Most Frustrating Card Experience
Written: Sep 02 '08
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Pros: promises
Cons: customer service, requirements
The Bottom Line: Citibank will make you promises and make you jump through 7 million hoops to obtain them (if they even exist.)
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| whatstheword's Full Review: Citibank |
I have had two credit cards in my lifetime: BankofAmerica and Capitol One. Cap One has been the best to me, so far, in my small amount of card usage (seven years.) Bank of America I cancelled solely because they charged undisclosed fees when I used my card overseas (you might have heard of that mammoth settlement?) However, they were very helpful when obtaining information regarding that settlement and if I had any use for that card, I would have kept it.
I am the kind of person who pays every month on time and in full. I am lucky enough to not have ever had any outstanding debts or even had to pay off loans. So, when I recently moved, I decided that I wanted to get a second card with 0% APR to pad me as I paid for things like new car insurance, furniture, etc. (I moved to a very large city whose cost of living was greatly inflated from my previous residence.)
So. I called and requested a Citibank Platinum Select Mastercard. First I was hung up on mid-register. Then, when I called back, I was shuffled about to 4 different people--and hung up on again! Finally, when I got to a human being, I was told that I woud have to wait for mail approval because they couldn't verify my address on the phone just yet but could do so in time.
I received my card and approval in the mail. I tried to call various times but they were always closed (their hours were my exact work hours--hard to deal with someone for 20 min. when your lunch is as long as the hold time!) Finally, I bit that bulllet and called to activate the card and was given 5 questions to answer. The final question was they needed my last address, which I readily supplied. Didn't match. What? So I went through every address I could think of--turns out it was an apartment I lived in for 5 months while in college 6 years ago! This may seem insane, but I was calling while at work and I honestly could not remember the apartment number at all. I have moved around since then quite a bit and perhaps it's early onset senility, but I could not figure it out at that time. I was told to call back when I figured it out, tell them, and all would be well.
So I called back a few days later after rummaging through tons of crap to locate the address, and they told me that since I couldn't tell them my current address (???) that I needed to verify it with a utility bill. 1) I totally could tell them my current address last time, I couldn't figure out the ancient one. 2) I am lucky enough to not have to pay utilities, so I don't have a utility bill for "proof". What the heck?? They kept hounding me about how I need to prove my residency. Completly nuts. I don't even know where they got this crazy ancient address from in the first place since I've lived in over 7 different places since!
So I cancelled it before I even activated it. I wouldn't want to deal with these people if I had an actual issue. If I had my card stolen or had fake charges on it, would they need my DNA and satellite images of my whereabouts to prove I didn't use it??? What's next, the exact time I ate a cheeseburger while wearing green in summer of '98???
Ridiculous. Registering for a Capitol One card was simple and fast. I am hoping to find a company with the same perks (0% APR for a year, no annual fee) that doesn't stink!! If only I could get a credit card with my time lost and cell phone minutes used back!
Recommended:
No
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whatstheword
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Reviews written: 1
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