How many of you are getting screwed...

[WormGod]

I don't know what you all are complaining about. They have to raise APR so we can all pay for everyone else's inability to pay their debts. C'mon, it all makes sense, right? I actually know morons who were material-charge-happy with their 12 cards and are now unemployed in this sad market. Makes me bitter.

I now only have 2 cards, and only one of those has a high limit so it never gets used unless an emergency arises. 90% of my purchases are usually on my bank card so it comes out from my account directly. No APR at all. That's the good stuff.

[circmand]

they raised the rate on new purchases only and left the old balance at the agreed upon rate and applied payments to the old low interest balance first. However to loan monay at an agreed upon rate and then up the rate afterwards is wrong.

[mdwyer]

Anyone else using mint.com?

It's amazing, free, and they give you credit card recommendations, based on your current rates. I love it!

Mint scares the hell out of me. I'm so uncomfortable with giving a third party access to all my banking account logins.

Still... despite that, i tried them. They don't yet support my little hometown bank, so I can't get anywhere with them, yet.

[KeithVXlvr]

I do not know what my APR is becaue I pay it off every month. Crazy, I know.

How the heck can you let the balance roll and get hammered like that ??? It is like throwing money away.

I have one card that gets miles and I pay it off every month so, the APR doesn't even matter. And if you get caught in a bad spell, you can call them and tell them you are going elswhere unless they lower the rate.

[handeeman]

I haven't gotten any letters about rate increases or such, yet. However my sister got the one increasing her rate and cutting her credit limit to within a few hundred of her current balance. So here's the gaff, her credit score dropped because now it appears she is nearly maxed out on her cards. She had never even been late.

[taylorRichie]

Mint scares the hell out of me. I'm so uncomfortable with giving a third party access to all my banking account logins.

Still... despite that, i tried them. They don't yet support my little hometown bank, so I can't get anywhere with them, yet.

I was too... but if you do any kind of search for them they've won a million awards, and I haven't found any negative press on them (relating to identity fraud) I love the at-a-glance approach to every account I have, including investment accounts.

If they built in a bill pay system I'd have no reason to log in to my bank account ever.

[PittVXr]

Citibank tried that little trick on me last month. One phone call got my APR back down to where it was. I have had an account with them for close to 15 years now and this is the first time I can remember my interest rate taking a huge jump. I guess they figure that most Americans don't even bother to read their statement when it comes in the mail. They just mail in the minimum payment and stretch their debt out for another month.

I was actually surprised that they lowered it with no argument. I guess sometimes all you gotta do is ask.

[mdwyer]

I was actually surprised that they lowered it with no argument. I guess sometimes all you gotta do is ask.

Well, I called up Citi a few hours ago and asked to close my account. I almost lost it when they ran me through the retention process.

"You're a valuable customer! Why are you leaving us?"

"Funny you should ask, since you're they one closing my account."

The woman I talked to was very nice, at least. She asked why I stopped using the card, and offered up a couple of options to keep me as a customer -- like a new points plan, and cutting the APR by 20%! I'd been a customer for 14 years!

I'm probably going to regret it, but I was just too pissed at them. It bothers me too much that they leave me hanging for five years or more, threaten to close my account, then suddenly they want to be my friend when I try to close the account under my own terms. I just refuse to do business with companies that insult me like that... not when I have a choice, at least.

Companies like Comcast and Ticketmaster are still able to screw me because of their monopoly. But I see no reason to put up with a company that doesn't care about me. Sprint, for all their failings, at least appreciates that I have a good history with them.

Argh!

Still, it says a lot towards what PittVX was saying: If you actually call up and ask, you might be suprised at just how willing they might be to keep you.

[kodiak]

This will explain everything.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_TjBNjc9Bo

[AK Falco]

Just got a letter from American express. they dropped my limit to just above my ballance. I dident know it until I went to use it ane my card was declined. ? what a scam!

[taylorRichie]

Just got a letter from American express. they dropped my limit to just above my ballance. I dident know it until I went to use it ane my card was declined. ? what a scam!

They did the same to me...

Not sure why either really sucks... I carried a balance with them for a few months after a vacation, that I booked through them!! using my amex. After I got it paid off they said I carried a balance and thus was given a credit limit.

Then Last month they cut my credit in half because I wasn't using it???? What?!?

[vt_maverick]

Discovered a new level of shadiness a few minutes ago, not credit card related, but sorta related.

I was in Cali last summer on a business trip and found myself at a toll booth without the required change. But unfortunately they don't have an ATM or off-ramp to an ATM anywhere near by, so I got the pretty orange fine card. I talked it over with Hertz and they promised to forward me a copy of the bill once it arrived.

Fast forward 8 months... I get a letter in the mail from a collection agency, which claims that Bay Area Transit has attempted to contact me (Hertz rather) twice and since I've chosen not to respond () they've turned it over to collection. So I go ahead to the collection company's website and pay the $74 bill online, then call them up to verify they received payment and won't report it on my credit report (which they aren't). Now $74 is a nice chunk of change, but I did the crime so I was okay with paying up, UNTIL the very nice agent said casually "It's a shame you didn't call before submitting your payment - I could have reduced the charge to $29 on the spot."

Q#@$%!@T!#^U$%@&%^*#%^R^&@%R^@#$%#$%!#$%!!!!!!!!!! !
Oh and :madr2: : :
So I say to him, "Well if I stop payment on my card and call you back, can you rebill me for $29 instead?" Things get shifty on the other end of the phone, and he eventually tells me that if they see my payment fail, they'll add an additional penalty and won't even consider dropping the amount to the lower $29.

WTF?!?!?!?