Complaint Review: Target National Bank Credit Card Services

Dear Irma,

My husband was also deployed for the 3rd time last July 2009, before leaving he had mailed/faxed ALL the SCRA to his creditors (4 of them). ALL but Target didn't receive it. I ALWAYS pay online since 2003 (7 Yrs) NEVER had ANY issues, paid on time, and we NEVER go below $200 on our credit line of $1,000 meaning he'd spend up to $800, but we always leave $200 as a cushion in all our cards.

Military pay dates are always on the 1st and 15th of ea month. I always schedule payments online 5 days in advance to the due date. Example Target is due 19th, its always paid on 15th.

Back to the SCRA, I noticed I never received letters from 3 of the credit card companies accepting the SCRA by the end of August 2009, but didn't receive Targets note. I called them and they said they NEVER received it. Luckily I always keep copies and re-sent them in by mail early Sept 09. Paid online like I normally do, until October I was NOT able to pay online and that it states that we needed to call Customer Service, I did that and had someone who had a very bad accent that even I couldn't understand what they we're saying and he didn't know what I was talking about, after transferring me to different departments I gave up, because I was on my cell phone on hold many times and minutes are being used up.

Next day October 13th 2009, (I write everything date, time and who I called on each stmt) I called the number on my stmt and got someone in the USA, they gave me the SCRA address to send it in again, she said she can take the payment of $15 over the phone and that they needed to speak the my husband in order to get the online back up and I told her, "I CANNOT EVEN SPEAK TO HIM" because he's in a secluded area that has no phone. (how do we know because we have FRG meetings every month to keep us up to date as far is how our men are and where they are and what they are limited too)

Well, the payment I scheduled over the phone on October 13th did NOT post on the same day, it posted on my bank on the 21st (8 days after) which encountered a late fee (which I was NOT aware of because we don't get stmt by mail AND I cannot access my husbands Target online) so each time I called the rep, he or she DOESN'T tell me there is a late fee they just tell me what is the minimum due. So I got used to making phone calls to make the pymt all those months and finally they started to send me a stmt MAY 2010 and on there I realize ITS over the credit limit $312 in late fees. WHAT????? MY HEART WAS GOING SO FAST THAT I was so upset. I called and told them HEY why is there a late fee? she said my pymt in Oct was paid late and it accrued late fees and she said "well IF you read the STMT you would of seen it" Im like WE DONT get stmt BUT all of a sudden my husband started to get it MAY. she said IF I PAY IT NOW SHE WILL TAKE IT OFF THE COLLECTIONS. I was SO SHOCKED. I told her that I cannot access the online and she said "IF YOU PAY THIS DEPT, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO GO ONLINE WITHIN 24 HOURS" I ended up paying $362 including $50 for May 2010 payment.

June came and still couldn't get online, I got so tired and since my husband is coming home July, I said I will let him deal with it since they keep giving me the run around.

Hubby is home and he saw all that I wrote on paper each time I called and he is NOT happy about it. He did call and made a complaint of the situation and spoke to higher mgr, he first got someone that spoke Indian and refused to speak to anyone unless in the USA that spoke good english. He got it taken care of and they HAD to honor the SCRA and refunded the $312 and my husband and I closed our accounts with Target and DONT go there anymore, well we haven't gone there for over a year now.

A couple of quick things.  First, please don't type in all caps.  Its difficult to read and often people ignore you because of it.  Second, Target is not now nor has it ever been owned by anyone from France.  Please check Snopes.

If you have tried to pay it in full and they keep leaving on a few dollars, make your payment for 5-10 more than the payoff amount you are given on the phone.  That way there will only be a credit on the account.

If you made a payment on the date it was due, especially if electronically or in-store, it may take a few days to get there.  It is always a good idea to pay a few days early to ensure that it is processed before the due date.

Have you re-submitted the POA to them to fix that?

Just in quickly reviewing the SCRA, it appears they may be correct in only applying it to one account.  It looks like only an account in his name is eligible and applies only to charges made PRIOR to deployment.  So should you be using any of those cards, they can charge whatever interest they like on the new purchases(even 29.99 as bad as it is.)

I am not a lawyer though so you might want to get a sit down with someone at your base JAG office.

I can also say that Target is not always like this with regards to service members.  I have seen them hold a job for someone who was deployed for 3 years.  I saw them hold many other jobs.  It is possible that Missy doesn't understand the SCRA as she is probably a low-level CSR.  I can tell you from personal experience that lower level team members at Target, and sometime even managers, do not have the ability to make things right.  Keep going up the food chain.

I wish you the best of luck and hope that your husband returns safe and sound from serving his country.