We got our February statement this week, and… no rebate coupon. I figured that maybe since they canceled the card, they were withholding the coupon until we paid our balance. In looking over the statement, though, all references to the rebate cash we had earned was gone. Hmmm, not good…

I called Customer Service. The first (English as a second language) person I spoke to said I’d have to call a different number, which he gave me, and turned out to be a wrong number. I called Customer Service again. This time the person I spoke with (also English as a second language) told me I had to talk to a different department, but at least he was able to transfer me instead of telling me to hang up and call someone else.

The person I was transferred to was understandable, but I didn’t like what she had to say. According to her, since the card company had cancelled our card before the closing date for the February statement, we forfeited our rebate cash, almost $200. I explained that we had never missed a payment, had never been late with a payment, had done nothing wrong in fact, and they were taking money away from us that we had earned by using the card in good faith. “Sorry, Mr. yyyyy, that’s our policy. It’s in the card holder’s agreement you signed when you applied for the card.”

My first thought was to go ballistic and curse her out over the phone. Not a very Christian thing to do, and would probably do nothing except make my blood pressure go even higher. Instead, I asked to speak with her supervisor. I explained my tale of woe to the supervisor, and to make a long story short, I was eventually able to get them to apply our rebate to the remaining balance on the card. Here’s what I’ve learned from this experience:

• If your card is cancelled, check your final statement carefully for any extra charges or omissions
• If you feel there are any problems with the statement, call the company and get them resolved as soon as possible
• If the first person you talked to can ‘t or won’t help you, keep working your way up the chain until you get someone who will
• Don’t lose your temper – just explain your situation in a calm but firm manner
• Get the problem fixed before you make your final payment – once you’ve paid off the balance, you no longer have an account with the company and your chances of getting anything back from them are small
• Pay off the balance by the due date (see second and fourth items above though) – don’t give them an excuse to hit you with a late fee or the chance to earn interest
• If you feel the company is acting unethically, you might consider filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Ken

It came as a big shock, then, when I tried to use the card last Sunday and it was denied. I thought maybe something was wrong with the card reader. The clerk entered the information manually (several times) and got a manager to try as well. Luckily I had enough cash to pay for the purchase – I usually don’t carry cash. After leaving, I called the customer “service” number on the back of the card and was informed that our account had been canceled. According to the person I talked to, they had done a periodic check of my Experian credit report and determined that I was now too much of a credit risk, so they just canceled our account – no warning, no courtesy call, nothing. No new negative credit issues since the card was issued, no change in usage pattern, no late payments ever.

I know my credit score is ugly, but then they didn’t have to issue the card in the first place. To add insult to injury, they sent us a letter after canceling the card saying that “it may be reported negatively” to credit reporting agencies (we’ve done nothing wrong) and threatening to send our account to collection if we don’t pay the remaining balance in full (after a perfect payment record. When I called and asked about our cash back bonus that they owe us, the person I spoke to said we “should” get it, but she couldn’t tell me when.

I always thought of this card company as a first class operation – not one of those fly-by-night outfits you sometimes read about. I don’t know what to think of them now.

• They canceled our account without having the common decency to let us know in advance
• They caused a negative item to appear on my credit report even though I didn’t do anything “wrong”
• They are threatening me with collection “if” I don’t pay – never mind my perfect payment history with them
• They “can’t” tell me when I’ll get my Cash Back, money that they owe me

I have many thoughts about this, most of which aren’t suitable for a web site that aims to promote a Christian world view. I’m sure there is some upside to this, and I’m working on developing a positive attitude towards this. I guess I’ll wait and see if they try to rip off my cash back.

Cheers,

Ken