Okay guys...... Any help you can give me will be wildly appreciated. I signed up for a credit card from Cross Country Bank almost two years ago, but became dissatisfied with their rates and decided I didn't need the hassle of having to put up with them. I called about a year ago, paid the account off in full and cancelled the account. They sent me a letter saying it was cancelled, yada yada yada, and I forgot about them. Not too long after that, I started recieving bills from them again. I called and asked what the deal was, explained that I had paid off the account and cancelled the account, and that I shouldn't be recieving any more bills. The woman I spoke to said that her records verified that I had closed the account and that she would take care of it. That was almost a year ago. I've moved twice since then. I'm getting bills from Cross Country Bank again. At first, I ignored them, stupidly thinking they'd catch their error and figure out that they were billing a dead account. That didn't happen, of course. Now when I try and call, they tell me they can't help me over the phone because I can't give them my old telephone number, which I've forgotten (it was a year ago). I was able to give them my old mailing address, the account number, everything else, but because I can't give them my old number, they can't help me. Now they want me to fax them a letter, explaining the situation along with a copy of the letter they sent me verifying that the account has been closed.....a letter that I couldn't locate if I tried, as I've moved twice since then (it's probably in some boxes at my parents' house in Tennessee). I'm at a loss. I don't want to have my Dad rummaging through all of my boxes for something that I seriously doubt he'll be able to find. I am so sick of dealing with the a-holes! What other options do I have? Can you guys think of anything that I can do? THIS SUCKS!!!!!!
What are they billing you for? Is someone using the account to make charges? Do you have any copies of your old phone bill which would show your old phone number? Can you call your old phone company and ask them to let you know whjat your number used to be? Do your parents, relatives or friends have a copy of your old number? I'm sure my mom has every phone number I've ever had written down some place.
I'm not quite sure what the level of the personnel was that you talked to, but in all of the instances where I had to deal with some sort of accounting error that was the bank's/cc's fault, the lowest level (customer rep) could not get the job done. I would press the issue with the first person you talk to and express that you would like to speak with a supervisor (as we all know these guys are usually the ones that make the decisions anyway). Not only will a supervisor have more authority to help you, they usually want to get your problem out of their hair faster. If this doesn't help or they will not 'elevate' your phone call, then ask for 'customer relations'. These guys allegedly like to keep people happy, so they might be able to help. Otherwise, you've become a victim of 'The Man' and must do due diligence in order to clear this up. Anyway you go...good luck. CC companies/banks suck!
Thanks for taking the time to respond guys. bobrek, As far as I can tell, it's all monthly maintenance charges and late payment fees. I just sent out a mass e-mail to my friends who used to have my number. I got a quick response from my ex-girlfriend who's still a very good friend and she says she still has it, just not with her. I should have it by tonight. Thanks for the advice. boomboom, The guy I spoke with refused to transfer me, because I couldn't provide my old home and work telephone numbers. He didn't speak English very well, but spoke it well enough to recognize some of the more colorful words I was using and ask me to please keep the call civil. It was actually a tactical move on my part, I was hoping to incite a transfer to the supervisor....but he's probably in his office right now, feet propped up, with a copy of FHM in his lap, too busy to be bothered. They wouldn't transfer. I may end up using your customer relations idea tommorrow, if they even have that department. This bank seems really shady to me. Finding a way to speak to an actual employee is nearly impossible, even moreso than other banks. I had to sweettalk another employee in their "lost or stolen cards" department in order to get the number to call in order to speak to someone. That person advised me to just press 1 for English and then nothing else, otherwise I would be lost in the automated system for days. It worked, and I got to speak to an utterly useless individual by the name of Amir. I hate banks, and this one is really shady.
Gascon this is gonna suck, but you might also want to check your credit reports. The CC company might have reported you and it might have affected your credit rating. Also, once an account is closed the CC companies are required by law to let the credit bureaus know. It will show on your credit reports that the account was closed in good standing. Good Luck!
mc mark, Awesome. Thanks for that tidbit...I wasn't aware of that. What worries me, though, is that they never reported it and there's no way to prove that it was closed. I really feel I'm getting screwed in this whole scenario. As to them reporting it on my credit...... I'm afraid my credit is far too gone now to worry too much about it. I daresay my credit is the worst on this board, and I've more than a little trepidation about actually seeing what it is. It's going to be a long time getting out of this hole I've dug myself.
Don't sweat it my brother...! I TOTALLY know what you mean! (must be an actor thing ) I was the worst at credit! Don't even get me started! But its been about 9 years now that I've started to clean up my act and it gets better all the time. But you gotta start somewhere! It might not be so bad. And there are statute of limitations. Bad credit comes off your report after 7 years! And you can dispute anything that shows on your report that shouldn't be there. The best thing you can do though is not ignore it (god! don't do like I did!) and start to tackle it head on! It gets better! I promise! God I sound like my dad! Ugh!
