Credit Card Woes

[xsited1]

I've used credit cards since I was a teenager. I always get cards with zero annual fee and always pay them off at the end of the month.

Anyway, I just canceled one of my credit cards today. Why? Because they kept calling me and calling me and calling me about some other "deal" they thought I'd be interested in buying. Most of the time they would call me at dinnertime, but sometimes they would call as late as 10:00 p.m. I called them to ask them to stop on at least 3 occasions and they never did. When I mentioned I was on the Do Not Call registry, they said "since you have an account with us, we can call you anytime we wish." Not very nice.

So they asked me why I would cancel a credit card with an interest rate below 6% and years being in good-standing with them. I told them they wouldn't stop calling. They asked if there was anything they could do to keep me. I said, "No, we've already been down this road. Anyway, I've already acquired another card to replace yours so it's a done deal." The lady then sounded somewhat indignant and said that if I ever wanted to open an account with them again, I would not be able to. I said, "That's fine. I get at least 1-2 credit card applications a week in the mail. I won't ever have a need to use your services again."

As I get closer to 50, I'm really getting grouchy, aren't I. The next thing you know I'll be telling the neighborhood kids to get off my lawn.

One more thing. The lady said there may be some follow-up calls. I asked why? She said it just might happen. I told her never to call me again and since I'm on the Do Not Call list, I'd probably find a way to press charges. She said that I wouldn't have any legal standing to do so and there was no need to threaten her. I told her I wasn't threatening her. I was just telling her what was going to happen if they continued to call me.

Wow, I'm grouchy.

Now that I've gotten that off my chest, I feel better.

 

[Jos]

Legally speaking, if you tell them never to call you again and they call that's harassment, same for debt collectors, tell them never to call again
As for them kids, get a paintball marker, works on stray cats too, grouchy

 

[Sheldon]

I don't do credit cards.

As I get closer to 50, I'm really getting grouchy, aren't I. The next thing you know I'll be telling the neighborhood kids to get off my lawn.

*throws empty juicebox onto your thread*

 

[xsited1]

Legally speaking, if you tell them never to call you again and they call that's harassment, same for debt collectors, tell them never to call again
As for them kids, get a paintball marker, works on stray cats too, grouchy

Thanks. That's what I thought, but they seem to think they can act with impunity. BTW, I can't remember the name of the credit card company, but if I ever DISCOVER what it was I'll let you know.

 

[Madeline]

Aggressive little shits, ain't they? If they are calling your landline, once the call is over, hang up and dial *57. That traps the caller's number, the date and time but only law enforcement can retrieve it. Handy -- misdemeanor telephone harassment is a crime in most jurisdictions.

 

[xsited1]

Aggressive little shits, ain't they? If they are calling your landline, once the call is over, hang up and dial *57. That traps the caller's number, the date and time but only law enforcement can retrieve it. Handy -- misdemeanor telephone harassment is a crime in most jurisdictions.

Good idea! It wouldn't have bothered me if they hadn't been so relentless in calling. Day after day they would call. The lady seem surprised that a card member in good standing with such a low interest rate would cancel the card. I told here, "let me give you some advice. When you get a good customer in good standing that always pays his bills on time, don't harass them because they'll leave." But they don't care. This is going to sound crass, but I think of credit card companies as my bitches. If they don't do what I say, they will be punished.

 

[LordBrownTrout]

Have any of y'all gotten spam calls from WCA? I'm getting them everyday and I want to put them on the no call list but every time they call its from a different area code. Really pisses me off. Oh yeah, if you don't say anything when you answer the phone, nothing happens and as soon as you say hello this damn recording comes on. This really pisses me off.

 

[uscitizen]

You would have no gegal standing per the do not call list rules, I think they can keep calling you for 6 months?

 

[Foxfyre]

We used to get a LOT of messages left on our answering service from this or that bank wanting to upgrade our credit card or offer a new service. We have our phone on the no call list too which does seem to discourage the carpet cleaning services and Ginzo knife marketers and such. But alas, no deterrant to the credit card companies.

We now have our credit cards--three different accounts--with one bank and have blown their telemarketers off so many times they don't bother us more than once a month or so anymore.

But thank goodness we're past the election and aren't getting the political calls all during the dinner hour up until bedtime every night. Plus one local candidate screwed up and his robocalls were going out at like 3 a.m. I don't think he made many friends that way. I don't think he was elected either.

 

[uscitizen]

Yep I wish we could have political calls on the do not call list as well.

 

[Bfgrn]

I hope it serves as a wake up call to how much power corporate America has captured in this country. Credit card applications have gone from one or two pages to as many as thirty pages with lots of complications, hard to comprehend provisions, and "fine print" that cleverly hides a long list or traps, tricks, and a myriad of both exploitative arrangements and outright abuses that greatly benefit banks at the expense of borrowers and card holders.

HERE is the best thing that has happened for the people of this country in a long time. I urge everyone to check it out and support it.

Open government and how it should work for We, the People

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1V0Ax9OIc84"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1V0Ax9OIc84[/ame]

Consumer Finance.gov

The central mission of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is to make markets for consumer financial products and services work for Americans—whether they are applying for a mortgage, choosing among credit cards, or using any number of other consumer financial products.

At the consumer bureau, we will:

Educate
An informed consumer is the first line of defense against abusive practices. The CFPB will work to promote financial education.


Enforce
Like a neighborhood cop on the beat, the CFPB will supervise banks, credit unions, and financial companies, and it will enforce Federal consumer financial laws.

Study
The consumer bureau will gather and analyze available information to better understand consumers, financial services providers, and consumer financial markets.

Above all, this means ensuring that consumers get the information they need to make the financial decisions they believe are best for themselves and their families—that prices are clear up front, that risks are visible, and that nothing is buried in fine print. In a market that works, consumers should be able to make direct comparisons among products and no provider should be able to build, or feel pressure to build, a business model around unfair, deceptive, or abusive practices.


Core Functions

The consumer bureau will work to make sure that consumers have the information they need to understand the terms of their agreements with financial companies. It will also work to make regulations and guidance as clear and streamlined as possible so providers of consumer financial products and services can follow the rules on their own.

Congress established the CFPB to protect consumers by carrying out Federal consumer financial laws. Among other things, the consumer bureau will:

* Conduct rule-making, supervision, and enforcement for Federal consumer financial protection laws;
* Restrict unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices;
* Create a center to take consumer complaints;
* Promote financial education;
* Research consumer behavior;
* Monitor financial markets for new risks to consumers; and
* Enforce laws that outlaw discrimination and other unfair treatment in consumer finance.


"The rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened."
President John F. Kennedy

 

[uscitizen]

I have 2 credit cards, ONe I use for online pruchases that only has a 1,000 limit so I can't get ripped bad. They keep trying to raise the limit but I just tell them I will cancel it if they do.
And another one with 15 or 20k or so on it.
I bought my lady friend a new car on that one last year.

Paid it off in 30 days though.

 

[Foxfyre]

We use credit cards to buy airline tickets, rental cars and hotel rooms, and to access other services that are just easier to access with a credit card than any other way. We also use them as a record keeping device for medical, business purchases, and major personal purchases as the monthly statement itemizes where we bought everything. It's just a backup to a receipt that might get lost or inadvertently tossed out. Also our credit card supplies limited insurance on those major purchases.

Our gasoline credit card is a huge time saver at pumps designed to accept it and we know all the charges on that card will be gasoline.

We do pay them off faithfully every month before interest can accrue though.

 

[william the wie]

Expect the no fee/low interest rate credit card to go bye-bye with the pending loss or reduction of the merchant's transaction fee. The fees and punitive interest rates are where the profit is on credit cards. The use of credit cards are likely to go the way of the home equity loans as bank margins get squeezed by the internet. Mortgages, insurance and all other financial services are subject to national and sometimes international competition on the internet.

 

[Madeline]

Those credit cards are like a bullfight between you and the bank......and you are the beast. My brother the banker says keep an eagle eye on your checking and savings accounts in 2011 as, since banks have been forced to halt the most profitable abuses of the cc customers, they will soon be imposing fees galore there. He says the free checking account is about go bye-bye.

I say join a credit union.