Since August 2, I've been working with my brother to help him pay off his debt and repair his credit. The very first thing I did that day was call his credit card company (Aspire Visa) concerning a promotional pay-away program that had sent in the mail the previous week. The customer service representative was extremely nice and very helpful in getting my brother started on the program. After the conversation, I repeated the information back to her to reconfirm, and she did.
She also gave me a number and extension to call her back at if I had any farther trouble and a refernce number for my case. The terms of the program are 0% finance charge, no overlimit fees, no account maintenace fee each month, and minimum balance due each month would be 1% of the current outstanding balance.
This was if, and only if, he made a payment of $100 by August 11, and thereafter, he would owe a max of $20 a month by the eleventh of every month starting in September.
Well, I personally made a payment over the phone that day from my own checking account that I was told would go through by the next day (Aug. 3), which it did. Also, I was told that it would take 7-10 business days for this information to be processed.
A week later my brother informs me he's getting harrassing phone calls from Aspire's collection department. They told him that he had to pay $700 right then. If he didn't, they would charge him more late and overlimit fees. He informed them he was enrolled in the Pay-Away Program the previous week, and they said he still had to pay.
I called the company as soon as I got home. The number the woman I originally spoke with was automatically transfering me to another department he couldn't help me, as they put. So, I pushed for a manager. It was a gentleman with a southern accent. He confirmed that my brother was on the pay-away program and that the collection department would continue to call him until his information was finished being processed.
Yesterday, August 29th, I received my brother's Aspire Visa statement due for September 11. The overlimit fee the woman had voluntarily said she would get removed from November was still on the statement, and the overlimit fee, maintenance fee, and finace charge for the month of August were all on the bill. I called the customer service number to find out what the voice recording would say his balance is, and the recording even said that he was late on payment and overlimit.
The lady from August 2nd and the gentleman and spoke with the week after both confirmed that in their system, my brother was up to day on payments. I kept getting flipped around until finally I was able to reach the lady at the extension she gave whom I had originally spoke with. She remembered me and my brother and apologized for the confusion.
She said that he was indeed on the program and she did not know what happened. She gave me a customer service number to call to have them send a detailed statement to show the July fee waived and the August fees taken off. I called that number and was told that my brother was not on any program.
I asked to speak with a manager after that. I told the manager my case and was told that he would send it up to higher management to be taken care of. He confirmed that the computer did show that my brother was on the Pay-Away Program but it was canceled for some unknown reason on August 11. It is writing and I was told verbally by three different Aspire agents that the offer was good so far as no payments were made. We asked if he had to pay any payments by August 11th after the $100 and they said he did no owe anything until September 11.
So for Rae in Small Town, Texas. You are just one of the lucky people who has had no issues with the company. I'm in great credit standing my self with a credit score of 705 and have never had issues. I have been personally handling everything and speaking with Aspire on the matter and have done everything correctly, but still I get the run around.
I was on the phone from 3pm until 6pm yesterday, going back and forth and who said what. I'm supposed to receive a call by next week to find out what is going on, but after researching this company on the internet, I hear people getting the same run around as my brother and I. I called a debt counselor and explained the situation, and they told me my brother dosen't need a debt counselor but a lawyer to stop these charges since Aspire won't settle the debt.
I will not ever subscribe to any credit card or take any loan from any company that I find to be apart of Aspire. And I will tell everyone I know about this event. I work in the banking field and advise many people on their personal finances, and I will make sure no one I know falls into Aspire Fraudulent programs.
V
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
U.S.A.
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