Consumer Advice

[CarolU]

Be sure and cancel your credit cards before you die. This is so priceless, and so easy to see happening, customer service being what it is today.

A lady died this past January, and Citibank billed her for February &
March for their annual service charges on her credit card, & added late
fees and interest on the monthly charge. The balance had been $0.00,
now somewhere around $60.00. A family member placed a call to Citibank here's the exchange:

Family Member: "I am calling to tell you she died in January."

Citibank: "The account was never closed and the late fees & charges still apply."

Family Member: "Maybe, you should turn it over to collections."

Citibank: "Since it is 2 months past due, it already has been."

Family Member: So, what will they do when they find out she is dead?"

Citibank: "Either report her account to frauds division or report her to the credit bureau, maybe both!"

Family Member: "Do you think God will be mad at her?"
(I really liked this part!!!!)

Citibank: "Excuse me?"

Family Member: "Did you just get what I was telling you the part about her being dead?"

Citibank: "Sir, you'll have to speak to my supervisor." (Duh!)
(Supervisor gets on the phone):

Family Member: "I'm calling to tell you, she died in January."

Citibank: "The account was never closed, so the late fees and charges still apply." (This must be a phrase taught by the bank!)

Family Member: "Do you mean you want to collect from her estate?"

Citibank: (Stammering) "Are you her lawyer?"

Family Member: "No, I'm her great nephew."

Citibank: "Could you fax us a certificate of death?"

Family Member: "Sure." (fax number is given) After they get the fax:

Citibank: "Our system just isn't setup for death. I don't know what more I can do to help."

Family Member: "Well, if you figure it out, great! If not, you could just
keep billing her. I really don't think she will care."

Citibank: "Well, the late fees & charges do still apply."
(What is wrong with these people?!?)

Family Member: "Would you like her new billing address?"< B>

Citibank: "Yes, that will help."

Family Member: " Odessa Memorial Cemetery , Highway 129, Plot Number 69."

Citibank: "Sir, that's a cemetery!"

Family Member: "What do you do with dead people on your planet?

(Priceless!!)

[PLEASURE PASOFINO]

Thats what I called, TRAINED STUPID!!!!!!!! corporations now days BRAIN WASH THEIR EMPLOYEES plain and simple to be stupid!!!!!!!!!!!!

But you know"THE CORPORATE WORLD........ full of KAKA mania!!!!! :lol:

[Pinto Paso]

Those trained "customer service specialists" drive me CRAZY - if you come up with something that they dont have a script for it is impossible to speak with them.... and as Ron White says, You cant fix stupid!!

[motorgypsy]

I am still getting credit card statements for my dad who died Christmas eave 2003. I just trash them. He gets lots of charity requests for money too. Pitiful. He gave tons of money while he was alive but that's where it ended. Oh well. I called the cards and told them he was deceased. Didn't help. I'll just let them keep sending the statements.

[JennLM]

My mom works for Chase credit card collections and she says that is the problem with most employees. They don't ever use their brain. They cannot think outside the box.

She can't wait to retire in the next few months to get away from the brainless. She tries to spend2-3 days a week on the road in court intstead.

[Carol Nelson]

:lmao

That was great, Carol!!

I feel about the same way when I talk to the Internet service providers. :roll:

[motorgypsy]

Don't even get me started on ISP tec support :roll: :roll: :roll:

My 90 year old father was having difficulty with AOL so he called tec support. After going round and round on how to fix his problem the tec told him that he didn't know enough about computers for him to get help from tec support. My dad said if he knew anything about computers he wouldn't even need TEC support now would he - and hung up - and of course called me and we had the problem resolved in a few minutes. DUMB!!!!!

[CarolU]

I love this story. I'm also sure that the only thing WORSE then trying to deal with any kind of "support" people, is trying to deal with the government.

When I was a kid, my father got us all Social Security Numbers and Cards. Well, being about 4-years-old then, I lost mine and never knew the number. When I started working, I was told it ended in 5406. So I used that number for several years, including when I went to work for the Army. Well, I finally see the list of our SSNs, and find out mine was actually 5408. So I wrote the SSA and told them I had been using the first number, was actually assigned the second number, and asked them what to do. Amazingly, they sent me a third number!!!

So I called them, and they researched it and decided I was really 5408 and to go back to my original number. Have you ever TRIED to change your SSN???? I can tell you that it is physically impossible to change your SSN number with either the Federal or Utah State government.

You know why?

Because there is no FORM to do so on!!!!

If there is no Form, it can not happen. I have worked with the SSA for 34 years on this now and STILL have a reject every year from the State of Utah for the wrong SSN. I have a dog-eared letter from the SSA that I send in with my taxes every year about my SSN, and they still can't change it.

There is no form. :roll:

[motorgypsy]

Since you have two SSN's can you vote twice???? ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-)