I have a credit card with Associates National Bank, which was bought out by Citibank. I must have accidentally tossed my last bill in the trash because it came in a Citibank envelope, and since I did not have a Citibank card, I thought it was junk mail. Today I received a phone call from a collection department within Citibank demanding a payment of $40.00. I told the caller there must be some mistake because I did not have a Citibank card.
I was told that yes, I did have a Citibank card; it was my Associates card. I was a whole month behind. I had missed one payment. I told the caller that I did not have my statement or any of my paperwork with me at work and would take care of it after work today. That was not what they wanted. They demanded immediate payment. I asked to be transferred to someone who would cancel my credit card for me, since I decided I really did not want a Citibank card. She tried to transfer me and cut me off. I called back and got Nick in Collections, who wanted payment and would either do an electronic transfer from my checking account or let me send payment in, as long as I would overnight the letter. There was a $14.00 charge for the transfer from my checking, and who knows what an overnight letter would cost.
I told him that I had told the other operator that I would mail the payment in and wanted to close the account. Nick told me that I could not close the account until I paid the $40.00. At this point I told him I would send it in and hung up. I then called the automated service to find out exactly when my next payment would be due. I found out I did not owe $40.00; I only owed $20.00.
They were just getting me to pay what I owed on my next statement, which I have not received yet. So basically they take over another company, and then when you get behind by one payment, they call you, lie to you about how much you owe, and try to force you into paying over the phone and tacking on a $14.00 charge to do it. I will still have to pay a late fee of $25.00 on my next bill. I finally got another person on the phone and told them all I wanted to do was cancel my credit card and asked if I could do that.
The lady I spoke with this time told me that was not a problem and closed the account. I realize I owed them money, but who has not missed a payment at one time or another? For them to call me, demand payment, and then lie about what I owed, all for $20.00.
Now they have lost a customer, and the worst part is that they have now bought out Sears credit cards too. Is Citibank in that much financial trouble that no one can miss one payment without being hassled about it, or are they so big that if all their customers missed paying their bills one month they would go out of business?
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