Do NOT Subscribe Me to That Service!!!
Posted on October 20, 2008 by Her and tagged credit
Due to my recent marriage and subsequent name change, I have spent the last several weeks calling financial institutions to change my name on my accounts. The new credit cards have been piling up in my mailbox and today I dedicated an hour to calling to activate all the new cards. Previously when I have activated a credit card, I have been badgered to sign up for unnecessary "services" such as credit protection or account monitoring. I always, always decline. So you can imagine my surprise when two card companies automatically signed me up for these services without even asking! They included notice of this in their canned, rushed legal-speak. "As a courtesy to you we have automatically registered you to receive our credit monitoring service free for the next fifteen days blah blah blah." It was thrown in there so subtly that I almost missed it! I cut the representative off and demanded they not subscribe me to anything. Both times the representative continued on, telling me I was already signed up and could call to cancel in fifteen days. I was furious! I ended up shouting "Do NOT Subscribe Me to That Service!!!" twice before they agreed not to sign me up. What a scam! Watch out for this, since it happened at two different companies I assume this is the new trend. Don't let them bully you into thinking you already agreed to something you didn't.
Comments/Trackbacks
Trackback URL: http://www.makelovenotdebt.com/MT/mlnd-trackbacks.cgi/1282
Wow, I thought that they were supposed to have passed laws making credit card companies have to be more up front. I guess they missed this part! Good catch!
caryn | Oct 21, 2008
what i always do when they are just talking without listening to me is to interject with "May I speak with your supervisor please?" and that usually gets their attention and they stop pushing things.
Griffin | Oct 21, 2008
I know!! My CC just signed me up even though I demanded that they not do so. I always check my CC bill, and noticed the little $2.xx charge.
I guess they just expect that I wouldn't be smart enough to check my bill. Makes me furious!
It's not even the money, it's the fact that I asked them not to do it at all. Now I have to call them again and complain until they remove it. Crud.
I would do two things: (i) cancel said cards on the spot; (ii) write to your state attorney general to complain. This is nothing short of fraud.
Phil | Oct 30, 2008
Yeh i just recently called in to activate my credit card and after being talked into one ridiculous service they tried to sign me up for a 10$ a month something or other, that would cost me $10 up front, and i almost lost it. My girlfriend thought it was funny until she had to call in for her card a few weeks later.
Leah | Oct 20, 2008
Having worked in alumni fundraising in a call centre, I should let you know the cardinal rule of these kinds of services: ALWAYS ASK 3 TIMES. It's a no-tolerance writeup policy.
So the easiest way to deal with this is to keep that in mind and be prepared to repeat yourself.
I'm so glad I'm not working that job anymore!
Reply to this comment