GM MasterCard has got Earnings program. The earned points can be used to pay if buying or leasing GM car. The program can be useful (while many restrictions still prevent using the points in full amount).
It looks like a problem emerged recently: too many earnings points have been accumulated by so many users for so many years that the bank cannot hold the promises. It seems they are looking for ways how to reduce the earnings debts.
Unfortunately, my personal example demonstrates that they decided to choose very questionable methods to resolve the problem - setting up customer to confiscate the earned points.
In my particular case the followings amazing story happened. Almost three months ago, somebody changed mailing address listed on my account, without noticing me or asking for my authorization. When I tried to complain by phone, it turned out that phone password has been set for my account too, and I do not know the password. I have no ideas who, when, and for what reason made this passward.
In the phone conversation followed, a "security service personnel" shocked me asking to present explicitely my SSN. I prefer to follow common security rules - never disclose SSN by phone. There were few other fraudulent questions from their side.
In other words, they actively pushed me to start complaining, and provoking to close the account. I requested the closure. Amazing point was a reaction of the officer, who immediately agreed to do that (while normally this is pretty hard to close credit cards, as we all know, since agents try to keep customers). Another amaizing point was that in addition to closing the card, they suggested to block any activity on the account (on the account that doesn't exis anymore!) until identifying my personality.
So, eventually, I was asked to send them few utility and banking statements to confirm my identity. I send the corresponding paperwork immediately. No response from GM card followed in few weeks. I called them back, and they said that one of the statements doesn't go (no comments or explanations why). I had sent them ones again few other statements. They were slow again... And just about 70 days after I called them for the first time, I've got a letter form GM card asking to contact the security office.
I called GM card security service, and they informed me that my identity had been confirmed. They suggested to close my account (ones again?) and to recreate the account as a new one. This sounds great. But the point is that my earnings accumulated with the previous account cannot be transferred to the new one! More accurately, I would be still able to use the earnings, but only during three months after I request closing the account.
Now the situation became clear to me. Look, who benefited from a stupid action, like changing my address on the account? Nobody? Except for the GM card, who used it to confiscate my earnings. Everything in the situation was set up to make it.indeed,
(1) they provoked me to close the account by making impression that the address change fraud originates exactly from the GM card office.
(2) They havent informed me about the earnings loss after three months of the account closing.
(3) They artificially delayed the start of the fraud case and the release of the new card, by imitating my identity check, for almost three months.
(4) For all the three months after account closing, I was made to be unable to use my earnings. To use the earnings, one needs to pay with GM card, not other payment method authorises earnings use. The GM card office made everything to block using my GM card for that critical time interval.
(5) In discussion, they agreed for everything, except for returning my earnings.
From one, it looks like everything is in accourdance to the rules, and no violations are obviouse. On the other hand, my earnings money are stolen. I hope that the investigation will identify who originated the process by changing my address (and possibly by setting unauthorized phone password).
Please let me know if you could find any other feasible explanation of the situation. Except for deliberate fraud, which was set up by GM card with respect to 9-years customer of the bank.
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