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  • Report:  #59134

Complaint Review: Capital One Bank - Richmond Virginia

Reported By:
- Folsom, California,
Submitted:
Updated:

Capital One Bank
P.O. Box 85051 Richmond, 23285 Virginia, U.S.A.
Web:
N/A
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I was a Capital One credit card holder for years. Two cards, total $3,000 limit, interest in the high teens. A couple of years ago I paid off both cards and closed the accounts. The only problem I ever had was with a service they offer called Privacy Guard, but that's another RIPOFF story.

A few weeks ago, out of the blue, I received a letter from Capital One stating that I was one of their former best customers and, as such, they wanted me back. The letter said that I had been pre-selected to receive a Platinum MasterCard with no interest for several months, and a low fixed rate thereafter.

I have a high-interest department store card that I'd like to pay off, so I called to apply. The lady who took my application said, "now you know you're pre-approved for this card?".

Needless to say, I was shocked when I received a letter declining my application. When I called to fuss, the first person I spoke with said that the words didn't have any legal meaning...they were simply advertising. My career has been in the ad business, and I told him that the words were out and out lies. After pressing him further, he said that the letter meant that I was pre-selected to receive the special offer, not the card. Then he said that everyone in the industry does it. Chase doesn't, and even if they did, that doesn't turn lies into the truth.

I spoke to another person two steps up the corporate ladder who, when asked, told me they didn't have a company president. I guess Mr. Nigel Morris hasn't been told by the phone jockey that he's out of a job.

The next person I spoke with is a "specialist" in the corporate executive office. She told me she couldn't do anything for me --without even knowing my side of the story, or reviewing the records. When I asked for the name of her boss, she said she didn't have one...that she reported to the board of directors. If what she says is true (which I'm 99.99% sure it isn't), Capital One has a very unusual management structure. BODs normally don't handle daily operational matters.

The next day she told me that, after review, she still couldn't help me. I asked her to provide a response to the letter I wrote to Richard Fairbank, Chairman and CEO, but I haven't received a reply (and probably won't, either).

Capital One is a huge company...with 46 million plus accounts. Mr. Fairbank is a powerful man, who has made many friends in high places. He will also be a very rich man if he is able to exercise his $100 million in stock options that are based on Capital One's profitability in the next few years.

If these people are so successful, then why do they need to lie to build their business? Pre-approved is pretty clear language. And to be told they don't have a president - why would I believe that unless I was dumber than dumb?

These people need to clean up their act.

Rich

Sacramento, California
U.S.A.


1 Updates & Rebuttals

Rich

Folsom,
California,
U.S.A.
I did receive a response to the letter I wrote

#2Author of original report

Thu, June 19, 2003

I did receive a response to the letter I wrote to the Capital One Bank chairman from Theri Rose, who claims she is in the Executive Office. It is obvious that my letter was intercepted by the same individual I spoke with on the phone (Ms. Rose), and never reached anyone at an upper management level. Ms. Rose, as she did on the phone, was extremely gratuitous, and danced around or avoided the major issues in this matter. According to the Capital One annual report, the Corporate Headquarters are located in McLean, which is nearly two hours north of Richmond where Capital One's main business office is. I'ms taking my complaint beyond the Capital One Bank gatekeepers to the top rung on the ladder.

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