises. This car is a total lemon - its on the third catalytic converter and has had at least 9 new tires on the darn thing in just four years. Anyways, while driving in the roundabout I noticed that it makes a 'clunking' noise with hard left turns. Okay no problem I will have the UV joint and CV boots looked at. In the mean time I send an email to the spouse asking if I can go ahead and get the new car we were talking about before he left.

This turns into a nightmare. I call our bank and set up a loan application. They let me know what I need on my power of attorney (POA) to have this a joint loan. No problem I have one at home. I get home and the JAG folks set it up with only one financial institution, our local bank in Germany. I roll my eyes and figure then I will get the loan with the local bank here and have my husband shoot me when he finds out that it will require an allotment when we PCS. Ha! Okay sure.

I am in the bank talking to a loan agent, she looks at the POA and says this won't work. My mouth drops open, the eyebrow raises and I ask why not? This bank wants the VIN, the year, model, maker and dollar value on the POA before I can even apply for the damn loan. How in the fuck am I supposed go to a dealer, work a price, send all this shit downrange so he can get a POA to me? I looked at her and tried a bit more polite of a response, "Uh, Ma'am my spouse is in Afghanistan it will take weeks to get a POA to me." She responds with "Well my husband deployed too and I understand but this must on the POA or we can't help you."

Okay so how is this financial institution which is supposed to be a military service for those that are stationed in Europe supporting the deployed soldier and their family? This is total crap. I flipped my lid. "Ma'am, so you are Air Force right?"
"Yes I am."
"Ma'am, don't compare me to you -ever. Army spouses have been dealing with year long deployments for years before I was even born. A six month deployment is nothing, absolutely nothing - we are not a like. Your bank does not support the military if this is the crap you need and I am taking my business elsewhere."

She looks as me and says that if I change my mind then we can finish the application. I rolled my eyes and left. (sorry to any Air Force personnel but fact of life - AF deployments are MUCH shorter).

This is not the first time I have dealt with the fact that a POA isn't good for anything other than lining a bird's cage. I just wanted to scream after that. POA's are POS!