The worst credit card experience of my life
Written: Jun 05 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Anybody can join
Cons: Poor customer service, outrageous fees
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| Brit-Jones's Full Review: Cross Country Bank |
I signed up for the Cross Country Bank visa card after receiving one of those "You're already approved!" mailers. My wife and I are trying to rebuild our credit after wrecking it in college and it seemed like an ideal credit card with which to accomplish this : low credit limit and high interest which would encourage us to pay off the whole thing every month.
Our troubles began the very evening we received the card in the mail and had it activated. I attempted to buy a pair of $130.00 work boots and was informed that the card was declined. I told the clerk that this was impossible, as I had never used the card before, and he offered to let me use the phone to call Cross Country Bank. This is when I discovered that 1) the call is not toll free and 2) there is not an option on the automated menu which allows you to speak with an actual person. After pressing "0" (an invalid option) several times I was finally connected to a customer service representative. She did not tell me her name, and I did not ask, foolishly believing that the problem would soon be sorted out. She told me that the store's credit card terminal had malfunctioned and charged my purchase twice. In order to fix this, she informed me, she was going to delete both purchases and have the clerk run the card a third time. This was done and the purchase went through.
Imagine my surprise to receive my bill and find three pairs of work boots charged to my account, along with the over limit fee. Very upset, I made my second toll call to the bank and again had to trick the automated menu into letting me talk to a person. This person informed me that there was no record of my previous call and that I would have to return to the store and call from there in order to get the problem sorted out. This was when I said I wanted my account closed and the card cancelled. Bear in mind that I only received the card in the mail about ten days before. I was transferred and (I thought) closed my account. After traveling across town and having the store call Cross Country Bank the two wrongfully assessed charges were finally removed.
When I got my next statement I discovered that they had not removed the over limit fee and had charged me a late fee for not sending in a payment on the last statement. I sent them a check for the amount of my purchase plus tax and interest along with a letter explaining that I was not paying the late fee or the over limit fee, and since I had chosen not to be a member I also refused to pay the $100.00 membership fee. I stated that if they had any problems with this they could address their complaints to my attorney and included his contact information.
This is when the threatening letters and phone calls began.
Over the course of several months my attorney attempted to contact Cross Country Bank through the mail and never received any response whatsoever. Every time they called we informed them that legal action was pending and they should be contacting my attorney, and every time they claimed to have no knowledge of this. They would take his phone number and hang up only to call again the next day. Finally my attorney advised me just to pay them, as in the time it would take to get then in court they could irreparably harm my healing credit.
So I paid them off - I wrote a check for the entire amount they claimed I owed and included with the payment perhaps the nastiest letter I have ever written. Two weeks later I received a letter back stating that, although the check I sent was $30.30 short, they were going to waive this and close my account (bear in mind, my account is already supposed to be closed) due to my dissatisfaction. I did not reply.
In the final act so far, I received a bill dated after the above mentioned letter for $1.39. I have for the past three weeks ignored this bill and so far I have heard nothing further.
To finally conclude this wretched tale, I ruined my credit in college by accepting credit cards from questionable companies. I was younger, dumber and did not think through the consequences of my actions. Over the years I have paid these creditors off and learned my lesson. As bad as the experiences with these companies were I would take them all again rather than have to deal with Cross Country Bank ever again.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
Brit-Jones
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Member: Brit Jones
Location: Austin, TX
Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 3 members
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