sara
livonia,#2Consumer Suggestion
Tue, December 24, 2002
First off, ICS is a ripoff. So is any other offer to get a credit card that requires a large upfront fee. Legitamate credit cards usually don't require a fee to apply! Now let's get to the saving money issue. Let's pretend that this was a legit credit card offer. (It's not we're just pretending!) 1. If they want a fee for an application, they get to keep it, you are out of that money. 2. The credit limit, whatever it is, doesn't say free money, just credit limit. You have to pay back money when you borrow money. So basically you don't have any extra money, just a chance to use it and then pay it back. 3. That brings us to interest rates. Not only do you have to give them back the money that they lent you, you also have to pay them a interest charge. On top of that, some cards charge very high rates, so you will be paying a lot of money for that loan. 4. If you just pay the minumum balance of any credit card, it will take years to pay off that loan. Using the card to charge more items while only paying the minimum will make it take longer to pay off! To sum up our imaginary legitimate card offer, if you are looking to save money, save it, don't give it to a credit card company. You will be losing money, not gaining money. If you get a offer for a credit card in the mail on a postcard, THROW IT AWAY!!! Everytime that I see one of those, it's a scam. REAL (Some of these are fake too!) credit card offers come in envelopes. They have websites that look professional with disclosure of their terms available to read online. You will need to fight this tooth and nail to get your money back, but don't give up! Did you pay by check, or a check-by-phone? I hope so, since it would be easier to get your refund. If you did, you can try to get your money back through your bank or credit union. Print out some of the ripoff reports,use ones that aren't full of profanities so they look as professional as possible, and bring them with you when you tell them that ICS is a fradulent company.