The painful ordeal I am experiencing with Chase Manhatten Visa all started in 2002 when I injured my back and had to spend several months away from work in rehabilitation and fell behind in my credit card payments.
Up to that time, I had a very good payment history with Chase Manhatten Bank, sending as much as $800.00 at one time to pay down my card balance. My injury caused me to fall behind on several debts, including Chase and after being thirty days late, interest rate went from 9% to 24.99%! This meant my minimum balance soared and made it even more difficult to keep up! As I spiraled into more debt with Chase and struggled to keep up, their calls from the Tempe, Arizona call center became more and more frequent.
As I struggled to try to supplement my income to pay this debt, I became comfortable with calling Chase and paying them by phone, authorizing them to draft my account. However, on July 25, I was horrified to find that someone else's Chase Manhatten Visa had been paid by MY checking account! I immediately alerted both my bank and Chase to what had occurred.
This fraudulent mishap left me with a huge overdraft and took two months to recoup my money! Chase however, offered NO explanation, but continued to make harassing phone calls! The calls became so extreme that even when I did pay the amount agreed upon, in full for one month, and made arrangements with them to pay the same amount the next month, they would still call, sometimes three to four times in one day to both my home and my job. On one occassion a woman called my job saying that she was a representative of Chase Bank and wanted to know if I could make a payment over the phone at that very minute.
I explained to the lady that I could not and would not due to the fact that my checking account had been compromised by Chase and that someone else's credit card had been paid at my expense. She became very hostile and verbally abusive, so I hung up on her. She called back and the receptionist told her that I was unavailable.
This individual then asked the receptionist for contact information for my employer and told her my private information, including threatening to contact my superior and tell them of the debt I owed Chase. The receptionist hung up on the lady and she called back three more times within ten minutes continuing to attempt to harass me. This call took place after asking Chase to refrain from calling my job several times in the past! I am aware of my rights and know that Chase has violated the law by continuing to call my job and then to disclose my personal information to another person!
The last two payments I made to Chase were on September 24, and October 8. A representative named Jason from the Tempe call center, told me to make sure that I get my next payment and all subsequent payments in before the 10th of every month from now on.
I agreed and asked him to send me verification of this "new agreement" in writing and to address my request for the frequency of phone calls to stop. He declined saying that there was nothing he could do to arrange a written agreement and that the calls "should decrease to only once per week, which should just be the automated system".
However, the calls have not decreased and my paying Chase does not affect the amount of calls I receive regarding this debt! I feel like a prisoner in my own home even though I am actively paying this debt! I cannot even look at the telephone in a single evening without knowing that Chase will be calling. I believe that I am being harassed because I cannot afford to pay this debt in full, and that Chase has no appreciation for the fact that I am paying!!!
Hope
Covington, Georgia
U.S.A.
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