I have been a card holder since June and have NEVER had a late payment.in Feb. 08 I noticed my account was over the credit limit by a few dollars. After looking through my statements I found I was charged "Cash Advance Fees" in the amount of $15.00. A representative agreed that those should not be there (on my account) however due to policy changes (which I was unaware of as well) I had to write to a P.O. Box in Delaware. Even though their website directs you to call a phone number to dispute Applied Card Bank Fees. (Of course this is a long distance number and not toll free!)
After putting me through the automated call service for about 30 minutes I finally get a rep. On the line who assures me that the dispute HAS to be in writing and I explained that I would like a manager to speak with me to possibly expedite the removal of these charges as to avoid any future fees due to a "snowball effect" that I am well aware of and try to avoid by any means necessary.
So I make my payments assuming that once they remove these "Cash Advance Fees" I would be able to have someone go back a couple months and remove fees caused by these charges. I make a few payments and low and behold I get a response in April that the fees are valid? Really? How? No explanation. No guide or contact to appeal to whomever made the decision. Not even a phone call to discuss the matter. So my next payment is due and by now I am IRATE! I Pay 69.00 that was due by April 14th and assumed that because my minimum payment is usually 30.00 that the other 39.00 was to cover the over limit fee. WRONG.
My credit limit was $500.00 when I opened my account in June and was increased on Dec. 18th (right before Christmas) to $850.00. I thought it would be useful to have it available and hesitantly agreed to the $100.00 finance charge to increase my credit limit. (Perfect timing for them to offer the increase right?!)
So my limit was $850.00 and in March my balance was about $862.00 (would have been less if the would have removed the $15.00 "Cash Adv. Fees") and I pay my April payment of 69.00 plus the $6.95 online payment fee.
I called the long distance number shortly after and navigated my way to a rep. It took 20 minutes or so. I requested to speak to a Manager and was put on hold about 10 mins. I explained the snowball effect that those fees had on my account and told her of my payment. She stated that by her "calculations the 69.00 should be enough to keep my account under the limit untill my next payment is due on May 15th. I go online and there it is... The 10.95 maintenence fee that posted to my account on April 25th. 10 days after my due date. And THEN the Finance charges that post on the 10th of May. I asked them to remove the one single overlimit fee and Promised to pay $100.00 on May 15th (I even scheculed the payment online so they could see it. I was told that they could not do anything because it was a valid fee.
I explained that there were three invalid fees that were charged to my account in previous months and she did not care. I asked her to break it down for me and tell me how my $100.00 would be applied to the balance. "Well your balance is 879.00 minus your hundred dollar payment so... 779.00 plus the 10.95 maintenance fee so 790.00 then your 20.00 finance charges so that brings it to 810.00 then last months overlimit fee which is 32.00 so 842.00 plus the 6.95 online payment fee which would bring it to 848.95. So you will be under your limit...
But then on May 25th we are gonna charge the Maintenance fee which will make your account over limit again. WOW! Are you kidding me. I tell them to screw off the will not get a nickle from me. I call my bank to stop payment and I don't care. I will pay them the 37.00 to stop my payment rather than give these crooks anything ever again. My credit is ok at about 640 but not good. I would love to bring civil action against these crooks and hope that someone contacts me soon to pursue this. I wonder if my attorney general in PA. Will consider action against this institution. Perhaps they haven't broke any laws but ethics are certainly the law of the land especially when deceptive practices are used to blackmail a peers credit rating.
They started a cycle by charging fees for cash advances that never existed then became judge and jury when those charges were disputed. Refused to lend a hand by waiving a single over limit fee (over by less than five dollars mind you!!!) and instead of lending their hand to get out of this hole... They handed me a shovel.
DadofFive
Girard, Pennsylvania
U.S.A.
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