Complaint Review: Providian Direct Merchant Cross Country Bank Capital One Bank

The following is a true story:

I had a Capital One secured card with a $2,500 deposit. I lost my card and they replaced it. for some reason the payment for the month of replacement didn't catch up with my new account for three months. They reported me 90 days past due. I tried for months via mail and phone to both Capital One and the credit bureaus -- no results.

Finally I found out the name of the agency in the State that regulates credit bureaus, and wrote to them. They wrote a cover letter and forwarded my complaint to Capital one. Capital One sent back a a letter that I had made no payments for twelve months (they were lookng at the old account). The letter was signed by a Vice President and included her 'real' phone number.

I called her and after explaining the situation, she understood I was right. She apoologized. I said "I think you owe me something, since I have a good payment record, and you have provided false information damagaing my reputation-- why don't you remove the requirment for a deposit?" She looked at my three year payment record and granted me a five thousand unsecured credit line.

i have been a providian card holder for not very long and my balance maximum is 500.00 and this company charged me late and over the limit fees when i was just enough below the amount that my payment was like 15.00 and so i started paying online and three days ahead like i should but they didnt get to my check in time so they charged me the late fees and wont take them off after i called, and so the next month the same thing and i called this time they took the late fees off and the over the limit for the one month prior but they wont take the over the limit fees off and now i got on the phone and argued with the person at the other end and they told me they wouldnt remove these extra charges--so i told them to close the account and i refuse to pay anymore late fees or over the limit fees and the guy continued to tell me they would still be charging these fees until this account is below the 500.00 balance. i got mad and told the guy to close the account and send me a letter that i requested this account closed and so they sent the letter but it dont say consumer closed,just says your account has been closed. but anyway i have now lost my job for a injury at work/car trouble with another branch of the company and so i got online and sent providian a email saying what happened and so far i havent even looked but one thing is for sure--i aint paying them any money over 500.00 now and when i get the money ill send them a letter over this, oh and they also changed companies and i sent the little thingy back and told them im not paying anymore fees and i dont want there new rate changes that have.so the hell with the providian company!!!!!!!i also have capital one cards and the let me pass a month of payments and interest so i could not suffer severe hardship so ill see what happens with this one later.

I am having no end to trouble with the former Providian now Emerge Mastercard people! I paid all in full, including the phone fee, when on the phone - I keep getting new "fees" and "charges" send to me - statements continue though I have paid in full and cancelled the d**n card. Three times I have been told that there are no more fees, and I am paid in full, and the card is cancelled. Then. . . another statement arrives!

I talk to "service" people - who are in INDIA! How can I fight "little" charges when I am in the U.S. and the people I can actually get a hold of are in India? - I had to know. . . finding the website and postings has really helped.

Question: Though the charges are relatively small, and I have "bucked" up and paid them, in an effort to end the nightmare. . .where is the money going? Why India?

Others - Contact the Media, immediately! Through this website, I have learned I can contact the State's Attorney General - and will be doing that asap.

Thanks!

Thank you Kevin for the information, I went to that website you recommended and filled out the forms for class action suit.

I started trying to pay Direct Merchant and Cross Country off back a while ago. I was giving them $50.00 a month faithfully. I started wondering to myself, why I wasn't getting a statement back showing me they recieved the money and new balance. When I questioned Direct Merchant about it, they had lied and were not honoring the agreement we had. Come to find out they weren't taking anything of the balance, and neither was Cross Country. They were just taking my money and nothing had changed, but I was owing them more than at first. So I just stopped paying them completely. I don't have money to give away either. So the best solution for me was to stop paying them altogether. Just got fed up with the con games they were playing.

Three of the four creditors that you have noted have class action lawsuits filed against them through the same law firm. You are clearly not alone. I am doing research on credit with the purpose of educating the public in my area on various credit topics.

My efforts are a public service of the credit counseling agency that employs me. Having worked as a counselor and a client services representative, I have seen many instances of credit card companies finding exceptionally clever ways to extract extra fees from unwary consumers. The particular creditors that you have are all notorious for such practices. The following link, http://www.lieffcabraser.com/current_cases.htm
has information on class action law suits that have already been filed against Direct Merchants, Providian, and Capital One. I don't know if your situation applies to the law suits, but it is a clear indication to me that these companies have been willing to stretch the rules in their practices. I was actually doing a search on Cross Country to see if a suit has been filed against them as well. I have yet to find one, however, you might consider contacting the same attorneys that have filed the actions against your other three creditors to see if there is anything pending with them.

Your personal situation is very difficult, and if you do not have the means to make minumum payments, credit counseling may not be an option for you at this time. Cross Country, in addition to being very difficult to work with as an individual, is notoriously rotten on debt management programs. There seems to be a pattern of posting payments unreasonably later than they were mailed, giving Cross Country an excuse to drop consumers from the program, resume their collections practices, and reinstate their fees. Many credit counseling agencies will not even include a Cross Country account on the programs, because their practices inevitably cause problems with clients.

As stated in another rebuttal, you can stop all phone calls from creditors (until they sell the account to another collection agency) by sending a cease and desist letter. Be sure to send it certified, and even notarized. The specifics on what a collector can and can't do, as well as details on what your letter should include can be found at the Federal Trade Commission web site, under the following link: http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/fdcpajump.htm
There is a long version and a summary version of the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act. You can also find a link to file a complaint at the bottom of the page.

Bankruptcy may be your best option at this point, but if you can find the means to start paying again, credit counseling may help, at least with the Capital One, Providian, and Direct Merchants accounts. Be sure that any company that you contact does not keep your first payment as a "contribution". Also, be sure they are a member of the AICCCA or the NFCC, and check the company with the Better Business Bureau. There are bad credit counselors just like there are bad credit card companies, but a good one will explain the program and give you an honest assessment of your situation, even if it means not enrolling you. I am intentionally withholding the name of my employer, so that this advice will not be confused with an attempt to solicit business.

I have found this website by accident. However, I wish that I would have found it earlier. I too had First Premier Credit cards. And when 9-11 hit, and I lost my job, First Premier was NOT willing to work with me at all. I had been unemployed, going on my second month. I thought it would be a good idea to contact all creditors and explain my situation and work out a payment plan with each. Everyone of them were pretty good, deferrments, low interests, closing account and making a set payment amount. Oooh noooo not with First Premier. Needless to say, at the last conversation I had with them, I basically told them ** OFF.

Well, I accepted an offer from Capital One that paid First Premier and transfered the balance to a Capital One account. Reading everything here today makes me very scared to say the least. My question is...Is there a form letter to a creditor that asks them to close an account? I will pay Capital One (in lumps sums, to get the balance taken care of)on time and would like to request that the account be closed. I'm afraid that they might try to pull some kind of a scam or something. Also, I have passed this url to all my email friends. Let this website be well know to all unexpecting people in the world.

I just read a set of ripoff reports about Capital One. I have had this company for years and although have not had any problems, this company has been the least helpful.

I have credit cards with Discover, Chase, Capital One, Citibank, USBank, and have a GM Card. I am currently experiencing financial difficulty and every one of those creditorss minus Capital One has been extremely willing to help me get back on my feet (particularly discover who has me at 0% for purchases and 1.9% balance transfers). Capital One's version of a 'low-rate' balance transfer is 16.99%

I think there should possibly be some kind of link or section of the ripoff report where positive reports can be filed, as to give consumers a lead of which companies to switch to. This would be extremely helpful.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

I just read a set of ripoff reports about Capital One. I have had this company for years and although have not had any problems, this company has been the least helpful.

I have credit cards with Discover, Chase, Capital One, Citibank, USBank, and have a GM Card. I am currently experiencing financial difficulty and every one of those creditorss minus Capital One has been extremely willing to help me get back on my feet (particularly discover who has me at 0% for purchases and 1.9% balance transfers). Capital One's version of a 'low-rate' balance transfer is 16.99%

I think there should possibly be some kind of link or section of the ripoff report where positive reports can be filed, as to give consumers a lead of which companies to switch to. This would be extremely helpful.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

I just read a set of ripoff reports about Capital One. I have had this company for years and although have not had any problems, this company has been the least helpful.

I have credit cards with Discover, Chase, Capital One, Citibank, USBank, and have a GM Card. I am currently experiencing financial difficulty and every one of those creditorss minus Capital One has been extremely willing to help me get back on my feet (particularly discover who has me at 0% for purchases and 1.9% balance transfers). Capital One's version of a 'low-rate' balance transfer is 16.99%

I think there should possibly be some kind of link or section of the ripoff report where positive reports can be filed, as to give consumers a lead of which companies to switch to. This would be extremely helpful.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

I just read a set of ripoff reports about Capital One. I have had this company for years and although have not had any problems, this company has been the least helpful.

I have credit cards with Discover, Chase, Capital One, Citibank, USBank, and have a GM Card. I am currently experiencing financial difficulty and every one of those creditorss minus Capital One has been extremely willing to help me get back on my feet (particularly discover who has me at 0% for purchases and 1.9% balance transfers). Capital One's version of a 'low-rate' balance transfer is 16.99%

I think there should possibly be some kind of link or section of the ripoff report where positive reports can be filed, as to give consumers a lead of which companies to switch to. This would be extremely helpful.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

I see alot of complaints about ....

This rebuttal was redacted because the individual did not provide a bona fide e-mail address and uses their anonymity to further victimize the contributor. We want a valid first and last name as well.

I too, lost my job & immediately notified my creditors of my situation. After having been a card holder with excellent credit with these companies for many years, I was amazed at their total lack of concern for my situation. All of my creditors...Capitol One, Cross Country Bank, & mainly Direct Merchants Bank, also did not want to make arrangements with me in any way.



Instead, I believe they took pleasure in my misfortune & found an easy way to make a lot of money off of me after I lost my job. I was unemployed for 9 months & they took full advantage of tacking on every late fee (which caused my cards to exceed their limit & allowing them to add additional over the limit fees each month).



By the time I was back on my feet, I voluntarily closed each account vowing never to own another credit card. The fees for Capitol One & Cross Country Bank didn't amount to as much as Direct Merchants Bank who took me for $800-$900 in over the limit & late fees.



They stated that if I failed to pay their bogus fees they would ruin my credit. They are all rip-offs in my opinion & would never recommend them to anyone. They're only in the business to make money off of other people's misfortunes. But then that applies to a lot of companies these days!

Consumer Counseling sometimes can help. If you have a job that is. Even the not for profit agencies charge a fee. None are FREE.....Not cccs either. They have a monthly fee. Very small but it exists. If you are unemployed at the present time and cannot make payments then you need to contact an attorney. Bankruptcy might be your only choice at this time. You can get help with this from your local legal aid society.



Most states and cities have attorneys that work pro bono on these cases. You can STOP the creditors from calling you by phone. Write a letter to each one, send it by registered mail and tell them to only contact you in writing. They must stop calling you. If they don't they can face fines for harassment. Check out the FTC website for more information on this.



Cut up your cards and mail them back to the companies. Tell them you want to rescind your charging privileges, will not be responsible for any more charges to your accounts and to hardclose the accounts. At least you will have taken a pro-active stance. This is just my suggestion and I am not an attorney. Contact one today for his/her advice on these things.

I went to Consumer Credit Counseling today as was suggested by someone who replied to my first report. Anyway, they said they couldn't help me until I get a job. However, when the woman at Consumers Credit and I were going over my bills, we noticed that Cross Country Bank had sent me two letters for the month of March, and they had different balances on them. One said $72.00, and the other one said $126.05. The part that really stuck out about both of them is the dates on them. March 13, 2001 and March 14, 2001. So in other words they are increasing the charges on a daily basis. Now if this is not fraudenlent practices of a credit card company, I don't know what is. Something needs to be done about these rip-off credit companys.

This email is a *CONSUMER TIP to RipOff #4802.

It was sent by Gus Funderburg at gfunderburg@va.prestige.net.



Being Robbed by Providian, Cross Country Bank, & Capital One Bank , Direct Merchant unfair rip-off practices (#4802)



They filed the following SUGGESTION to the victim of above Rip-Off Report:



Their email: gfunderburg@va.prestige.net

Their name: Gus Funderburg

Their phone number: 540-220-0128



Their relationship to the company: Advocate



Rebuttal:

This is not a rebuttal, but a suggestion for this person. Get yourself down to the local Consumer Credit Counseling Service as soon as possible.



Their service is FREE (beware of imitators that want to charge you!) and they will make arrangements with your creditors to get your payments reduced.



In return, you have to cut up your credit cards and make an

agreed upon monthly payment that CCCS will dole out to your creditors.