Complaint Review: AT&T Universal Card

I think what he said is, you can opt of of the higher APR. Just call the credit card company.

As an employee of the company you are having the problem with, what you have written is not true. The only way the company would raise your rates like that and put you in default pricing, is if you were late with your payment (even if only 1 day) or if you went over your credit line on that account. Please read your card agreement. Citi, who is actually the company that deals with this card, will not raise your rates based off your history or lateness with any other company(Unless applying for another card or loan). I have been there long enough to know. Also, there has been a new Change in Terms sent to alot of our customers that have been taking place but you will receive a letter regarding it and you have the right to opt out. The new changes do not take place until January of 2009. If you don't call by the opt out udate your rates will automatically go up if your account was one that was chosen for the increases. I deal with people all day long that always say its not there fault and treat the stranger on the other end of the line like crap. I have a family, a mortgage and I have bills like you but know how to make them on time. Again, please read your card agreement, call customer service back and respect the person on the other end of the line who is trying to make a living just like you.

I'm sorry, but this is a story I've heard/read countless times from countless different people. If you do not read the terms, DO NOT APPLY FOR A CREDIT CARD. It only takes 30 minutes to read them and if you have any questions, customer service can explain.

Once you use a card, you are agreeing to the terms. Everything you've mentioned (default APR, monitoring your credit, etc) is explained.

Monitor your balance and pay your bills on time. If you go over your limit (even by a few penny's), you've defaulted. If your payment is a day late, you've defaulted.

READ, Americans. If you don't agree with terms, DO NOT APPLY FOR THE CARD. Simple.

FYI: I've had a Universal Credit card since 2003. My starting limit was $500 with 15.9% APR. Now, it has $9000 limit and 11.9% APR.

Ok so you say ATT(citibank) increased your apr for no reason than you say you made one late payment. Hmmm. If you read the terms of the cards it does state the default apr. Usually if you contact customer service they will remove the fee and default if it's your first time. However its a privilege to get it removed so if you call in swearing and screaming the cs rep might say they can't do anything.

It is simple pay your bills on time and you have nothing to worry about. Yes, the do increase if you late on other payments on you credit report which is normal for any credit card company. What would you do as a business and your customers bought on credit and now aren't paying? You the owner lose money and the cost gets past on to use consumers that are making payments on time. You have a one default winback on your account.

So another words the first time you default if you call in they will reverse it but if it happens again they will keep it that way. We as customers now are facing these high aprs because customers in the past haven't paid on time. Remember saying it gets past on the the customers?

People get real with yourself before you call customer service acting like a 2 year old in a candy store. There are no hidden tricks everything is in writing when you are sent the terms of the card. If you don't like the terms than don't apply for the card or use it. Simply as that. Next time read the terms

They report late payments to the Credit Bureaus. In case you don't know it, this can affect your chance of getting a new job!

It affects terms on any and all loans!

Yes, they can and will raise your rates if you miss a car payment, or a house payment, or missed a payment with a different company... it may not seem fair, but that is what your contract says.

If you missed a payment with somebody, AT&T is not the only Credit Card Company that will be raising your rates. Every card you have will be doing the same thing.

PBS Broadcasted a report about Credit Card Companys. If memory serves, it was on Frontline.
Get on their website and look it up.

You can not skip paying Paul to pay Peter. It doesn't work that way.

Barb,

I went through this too. I always paid on time every time and never just the minimum. The reason they gave me for the increase [more than double] is the amount of debt I carried!

Here's the deal. They will not deal with you on this unless you TAKE CONTROL.

Unfortunately you will have to damage your credit to beat them.

1. STOP all payments to them.
2. Change your phone# to an unlisted one. Only communicate with them in writing from here on out.
3. Wait 3 months with no payments. They will NOW deal with you. But only do it in writing.
4. When you re-negotiate your interest rate, be sure they agree in writing to waive all fees and penalties, and remove all negative reporting.
5. While waiting for a response, still do not make payments.

By federal law, 180 days after the first major delinquency, the are required to charge it off.

By the 5th or 6th month they become very flexible.

Good luck!

AT&T raised the interest rate on our card when we called them up to inquire about lowering the interest rate. We had NEVER been late on the card. They asked why we wanted the rate lowered; we explained that we currently had unexpected medical bills and were trying to rework our budget. Their response was that we were obviously in financial trouble so they were entitled to raise the rate, even though we had always paid more than the minimum payment and always paid on time. They raised it to the maximum allowed by law, effectively making it impossible for us to pay them.

I have an easy solution; quit charging when you don't have the money. Pay off the balance and cut up your credit cards. Use Quicken or MS Money to keep track of your finances. You are floating your debt from one CC to the other and blaming the CC Company for your poor money management. Take responsibility for your actions.

Here is what I do to manage my credit. I am not rich nor make a six figure income, I practice money management. If you can not take responsibility for yourself then why should someone else.

I keep an electronic checkbook log with MS Money. When I make a charge I place the charged amount in the entry log as a withdraw. I do not exceed my actual balance in my checkbook from pay day to pay day.(That means I do not spend more than I make and try to float from one payday to the next) When my CC statement comes at the end of the month, I delete the charge entries I made during the billing period that are recorded on my check log and pay the bill. I have never paid interest on a CC account nor incurred an overdraft fee in my checking account.

I use my credit card to my advantage. For example I use my Discover card to pay all my bills and most of my personal purchases. They give me 1% cash back on my purchases, so far last year that was over $300 and I did not pay a dime in interest

AT&T promise one thing over the phone and 1 month later they do another. they do not drug test their high school dropout employees espacially that smart alleck brenda who refuse to let me speak with a manager in the at&t worldnet department.

GEORGE W STALIN HITLER-BUSH Spies on people, so INDIACitiBANK does to because their are both in bed together just like the saudis.

tape their phone calls and send it to the president of at&t and to every congressman in the united states every day until they get sick of it.

Trust me I know how Barb in penns. feels they did this to me also. I got this card with a low arp of 10% I was never late on a payment for over two years and was always on time with all my other credit cards. I went over the credit limit by under a dollar! my low 10% went to a wopping 24% because of this. AT&T universal card is threw citi bank and they monitor your credit all the time. This company checks your credit report on a regular basis to see if you have missed a payment or are late on another credit card. Which I think should be illegal to do who do they think they are checking up on people it's like spying or a peeping tom. But they can get away with it because they are a credit card company and they own you in a sense. The minute you sign there forms you agree to there terms weather you like them or not.The only thing I can think of is grin and bear it just try not to be late on any other of your cards so hopefully they will drop your rate back down.

Trust me I know how Barb in penns. feels they did this to me also. I got this card with a low arp of 10% I was never late on a payment for over two years and was always on time with all my other credit cards. I went over the credit limit by under a dollar! my low 10% went to a wopping 24% because of this. AT&T universal card is threw citi bank and they monitor your credit all the time. This company checks your credit report on a regular basis to see if you have missed a payment or are late on another credit card. Which I think should be illegal to do who do they think they are checking up on people it's like spying or a peeping tom. But they can get away with it because they are a credit card company and they own you in a sense. The minute you sign there forms you agree to there terms weather you like them or not.The only thing I can think of is grin and bear it just try not to be late on any other of your cards so hopefully they will drop your rate back down.