Recently, one of the few credit card accounts I’m still paying off suddenly jumped due dates to an earlier date, causing an automatic “late” fee of $35.00. When I called, they were only too happy to remove the charge and explained that the “billing cycle” had changed from 31 days to 23 days. Everything was okay, however, because they could also change it back. The explanation was something about the due date being X number of days after the bill went out, fine, okay, great, whatever.
Then, another card did the same thing a few weeks later. Huh? Calling the second card got me the same response and another refund, this time with an explanation that all store accounts owned by “whatever card” were doing this. Again the charge was reversed without further hassle, and the due date was changed back by whatever realignment was necessary.
It has become obvious to me that, in addition to incurring $70.00 in fees because someone in a glass tower said, “Hey, let’s do everything THIS way,” they would have been happy to keep those $35.00 charges if no one had called them. My question is, was generating and keeping fees the reason behind doing this in the first place?
This scam is almost exactly like those “purchase rebate” schemes. You buy at full price but will get money back (The more you spend, the more you SAVE!!!), but if you don’t send the rebate in or miss crossing a “t” or dotting an “i,” the card company keeps the money, which is how the rebate company who designed the program is paid (by hedging their bets that people, being people, will forget or not bother). Since rebates are on their way out (suckers have caught on), is calling in once a month and asking NOT to move our billing date the only way we can expect not to incur mystery fees (which, of course, still have to be resolved with another call?)
Is anyone else enjoying this new scheme besides middle-class me?
Orignal From: The Mysteriously Moving $35 Due Date…!
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