A couple of years ago I bought a computer from Apple. MBNA financed the machine with a Gold Reserve line of credit for around $4,500.
Last fall, I received a letter stating that because of my excellent payment history my account had been elevated to Platinum status. This didn't mean a darned thing, except my monthly payments would be reduced. The letter also said that I could access any available credit at any time.
A month later I sent them a check for $3,500 to pay off my account. Shortly thereafter, I wanted to use some of the line, but was turned down... As I didn't qualify for their credit. Boy was I upset.
A month later things got worse. I had set up an automatic payment plan on the internet. I assumed that if I didn't owe them money the auto payment would terminate. Wrong. They hit my bank account, but I caught the withdrawel, and stopped payment on it.
The next month I received a statement for $29.00; their charge for the NSF check. I called and went round and round with several representatives who claimed that I should have to pay the bank for the bad check. I said, what bad check, I didn't owe you any money.
Then I was told that their auto payment program was run by someone other than the bank... So they wouldn't know I didn't owe any money. How would I know the bank didn't manage their own website?
Finally, they agreed to credit the $29.00, but it didn't happen. The next month I got another statement for the $29.00, plus a finance charge. I called the bank again, and got reamed out by some jerk who told me this was all my fault.
I simply said there was an agreement which I expected the bank to live up to. It almost took an act of Congress for them to remove the darned $29.00.
The next month the $29.00 was removed, but the original finance charge remained, plus a finance charge on the old finance charge.
The fact that they cancelled my account after all the b.S. Was one thing. But the wringer they put me through over their lousy payment system was clearly uncalled for, and wasted several hours of my time.
Platinum or no platinum, they could care less about making doing business easy.
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