What's in YOUR wallet?
By rowantree
@rowantree (1186)
United States
May 9, 2007 6:47pm CST
I have a Capital One credit card. A little over a year ago, I had read an article that stated if you had a credit card with an annual fee and had a good credit history with that company, you can call the company and request the annual fee be removed.
So I did. And the customer service representative was very polite and very nice and gladly removed the annual fee for me. I was very happy, since the annual fee was $60! The rep told me that *IF* the fee showed up again on my account next year, all I had to do was call them back and they'd remove it.
She emphasized the "if" portion pretty strongly, so I wasn't worried. Ended up taking out a personal loan with Capital One as well so we could have new windows and a fence installed. Good credit history, never late on payments.
Paid off the credit card and paid off the personal loan. Everything is good, right? Except I still keep getting statements in the mail from Capital One. I have to open them, because I want to make sure that's what it is and all that. I also am bombarded with emails with the subject line "your Capital One statement is ready". Ready for what? I have a zero balance! And I never get just one email, I get 2 or 3 a month.
So the last email I received, I zipped off a reply to Capital One, stating I shouldn't even have a statement because my balance is ZERO.
That's all I wrote.
About a week later, I get a statement in the mail. I started to just rip it up but then decided I better open it. The statement shows I have a $59 balance. They charged me for the annual fee. Guess they got mad that I complained about receiving emails & statements from them and decided they'd give me a balance so I can't complain.
I call customer service. I spoke to a total of SIX people. Each time, I had to verify my information. Each time, when they asked why I was calling and I said I wanted my annual fee removed, they stated they had to transfer me to an account specialist.
I asked the fifth person how many different account specialists they had. I relayed to the rep how I had called a year ago & the fee was removed and that it shouldn't have shown back up and that I was told if it did, that all I had to do was call.
I'm sorry ma'am, let me transfer you to an account specialist.
The sixth person wasn't an account specialist. I guess they figured that since I was still holding on to what I wanted they were going to transfer me to the meanest, most rudest person they have working for them.
It all came down to me saying if they didn't remove the fee, I was going to write a letter to the company to complain and I would pay the fee but I would cancel my account and have no further business dealings with Capital One ever again. I also said I would do my best to let everyone know what a total scam they are running.
The rep said that's fine, but they won't remove the fee. The rep also refused to transfer me to anyone else.
I wrote the letter to the president of the company and of course, I haven't heard anything back. I wrote a letter to Capital One to dispute the charges and of course I received an email stating I had to pay the fee. I even wrote the local newspaper's column called "The Fixer", who help people with problems with businesses.
I haven't heard from the president of Capital One and I don't think I will. The Fixer is probably too busy. So I'll end up paying $59 and cancelling the account.
Capital One will never be in my wallet.
No responses

