I have always been a good cutomer to Getsmart Visa (previously Aria). I made my payments on time, and always paid more than the minimum payment due. I actually paid off the balance several times; I can't count the number of back-statements I have with a zero balance ($0.00) on them.
I One day, I receive a letter stating that I would receive a new cardholder agreement in the mail, because of some changes that were taking place at the Getsmart Visa division of Providian Bank. I waited to receive this new agreement.
When the agreement came, there were actually two envelopes from Providian! One contained a new cardholder agreement, and information on the purchase by Emerge Mastercard. This letter also contained my new account number. The other envelope contained a letter stating that they were closing my account.
I was really confused now! They issue a new card, but close my account on the same day? They were never able to provide me with an answer on why the account was closed. At the time of receiving the letters, I had a zero balance due, and an available credit line of $1700.00, and an APR od 12.99%. After the purchase of Getsmart, my credit line was reduced to $400.00, and my APR was increased to 29.99%.
I received a letter a couple days after that, and they stated that I had a credit on my account. I was thrilled, although it was only for $16.00. They had the nerve to tell me that I had to request this credit in writing, and I only 15 days to do so, or the credit would be forfeited to their company. If I have a credit on my account, and the account was closed for no good reason, except that they were not making a lot of money from me, due to me constantly paying off my entire balance, I deserved that credit! They should have automatically sent a check to me.
I quickly typed a letter requesting this credit, and shipped it off in the next day's mail. After 5 weeks, I finally received the check! I felt that they were holding up my money, why can't I charge them a 29.99% interest on what they owed me! They seem to feel that it is okay for them to tack on late charges and interest if my payment did not reach them in time, why can't I?
In closing, I am glad that I no longer have that account. It did put a bad mark on my credit, but I am working with the credit bureaus to get it cleared. I have supplied them with copies of all my statements, showing a great credit history with Aria/Getsmart. If Aria/Getsmart does not provide viable information on why the account was closed in the next 27 days, the mark will be removed. Take that Providian, Aria, Getsmart, Emerge — whatever the hell you call yourself nowadays!
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