Can they do this???
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| Fri, 09-23-2005 - 7:35pm |
Just got a call from a credit card company. My payment was due on 9/17, but I had them earmarked for payment today. My DH gets paid weekly, we try to set aside $600 per week for bills and groceries, and the rest goes aside for the rent. Last week, my car payment and insurance was due, and that puts us WAY over the $600 for that week, so this card got behind--first time with this card BTW, and have always sent at least $100, even though they wanted min pmnt of $18 on last statment. Caller said that my payment was due on 9/17, BUT THAT I WAS NOW 30 DAYS PAST DUE, WITH A MINIMUM OF $120 DUE TODAY OVER THE PHONE. I am aware that most don't have grace periods past due date on statement, however, if the due date was only 6 days ago, how am I 30 days past due? Plus, looking at the statement, it shows a min pmnt of $57--how did that become $120 in six days? I could see the minimum and a late fee. She also said that they didn't show a payment for September--to which I responded that, technically, September isn't over yet. What is up with this? I told her to mark on her call log that I was paying within 24 hours, NOT OVER THE PHONE, and that I disputed being marked as 30 days past due!
Also, continuing to get calls from collection company, even though I have made it clear that I will not be submitting any PD checks to them. they keep saying that I am refusing to co-operate with them. Funny, I have asked them for another option, so I don't see how I am the one that is "refusing" anything. I haven't rec'd anything in writing from them, so I guess I will continue to send pmnts to actual creditor to show that I am attempting to pay this debt...don't know what else to do. Suggestions?
Kathy


Hello Katherlou1!
Although I have posted a few times on this board, after lurking for awhile, I am nowhere near as experienced as some of the other posters. I can only share with you my personal experience and I know the other posters will guide and support you thru this. As I'm sure you already know, some creditors are more difficult than others. From reading your post, I have to agree with you that a minimum payment with a late charge should have been suffice for them. Normally, the creditors I had to deal with would not report me as 30-days late, if the payment was paid by the statement cycle date and/or by the end of the month. If I were in your shoes I would ask to speak to a manager/supervisor. It seems to me that you are really trying to work with them - so I feel your pain - it's like one step forward, but two steps back. And if the 1st manager/supervisor did not give me an anwser that I was satisfied with I would keep on calling to speak with someone else, even if it's the corp. headquarters. It was very frustrating and time-consuming to do this, but in the end it was worth it. Is there anyway you can go on-line to see your payment history? Also, please document anything you have been dealing with this particular creditor. Well, I tried to keep this as brief as possible. Good luck to you and stay strong - this too shall pass.
I cant believe they called you if this was your first missed payment...usually i have to get 3 months behind on a card before they start calling me...except for my 1 card that had a normal minimum payment of $377.
Regardless...the person who is calling you is looking at a computer screen. The computer screen tells them what they are supposed to tell you, and the computer program works like so:
You missed your 9/17 payment. Everything is now calculated for 10/17. You are IN the October billing statement for their purposes.
So, if you had $57 due 9/17, you still owe that. In addition, there was the late fee finance charge, and normal interest charges added to your balance...so your October payment is slightly higher. So, the $120 is September PLUS October.
If you pay the $57 this week, that *might* make your monthly statement before you get it, but possibly not. Either way, you would owe $63 due by 10/17. IF you'd paid the $120 on the phone...you should not have had a payment due, officialy, until 11/17.
All of which the person on the phone COULD have figured out and explained in clarity, and accepted happily the $57 that day, and just reminded you that your next payment was due 10/17.....IF the person on the phone had been in the mood to think it out logically.
I had my $377 minimum card lowered to $322 (lower interest rate). I sent $350, to be safe. They changed their mind about what my new minimum would be, and said it was $367. My $350 was paid, ON time. I got a call 2 days later, a "courtesy call" to let me know my account was past due and I had a $854 payment due, Immediately! HA! Needless to say, my reaction was strong enough to make her go back and actually LOOK at my account, and explain they were saying I underpaid there (so I owed $17) so the $350 didnt count as a payment basically. plus then the new minimum payment after the finance charges, late payment charges, etc, was now $400and something. Plus, they had, in my previous dealings with them, waived $156 of fees...and those weren't showing up as a payment on that first screen, (YET), but WOULD be credited back to the date they were saying I was past due on......OY!......anyway......My response was they could figure it all out correctly and call me back, but if they werent going to be happy with anything less then $854, there was no point in us conversing. :S
My recommendation to you is to call back after the check has cleared and been recorded on your account, and BEFORE 10/17. ;) Make sure that they are only expecting the $63 due 10/17, and confirmed that you show as a late payment, NOT a missed payment.
~ Teresa
Teresa
http://www.affordingpickles.blogspot.com