My credit card wants to charge me $9 to speak with a human!!

[Coventina]

Needless to say, it's my FORMER credit card!!

OK, full disclosure, I did miss my payment deadline.

I misplaced the statement, and forgot about it.

I wanted to talk to a customer service rep to explain that I was very sorry, and it was not a usual thing for me, and could they see their way to removing the late fee?

Well, I call their customer service number and it routes me immediately to the auto payment. (I guess they figure that if I'm calling it's to make a payment?)
When I say "Customer service, please" to the prompt, the voice says, "Please be advised that speaking to a customer service representative will result in a $9 charge to your account."

I've paid off the balance and I'm going to destroy the card and send an email with the picture of it.

[elleng]

1. I don't think my credit card SPEAKS!!!

[MLAA]

2. I'd do the same, that's ridiculous.

[limbicnuminousity]

3. This, to me, says much about the employment sector

The Wall Street economy is booming but a credit card agency can't afford to maintain a customer service line. What's the problem? Citibank can't afford minimum wage salaries? Or is the point that we need to learn even the barest civility or human interaction comes at a cost?

Sorry Coventina, that's lousy.

[ret5hd]

4. What CC / issuing bank was it?

Others might wish to know also.

[Coventina]

28. The Sony Card from Bread Financial.

I've had the card for probably 20+ years, and the issuing bank has changed over time, because I know it wasn't part of Bread when I got it.

[slightlv]

43. Wow... I've never even heard of this card!

But there is so much new out there, since commerce began taking over the Internet. Liked it a lot better back in the "old days" when it truly was about knowledge and you could trust more sites to have the actual truth... backed up with receipts. Ah, well... I'm just an old timer... and now I'm beginning to sound like one! (LOL)

Thanks for the info, Coventina!

[GuppyGal]

5. That is CRAZY. Whenever I was late they always just reversed the charge as a courtesy this is

OUTRAGEOUS !!!!!!!!!!!!

[madaboutharry]

6. You also need to tell them to close the account.

Don’t forget that part. Cutting up the card doesn’t close the account, so remember to do that too.

[happybird]

8. That can actually hurt your credit rating

Leaving the account open but unused results in a lower credit utilization ratio number, which is good (used credit in relation to total available credit).

[Delphinus]

21. Thanks for that piece of info

I have a cc that I've not used in years and was going to ask them to close it.

[csziggy]

42. Yes, I did this with GM and AT&T credit cards in the past

Even though I was the one who opened both cards and made every single payment on them, when it came time to talk to them, they would only talk to my husband. So I just never used those cards again. They'd send us new ones, I never activated them, just cut them up and threw them away.

The AT&T one was the one that pissed me off the most. It had started out as an AT&T long distance card on my business account, then they switched over to credit cards that could be used the same way. Since the business and calling account were solely in my name and my husband was only added onto the account when it became a credit card, I really didn't understand how he became the only one who could talk to them.

I haven't checked my credit report recently, but I suspect that those accounts are still listed as open, just unused.

Same for a Macy's card. When we built our house, we went to a Macy's sale to buy new towels. They had a deal that you got 50% off if you charged your purchased on a new Macy's credit account. Opened the account, got the discount, never used the card again - or went into a Macy's again.

[Cha]

7. Ohh No! I only want to speak to humans.

[slightlv]

9. I'd really like to know which

card/bank this was... to make sure it's not among the (very) few I use. I hate the autovoice SO much, I end up screaming at them or purposely just hitting "0" throughout the endeavor. I'll not have anything to do with one where I couldn't talk to an actual human person - and, I'm sorry, but at my age, I'd really prefer talking to someone without an accent so heavy I can't understand them. Sometimes, it's hard enough just to hear their voice... and I've got pretty good hearing, even after all the years of heavy metal! (LOL)

[yellowdogintexas]

12. So would I. I hate those autovoice things and I do a lot of 0 punching too

My mother used to call the auto voice "That woman who won't let me talk to anyone"

I have really good luck with the live chat. Sometimes they make you go through some token BS before they send you to a live person but they are not even close to as annoying as the phony voice on the phone.

[MichMan]

16. What makes you so sure Live Chat is a real person?

[yellowdogintexas]

22. The responses are intelligent and get to the point

Also they are actually conversational and if my question is not clear the rep will ask questions to confirm what it is that I actually want.

The autobots just keep telling you they do not understand the question and offer other options which won't work either.

Or "Has this answered your question?"

I think I would actually enjoy doing that job.

[Coventina]

30. Post # 28

And yes, I totally agree with you!!

[Stargazer99]

10. Corporate America-anything for more profits-your damn Republicans support this

[NoRethugFriends]

11. Why do you depend on a paper statement?

You presumably have a computer.

[yellowdogintexas]

13. Yes. all my credit cards send me an email a good 10 days before the due date

in fact my water bill, electric bill, gas bill and internet bill all send me a reminder email. It is great because I just open a tab for my bank, post the payment to go on a certain date and I know it's been paid.

I love paying bills through my bank's online service; it has a great setup.
I can set up a recurring payment ( like for church pledges, car payment, anything that is just repeated monthly) and let the system take care of it.

[Coventina]

31. I am actually in the process of getting rid of my paper statements.

I won't bore you with all the details, but I am doing that, as I pay the bills this month.

[KS Toronado]

14. This what happens when Biden wants to clamp down on bank's junk fees?

They figure out new ways to rip us off?

[RobinA]

34. I Would Consider

that fee to be the junkiest of all junk fees.

[KS Toronado]

41. They are definitely going where no company has gone before

Who's next.....Pizza shops, lumber yards, 911?

[DemocraticPatriot]

15. Tell them you will only charge them $9 a month for the honor of

billing you!!!


I had some credit cards that were pulling such bullshit. I decided I was done with credit,
and just stopped paying them all. Most of them sued me,
but you can't get blood out of a turnip. Most of them wrote off the debt.

One is still after me, but they still haven't been paid.
Their only chance is to collect after I die, if they get lucky.

[Stargazer99]

17. Watch-the rest of them will start the same screwing of the common man-just give them time

[dalton99a]

18. Jason and Kimberly in Mumbai don't work for free

[Vinca]

19. Good for you. Directv was pissing us off, so after almost 25 years of using them

we cut the cord to the dish and started streaming. And we'll never stream through Directv. Best decision we've made in a long time.

[lastlib]

40. My sister's joke about DirecTV:

What's the difference between DirecTV and a $20 hooker? The hooker will eventually stop screwing you. DirecTV never will.

[SocialDemocrat61]

20. Just curious

How do you normally pay your bill: online debit or write a check and mail it in?

[Coventina]

32. I do online debit. n/t

[SocialDemocrat61]

44. Some websites

have the option of an automatic monthly payment. See if yours does, so you won’t have to worry about missing a payment again.

[Oneironaut]

23. Everything is a grift these days, so, not shocking.

[Emile]

24. Many places are giving discounts if you pay with cash.

I think I'm going to start using cash more often.

[Happy Hoosier]

36. Some do, most don't.

Depending on the "cash discount," It may make sense to buy with cash. For me, no place I shop regularly offers a cash discount, so I put the transactions on a rewards card of some sort.

[Hotler]

25. First, I suggest a credit card from a credit union. In fact move all your money to a CU.

Around 2005± the credit card companies were called before a Senate hearing on out of control rates charged by the credit card companies. All the major banks were lined up at the hearing. One of the bank CEO's said that they consider people that use their cards each month and pay off the balance each month as dead beats, because, they use their money for 30-days for free. My credit card went right in the drawer and sat there, I paid cash for everything except big ticket items. So my credit card statements started coming with a zero balance each month. One month there was a minus .25 cents on my statement for an over charge for the VAT tax out of Europe. Bank of America owed me .25 cents, this showed up month after month. One month it was gone. I called them and asked were my quarter went. They told me they just made it go away, I informed them that if I owed Bank of America a quarter they would hound me to my death for it and they agreed right over the phone. I told them to shove their credit card up their ass right then and there. I moved to a credit union and haven't looked back.

[Wonder Why]

27. +100 for the CU suggestion. as to the $.25, you should have filed a FINRA complaint

[Coventina]

33. Yes, I do have a credit card with my CU.

This particular card was my emergency back up card, so I don't use it much.

It happened that I forgot my wallet at work, and so that's how this card came to be used.

[Simeon Salus]

26. Verizon is doing this as well

[GreenWave]

29. This "sheet" is popping up everywhere.

My free shipping from Swanson's now has a small convenience handling fee!
Amazon rejected my critique of a shampoo company for jacking up the rate 4x the price two years ago, saying we CANNOT complain about prices.
E-Bay is allowing an incompetent seller a FULL MONTH to get documentation in order for a lost in USPS item. Seller does NOT communicate, nor even understands how to get a tracking number.

[Happy Hoosier]

35. Yeah....

Ditch this card issuer. Who is is, if I can ask? Wanna avoid them.

Set up auto-pay on your accounts. I missed a payment a couple years ago.... annoying. Even if you pay off the entire balance each month like I do, setting up an auto-pay for minimum payment means you'll never have this problem.

I'm a "credit card guy." I put pretty much every transaction I can on a credit card and then I pay the balances weekly. I score beau coup reward points that way. I travel a lot for work, and that helps me score some big points too.

[Coventina]

37. Post #28

And yes, I am taking steps to make sure this never happens again.....

[Happy Hoosier]

38. Cheers! Credit cards can be great tools, and...

... the banks that issue them can be "tools" too!!!

I've been pretty happy with Chase. They have some great cards if you want travel rewards. But if you are more interested in cash back, check out Capital One. They have some cards that give at least 2% back on every purchase.

[Coventina]

39. Yes! I am now definitely in the market for a better "emergency" card!! Thanks!! n/t