John
Gainesville,#2Consumer Suggestion
Sun, January 08, 2006
I have dealt with other companies that also try the "late payment" and other schemes to make extra money in fees, such as First Premier Bank. The only way to get around the late fees is to pay in a manner that shows proof of the date received. NEVER, EVER simply put a check or money order in an envelope and mail it to them. That's how they get us, by holding the check until it is late, then processing it the following day! If you can, sign up for a bill pay from your checking account. My bank offers this for free and I use this method only if the Credit Card or Utility wants a fee to use their online pay service. You can send a payment to them using this method and have proof of the date they received it. Make sure you pay it within the time frame the bank states and before the due date (for my bank, it's 2 days to process, so pay at least 2 days before the due date). If the credit card company says the payment was late, call your bank and have your bank contact them. The credit card companies might not listen to us, but they listen to bigger banks. Don't give up: When First Premier tried the "late payment" scheme with me, it took Bank of America THREE times to call them before First Premier refunded the late fee. If this is not possible, and their online payment is free, such as many companies offer, make a one-time payment on their website before the due date and print the confirmation page. READ CAREFULLY first before using this option, as some companies charge a fee for this option. Make sure you don't sign up for automatic payments and select the "One-Time Only" option each month. Also, if their is an option to "save" your payment option, do not select it. It only takes a few minutes to enter your routing and account numbers. Finally, double check both numbers before you submit, as if you enter the wrong numbers, you may get hit with another fee. Finally, if the above two are not options for you, take your letter with your check or money order to the post office and get "Delivery Confirmation" for 60 cents. This will provide you proof of the date that the company received your payment. As long as payment was received BEFORE the due date, you are covered. Make sure you mail it MORE than 1 week before its due date to give them time to receive it, as many of these rip off credit cards try to make your due dates on Sunday or a Holiday, so that it is impossible to pay on the due date. If your payment is due on one of these days, mail your payment one day earlier than the 7 days before due. Don't let these credit card companies keep getting away with false "late payment" schemes and the fees they make off of them. Let's all start playing their game and stick it back in their faces. After they have to refund your "late fee" once or twice, they will stop trying to hold your payment until it is late.