I purchased a ring from Helzberg Diamonds in November for $3288.67 and was offered their credit card. I signed up for the credit card and received no interest until January.
In August I stopped receiving a paper bill. I had moved in July and received one bill at my new address that month. I was still able to pay on my account online, but I could not view any of my past statements, and it appeared that none of my payments were being applied. I contacted technical support several times between August and October to try to get the problem resolved.
Technical support discovered that somehow the address had reverted to my previous address. They changed it back, and not a month later it was changed again. Technical support was confused about how it got changed.
In late October I spoke with Sherry, a support representative, because I was unable to access the account online. The account was showing a zero balance and a payment due of 0 dollars. When I tried to make a payment, the online site would not allow it. Sherry told me that the account was closed and not to pay on it.
In the 11th month I received a recorded phone call telling me that I needed to pay. I called back and explained my problem, and the representative passed me back to Sherry. Sherry told me the problem would be resolved by the beginning of December.
In the beginning of December I received another recorded call from a creditor stating that I was overdue on my payment. On December 23 at 5:00 pm I spoke with Sherry's manager, who told me that there was a major problem with my account and that they would deduct all interest and late fees and resend the statement. I now gave them a third address, my parents'. I was able to pay the minimum balance again.
I was going to pay the account off completely ($2210.00) but ran into problems. So I called again on January 6 and was treated rudely, so I hung up on the female representative. She told me I was trying to run a scam.
On January 7 I tried to pay on the account (still no paper statement) and was again told that my account was at a zero balance due on 0/0/000. I spoke with Jacky (in Nevada), a support representative, and her supervisor. He told me not to pay on the account because they were showing a balance but were not showing that I had paid anything since I purchased the ring. He told me not to pay that day and to call back the next day. He said he was going to write up a trouble ticket and that there was definitely a problem.
On January 8 I called from the retail store to see if the problem was corrected, and I spoke with Gale (in Tennessee), who told me that the problem was fixed. She told me, my girlfriend and the store manager that she would waive all interest on the account until August 2004 and waive all late fees. She told me that all I owed was $117 and that if I paid it, the account would be closed.
I knew that $117.00 was not right, but she would not accept the full amount because it would cause the account to go negative.
At the end of January (early February) I received a paper statement that showed I owed $2000 and had to pay it. I went to the store where I purchased the ring and spoke with a sales representative. The saleswoman then called the credit card company and tried to resolve the issue. The representative, Gale (not the same as above), told me that the ring was returned, the account was closed, and then the account was reopened, but she could not tell me how much the original ring was for. She told me that she was going to waive the interest and late fees (until March 24) and resend the previous statement that she had on her records. I received a statement dated 2002.
On 3/2/04 I went back to the store because the representative on the phone had told me it was a store problem. I spoke with Julie, who called support and spoke with Tracey, but they were unsuccessful in resolving the issues.
I called on 3-8-04 and spoke with Tim, who told me to call back and speak with a supervisor.
I called back on 3-9-04 and spoke with Sarah. I told her all of the above, and she asked why I had changed my address three times. I told her the first time was because I moved. The second was because technical support found that when I changed my address it did not register properly in the system, so they had me change it again (same address). When that did not work, they had me give them a totally different address, the one I use now. She listened and said that she agreed with me and that my story matched what was in the computer, so she would deduct the late fees and interest charges for the last 30 days only, leaving me a balance of $2869.67.
I asked to speak with her boss. Rick answered the phone and said they had offered me a generous discount and I would get no more. He then said I was supposed to have been getting interest since October 2003. I said no, my bill clearly states January, when I purchased it. He said, "Oh, it's wrong in the system." He then said it was my responsibility to pay for the ring by then and that I had no argument. I told him my past payments were not going to the bill (not that I could tell), and he said I still had to pay. He then said I did not do enough calling to get this resolved and that he would not offer any more help. I said thank you and asked for the legal address. He gave me:
Helzberg Diamonds
Citicards PO Box 8189
Gray, Tennessee 37615
I then contacted my lawyer, who sent a letter to Helzberg and to CitiBank. CitiBank never responded. We called CitiBank today, Wednesday, May 12, because I now have poor credit. CitiBank put the past year's problems on my credit report, and I cannot finalize my house and may become homeless.
We spoke with Sarah, who said she was more than generous. She said, "Rick my boss tells me I am too easy, and I need to toughen up. He says I settle too easy." She will not acknowledge the above story and refuses to remove the marks on my credit. I even told her I had a check for $2210 and would pay it if she removed the points. She said no, she would not remove the points, and I would have to pay $2800.
I was willing to pay off the account every time, and they never let me. All I wanted was for all interest to be waived, late fees to be waived, and some form of compensation for the time and months I have spent trying to resolve.
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