Curmudgeon-at-Large: Positioning: You’ve Been Pre-Disapproved

My friend Bob Dunhill (of Dunhill International Lists) is sad.

The World Financial Network National Bank wrote him that the “Bank” was “unable to verify information on your application and cannot provide you with a Dutyfree.Com card at this time.” The letter pointed out that the credit bureau “did not make this decision and is unable to provide you with the specific reason(s) why this decision was made.”

Mitigating his sadness over the double inability was the realization that he hadn