Complaint Review: Providian Financial - Dallas Texas

I was a Providian customer for many years at 23.99% and then one day after I managed to rack up another $9,000 in debt with Providian, I get this credit card insert (you know, those white inserts that you generally toss away), and I decided to read it. Contained inside the report was a notice that in a month PROVIDIAN was going to increase my interest to 29.99% so I called them and asked if I was late or did something wrong and they said, "No, we are going up to 29.99% for all customers and that [I] did nothing to create the increase but it was just Providian's new policy." After I got off the phone I was dumbfounded at how disgusting it was that they were already sticking it to me with 23.99% but now they were going to go up to 29.99% just because they knew they could get away with it. So, I told them to cancel my account so I could lock in my 23.99% rate. I subsequently, called a credit card debt consolidation service: http://www.careonecredit.com and I put PROVIDIAN as the main creditor to be consolidated as well as a few other credit card companies with small balances. What was almost comical is that all my other credit card companies dropped their interest rates to 9% or lower except for PROVIDIAN. Providian only went down 4% to 19.99% BUT after 12 months of being on careonecredit's plan PROVIDIAN did go down to 9% and I am currently making a nice dent in my debt and will be pad off in a few more years. So my advice is to use a credit counseling service even if you have already have filed bankruptcy. The debt payment plan has not affected my credit adversely or in my ability to obtain credit from other legitimate banks and I have had the benefit of sticking it right back to Providian by not accepting their crappy service and proposed 29.99% interest rate for their "preferred" customers. Only at Providian does a preferred customer get taken advantage of in every way! I almost can see it as their corporate motto hanging in front of their computers: The sign reads, "SEE HOW RUDE YOU CAN BE AND HOW MUCH YOU CAN TAKE FROM OUR CUSTOMERS TODAY!"

If your credit is already bad or you don't care about your credit, do what millions of others in the US have already done. Do absolutely nothing. Do not pay back these outrageous creditors. In fact you will NEVER pay back the amount you owe in your lifetime with an interest rate of 23%. The creditors WILL contact you and harass you. Just HANG UP the phone or say that the person does not live there. After about 2 years, the creditors will stop calling, mailing. Beleive me, I have done it and I am now free of debt. Be strong, don't let the creditors take over your life, your marriage, your thoughts and eventually your sanity! Use your money to feed yourself and your kids and to provide a safe home. DO NOT GIVE ANY MORE MONEY to your creditors!!!!! DO NOT TALK TO THEM!

HI, I AM SPANISH AND WHEN I CALLED FOR REPORT I DONT RECEIVED MY LAST STATEMENT,AND THEY CHECK THEY ANSWER ME THE POST OFFICE RETURNED THE MAIL, BECAUSE THEY PUT A WRONG CITY, OK THIS IS NO MY FAULT, BUT THE GAY SAY TO ME I DONT CARE YOU HAVE TO PAY PENALTIES AND MY RATE GOING UP TO 27% INMIDIATE I SAY IWANT SPEAK WITH THE MANNAGER AND HE LAUGHING,AND I SAY IAM SPANISH LIKE YOU,AND HE TALK ME VERY RUDE AND NO HELP ME. AND THI IS NO THE FIRST TIME ITS HAPPEND ALL THE TIME THIS IS THE REASON I SAY CANCELL MY ACCOUNT. ALSO THEY GIVE TO ME A CHECKS FOR $300 AND WHEN I USED THY CHARGE OVER FEE LIMIT. IS INCREDIABLE HOW HAPPENED ON THE UNITED STATES THIS PEOPLE IS LIKE A RATS AND HAVE A BIG,BIG TALES.

I started with one of Provideans Visa's and within a year I was offered a MC also. I then had them both for another year and then they upped my accounts to $2500 on each. I kept my balances low for several more months after that then I had a elective surgery and put it on my MC. About 2 months after that surgery I was injured at work and suffered a permanent injury that took me off work permanently. I paid for the extra insurance on my cards that would help me if such a thing would happen but you all know what happened when I tried to call and use this insurance that providian sold me. I know this insurance only helps for 12months but that would have really helped until I got things kinda settled with work comp. First I was given the run around for 3-4 months and all this time they were charging me late payments and raising my interest rate and on top of that reporting me as late and bad debt on my credit reports. After many many phone calls I was finally able to get them to use the insurance I paid for but they would not remove the reports they put on my credit or lower the interest rate back down or remove any of the fee's. The damage was done! They told me they would remove the reports ASAP and to this day (4 years later) they are still there... it didnt matter how many payments were made and how many promises I got from "managers" and such! I had my credit ruined by these people and they know that they can hold your credit ransom at their will. I am done with them, don't fall into it like so many of us have. Just fair warning :(

I have had a Providian account for several years. In 2002, I became pregnant with twins and the father was not helping me. Missing shifts at work due to being so ill with the pregnancy and eventually being taken off work due to premature labor, I fell behind with my bills. I tried to work with Providian on payment arrangements and explained my situation, telling them I had every intention of paying them back... I was just unable to at the time. They yelled at me and one gentleman even told me that if I had "kept my legs closed" I wouldn't be in the predicament I was in. Being alone and pregnant with twins... and feeling rather afraid, I hung up the phone and cried for almost an hour. I offered them a settlement that included my balance and part of my late fees. They told me to send the money and then they would decide whether they would accept the settlement. I was afraid they would still continue to harrass me and opted to wait until I had the entire balance to pay them off. I have tried to catch up on the late fees which are now 50% of my original balance. They call my house 6 times a day, sometimes with less than an hour between calls. These calls wake up my children while they nap. Recently,I was told that if I didn't make a payment, they would continue calling me every few hours. I told them that this was a threat. The representative said, "we don't harrass, we collect." I agreed to make a payment and the representative agreed to cease the calls. I made the payment and received a call within less than 24 hours. When I explained that I already made the payment the previous day, the representative began to yell at me. I finally had enough of their crap after almost 2 years of this and screamed back at her, "Leave me alone!". A person can only take so much...

I have had both a Visa and a MasterCard issued by Providian--since about the middle of 2000. Here is my experience with both since that year. Providian sent me a letter, saying that for a fee, I could have a credit line increase on the Visa. I replied, saying that I didn't want the increase if I had to pay a fee. About 3 or 4 months later, I received a credit line increase double the original increase offered, without paying a fee. The MasterCard has never received a line increase. Both the Visa and MC had an interest rate of just under 19% until I was ONE DAY late with a mailed payment for the MC balance. The payment was late because of all the mail security anthrax delays after the 9/11 attack. I had mailed the check a full 2 weeks before the due date, but the USPS held up the mail (I'm sure you remember this) on certain routes. Providian wouldn't work with me on this issue--instead, they increased the interest rates on BOTH cards to 28.99%. After the interest rates were increased, I did everything in my power to pay off both cards in full as soon as possible, making no new charges to them at any time, other than the annual fees for renewing the cards. Within two months of paying them all off, I received in the mail, every month, "convenience checks". I did not use any of them UNTIL they came with a change in interest rate. I used the ones that arrived with a 1.99% interest rate, so now both cards have balances that only have 1.99% interest until February 2005. I am arranging my payments so that both balances will be fully paid off by that date. Other good news: at the same time I paid off both of the Providian balances, I was offered a pre-approved Platinum Visa from my bank--with $0 annual fee, and 0% for one year (9.99% per year after the first year), which I immediately accepted. So, between the new bank Visa, and the lower 1.99% rate convenience checks, I have shifted all of my other credit card balances around, and things are looking up :-) But I must say, I was FLOORED when I saw that first statement with BOTH Providian cards at a 28.99% interest rate! All because of 1 day delay, which was completely beyond my control (as if I had anything to do with the anthrax security scares at the USPS!).

I have been a customer of Providian for several years. Initially, my interest rate was around 17-18%. I have never made a late payment on my account. Without my knowledge, my interest rate was raised to an incredible 28.99%. I contacted the Providian Customer Service. The representative was extremely rude and advised me that I had been sent a letter a month prior advising me of the increase. I received no such letter. Upon my request to lower my interest rate, I was basically told my only option was to cancel my account and continue to make payments. The thought of reducing my interest rate was not even considered by Providian. I am trying my best to get my account paid off. At this interest rate, it is virtually impossible. My "minimum amount due" is exceeded by the interest accrued. I would not recommend Providian to anyone!