I am very glad I ran into your website! I was looking to see if
First USA
had a website so I could send them a nasty gram when I found yours.
Although I didn't sign on the dotted line, I was irritated with them
for
another reason and planned to let them know what a bunch of idiots
I think
they are.
Thanks for the heads up and also have you heard similiar stories about
Advanta Credit Card????? Your story is exactly what they did
to us. We
started off with a low interest rate, charged the card up and suddenly
realized that they are now charging us 23.99%! I called them
about this and
they refused to lower it saying they had "no other lower rates".
I don't
understand this, we have made all of our payments faithfully on time
and in
many cases we have paid far more than the minimum due. They also
did not
notify us of the rate increase unless they consider notification just
changing the percent field they are required to put on your statement!
Thanks again for the info!
Example 47
When I opened up a First USA, it was to transfer a large balance with
their
low interest rate of 4.99%. This rate ran for approximately 4-6
months. It
stated in the agreement that the rate would then change to 12.99% which
I
still felt was not a reasonable rate. Only to find that after
a while (I
don't remember the time lapse) that the rate jumped up to 21.99%.
I called
customer service and complained. They indicated that it was perfectly
legal
to charge that rate and indicated that they have notified me two months
prior
that the rate was going to increase. This was a complete lie.
I told them
that I would never recommend any business their way. I called
them and
complained a couple months later and wanted to negotiate the rate.
Can no do
was their response. My husband received a personal invite to
open the credit
card with them. We just threw it out. The third time when
I called them to
complain, they indicated that if we had responded to that invite that
I would
receive that same rate, with the same agreement if we had called them
at that
time. What a joke. I guess gone are the days when you can
negotiate with
these people. My payment primarily consists of 3/4% interest.
Sorry if I got
so long-winded. Hopefully, there is something that can be done
to stop First
USA from using these "bait and switch" tactics.
Example 48
This is a long story but I will try to make it short.
A few months ago, I made a payment of $300 to my FirstUSA Platinum
card. Boy was I surprised when I read the next statement which
credited
the account $3! They also charged me late fee and finance
charge.
Well, this was only the beginning.
I called FirstUSA promptly and talk to one of their "advisors".
She
assured me that the mistake was on my end that I should talk to my
bank. Once I got my monthly statement from my bank I called them
back
and demanded credit for $297. They agreed to give me a temporary
credit
until I send them front and back copies of the cashed check along with
a
copy of the monthly statement from my bank. So far not too bad.
I got all the relevant information and mailed it to FirstUSA along with
a written letter asking to make the temporary credit permanent.
I then
waited a couple of weeks and called in to check and see if the error
has
been corrected. Guess what? Yes, they *removed* the temporary
credit
and claimed that they never received the letter (including copies of
the
check, etc.). From this point on I spoke to about 10 advisors,
with one
of them hanging up on me when I asked her for her name - she was
extremely rude and when I asked her for her name she hung up on me.
When I realized that these incompetent fools misrouted my letter, I
got
their fax number and faxed all the relevant information. Guess
what?
Yes, they never received the damn fax. Next, I got a hold of
another
advisor, told her to wait by the fax and confirm that they receive
my
fax. Finally this works but she doesn't seem to know what to
do with
it! I demand to talk to the supervisor, and she tells me
that she will
have him call me back in 10 minutes. I wait 45 minutes and call
back.
Of course there is no way to reach the advisor once you hang up the
phone.
I finally get a hold of a supervisor who tells me that she will put
the
temporary credit back on and forward the documents to another department
who can handle it. And this is where I am currently, after 5
weeks of
wrestling with the folks at FirstUSA. I will do everything I
can to
close this account as soon as possible.
Example 49
Apparently, my Bank One institution recently merged or formed a
business alliance with First USA Bank. They changed the terms
of my
cardmember agreement, such that I can have my rate increased to 22.
99% APR if I'm late twice withing any 6 month billing cycle (that's
in addition to the $25 late fee!).
Please tell me how I can encourage others to cut up their Bank One
cards and mail protest letters to the Pres of Bank One at: Bank
One
Corp.
Example 50
Bravo for your web site! I only wish I'd looked at it a year ago.
These people are not nice. My experiences have been almost identical to those reported by your other readers. Flattering offers, high credit lines, low introductory rates. But then once you swallow the bait, they set the hook and begin to reel you in.
My rate went from 5.9% (great) to 12.99% (reasonable) and then to 24.99%
(loan shark time). The reason?
Apparently I was "late" a couple of times which meant I no longer qualified
for the "special" 12.99% rate. What I now know is: It's almost
impossible to make a payment on time. First, they have one of the
shortest grace periods in the business. You'd better put your check
in the mail as soon as you get the bill. Second, they certainly
seem to drag their feet on applying your payment. The reason for
that, of course, is so they can (1) ding you with a $20 late fee,
and then (2) jack up the interest rate. They wait until you've committed
to them for several thousand, and then tighten the noose. In my case,
it was right after Christmas. I was fortunate to be able to pay it
off and close the account. But what about the guy/gal who can't?
All of a sudden you've got a $250.00 minimum payment with $220.00 going
to interest. With $30.00 per month going to principal, it's like
a 30-year mortgage!
I've dealt with a number of credit card firms, but none like this one (with the exception of Providian - they're just about as bad). First USA's "customer service" department is useless. It's obvious to me that they want to make as much money as quickly as they can, with little or no regard for customer relations or fair business practices.
Keep up the good work!