Zero balance, baby! Chase can suck it!

Sucks, though it is "written" notice. Doesn't the Consumerist advocate carefully reading your statements and pamphlets they send you? This complaint should have come when the bill was received, not after it was paid "late."

@Steaming Pile: Do you mean you don't use your Chase card? Or you pay it off every month? Because these shifting due dates can also nick people who pay off every month.

@humphrmi:
Things like this nick people when they become complacent (or lazy) and stop paying attention to their bills. I have no sympathy for issues that could have been caught and avoided by a little due diligence on the part of the "victim". If the OP is too busy to read the statement, I imagine it's safe to assume they would be too busy to read any other written notice of the due date change.

Odds on whether that bill with the earlier due date was sent out five days earlier this month? Yeah, I don't think so either.

How do you pay your bill without looking at it?

I don't think this has happend on my Chase card. I'm happy with their service...thus far. However, if they did do this to me I would cancel the card at once. I pay my bill in full every month. The shorter pay period would make that harder. Plus I agree with the reader, they need to provide more notice. In this automatic payment world...its harder to read all the fine print.

Yeah, they did this to me back in January. My due date suddenly went from the 3rd to the 27th, and I got dinged for a late fee. At least I was able to get the CSR to waive the fee with a little argument.

@Michael Belisle: Simple; you don't look at it until you're about to pay it. And then you notice that it's already past the due date (and if you're paying online, you can even see the late fee they nailed you for).

Chase sucks. I hated them from the beginning. They are the only card i took real focus on, paaid off, and cancelled

The CC provider should not be able to move the due date without your explicit consent. Its monthly billing, not sometimes a month, but only 20 days when we decide to play with your dates.

if she has paperless billing, she should be checking the website. if she didn't check the website until the last few days, I could totally see not knowing. I usually pay a week or two ahead of the due date though.

Ah, the never ending game of gotcha. Changing due dates, small added fees they hope nobody will catch. There are so many consumer services that do this crap with the intent of catching busy, stressed out, inattentive customers.

Any service that involves some sort of contractual agreement like a credit card or cell phone should have something legally binding that they can not change the due date without written agreement of the customer.

@Geekybiker: I call it Office Space accounting procedures. Screw people in small ways and hope nobody notices.

@HeartBurnKid: It took me a second to figure that out.

I think a system that relies on not looking at your bills until they're close to the due date is flawed. What if you're in a car accident? What if any number of things happens, like, say, the due date mysteriously shifts?

I usually look at my bills when I get them, and then set up a payment to occur on the due date printed (in electronic ink) on the bill.

@Pylon83:

I could not agree more. ANYTHING that companies decide to do to their customers should be legal. The problem in this country today is that large impersonal,unaccountable corporations are too constrained by "ethics" . Hell's bells,if there was any justice,they should have just charged the late fee WITHOUT changing the due date.I for one am tired of these individual customers running roughshod over these companies that are just trying to keep the lights turned on and the doors open for another day.The bullshit that people pull on these organizations is sickening and ,frankly ,scary. For instance,are you aware that there are people in America that actually paid their bills ON TIME last month and DID NOT incur any fees or penalties ? These people are contributing to the moral rot that is absolutely killing business in our fair land.

But please,Pylon83,don't despair. Never give up and never give in.If we can convince our so called "political leaders" to stop commiting adultery long enough to listen to our cries,we can make generous "conributions" to good governmnet and get these rules changed going forward.With your help,and people like you, we can create an America where everyone is into us for over 10k with limited ways to pay.

Sincerely,

Chase Bank

@Geekybiker: The CC provider should not be able to move the due date without your explicit consent.

Check the terms of your agreement. They can do a lot of things without your consent, like changing the terms of the agreement in practically any way they see fit. However, they do indeed have to provide "adequate notice", which shall be left up to the arbitrators to define.

@Pylon83:

Yes, because we all know that the CC companies are so fair and just in everything they do. GIVE ME A FREAKING BREAK!

I have the same problem with chase. I have a CC with Circuit City (I don't know what I was thinking...) anyway, mine used to be on the tenth but suddenly without notice they "moved it" on the sixth. So, I got a $36 past due fee. I called and same excuse, didn't care about it and they even didn't want to remove the fee...whatever. I am only $50 dollars to pay it off and I am done with Chase.

This happened to me with a BofA card. My statement due date can be anywhere within an 8 day period (As I later found out when I called about the late fee). It apparently ranges from the 3rd to the 11th of the month. Ridiculous right?

I need to make a point to log in and note my due date each month. They got me one month when it was due the 8th for about 6 months in a row... then it was due on the 3rd. I missed it and to make matters worse, it fell on a Saturday with a Monday holiday meaning that I needed to pay it on the 2nd. When I logged in on the 6th or 7th to pay my bill, I was already 3 days late.

Fortunately I was able to convince BofA to remove the late fee because it was so much earlier than my previous 6 statements. Had it been a day early, I would have been fine because I never wait until the last day to pay it anyway.

Moral of the story is credit card companies use horrible billing tactics and if you're going to use credit, you need to be vigilant so you don't get screwed up the pooper.

All that said, I'm surprised she wasn't able to get the late fee waived. They've done that for me every time that I've asked for it, which is at least two or three times in four years. I've also gotten months of finance charges waived at the same time.

Perhaps there's a secret formula that says yes or no when someone asks for a waiver?

@Snarkysnake: My. Such excellent snark. You should do this for a living. Not much money in it, though, and the competition is... well, let's just say we're boojums. (Growl, hiss.)

Seriously though... There are already laws on the books prohibiting theft, conversion, and fraud, and protecting the injured party when the other party to the contract breaks the terms of the contract. The rules do not need to be changed. They merely need to be enforced.

That said, let me point out to Pylon83 that fraud is not a legitimate way to do business, and any company that engages in widespread fraud is, as they say, pissing in its own beer. Capitalism is not about force and fraud. It's designed to protect, as well as anything can, the free exercise of trade, and to encourage the flourishing of ethical and productive behavior.

Respect for customers does not mean you let them walk all over you, but it does mean that when you change contract terms you do so forthrightly and aboveboard, giving the customer adequate time to respond by accepting or rejecting the changes in the contract relationship. It also means you have a right to expect respect from your customers in the matter of promptly paying what they owe, as agreed between you, not unilaterally by you.

@speedwell:
I guess (without reading the contract) that there is a clause that allows Chase to change the due date at will. I'm not saying that what Chase did was right, simply that the customer should be expected to actually READ the bill. It's not like they put the due date in fine print on the back.

@Michael Belisle: With a reputable company, you shouldn't have to to re-read and re-decipher the T&C's every month.

I download financial transactions every few days in my Quicken and it reminds me when a bill is due based on historical dates. So, I would probably get burnt by this too since I don't look at the actual bill from Chase. I am notified that a bill has been issued via email, but it doesn't specify a due date.

My Chase card has an option that I can change the due date, so perhaps you can get the due date changed back.

@Landru: You must not be talking about Chase, then.

@Landru:
The due date isn't buried in the T&C's. It's plainly (and usually boldly) displayed on the front page, on the payment remittance slip. Even a glance at the bill reveals the due date.

If the OP is too busy to read the statement, I imagine it's safe to assume they would be too busy to read any other written notice of the due date change.

God, do I sound like that when I shill for big box retail? Awful...

I've read the fine print on one of my cards. It basically says they can do what they want, when they want and nah nah boo boo suck our tutu.

However, paperless billing + automatic deduct = potential poo poo if CC changes your due date.

If they claim that the new date on the statement is sufficient notice, then are we to check our accounts daily if we have paperless billing?

Frankly, given the fact that CC's basically can do what they want and don't give a crap, it's in card holders best interest to keep a much keener eye on things.

Sprint pulled this when I was with them, on your bill they sent you a notice that simply said "Your due date is changing" but conveniently they never told you if the new date would be earlier or later than your current date. As you might have guessed it was earlier.

@Steaming Pile:

RIGHT ON!!!

Wait, I want to vent a moment longer: I hate all credit card companies. They do this on purpose. Their business model is designed to screw their own customers. Lovely.

IF you choose to use a credit card, pay it off the same day you use it. DO NOT CARRY A BALANCE. The banks make more money in these fees now than from interest because of these little games they've written. And since it's their game, they will always win. You swim with sharks, don't be surprised to be bitten. CREDIT CARD COMPANIES SUCK.

I would probably get caught by this also, and I keep meticulous records of everything. I track every single penny in Quicken, and I even keep our receipts, particularly the ones in which a tip was written in or if it's a business I don't frequent often or something out of the ordinary such as a refund or manual swipe, tacked up on the marker board until they clear and I've reconciled our accounts. I typically pay the bills as soon as I get an email stating they are ready. But occasionally paychecks will line up to where a due date gets within a week of when I'd actually pay it, so yeah, with paperless billing, short of logging in every time you get it and looking for how they're trying to screw you over this month, I can definitely see how responsible decent customers can get caught in this trap.

The due diligence people need to give it a rest. If they are going to materially change the term of a contract, i.e. by literally changing the term of the contract - when the bill is due, they need to notify you in writing with a SEPARATE notice. Not some line item on your bill.

If you're using paperless billing (or just using Chase online) you can setup "personalized alerts". Chase emails me 2 weeks before payment is due every month. You can personalize the timeframe and send alerts to your email or cell phone.

This happened to me about 5 years ago. I called and they told me to suck it. I canceled my Chase card right away and got an Amazon card (Bank One). Then Chase bought Bank One. I wasn't too happy about that. Now I keep a close eye on my due dates for all my bills.

Yeah Chase has caught me with this too. It is easy to get used to paying your bills on the same date every month.

Looking at my payment history my bank shifted their due date too (US Bank) by moving it up 4-5 days, probably so they can try and catch people who have their credit card bill on autopilot (automatic bill pay).

The SOB's also started the old "business day" trick. I used to be able to make my weekend due date payments on the weekend and not have a problem. Now if it's due on a Saturday/Sunday, I have to make the payment Friday.

Pays to pay attention to your bill and plan ahead. Otherwise they will catch you.

"When she complained to Chase, they told her that simply changing the due date on the bill was adequate notice. Nu-uh"

They try to claim this when you don't actually get a paper bill, too.

They've been doing this AT LEAST since December 06. And they will lie and make shit up when you call them on it.

I paid my last charges off and canceled my card after the second time it happened.

I work collections at chase and all I can say is too bad. you know your bill is due each month and it's up to you to keep track of it. That's why chase.com has alerts that you can sign up for.

@Pylon83:

If the OP is too busy to read the statement, I imagine it's safe to assume they would be too busy to read any other written notice of the due date change.

Or, since the OP has paperless statements and thus no statement to read, they would have to rely on Chase sending a separate notice, which the OP says she never received.

@BeFrugalNotCheap: So you think its "too bad" that Chase is trying to rip off people by randomly changing their due dates around, hoping to capitalize on forgetfulness?

Arsewhole.

They actually do not have to notify you of a change in your due date. Printing it on your statement or " e statement" is all they have to do. If you read in the terms of your agreement and usually on the back of your statement it says something like "your due date will not fall before at least 20 days from your closing date". Bank's do not guarantee specific days, it's up to you to read your statement.

It's reasons like this that, although I am a super nerd, I won't go with paperless statements for anything. The bill arriving in the mail is a big reminder to pay my bill. Even though I am diligent in checking every week all my accounts for suspicious activity. Also gives me a paper trail from looking up past transactions for warranty claims if needed. It's kinda old school, but for me it's a good CYA strategy.

@Dobernala:
Not ripping people off. You borrowed the money. You have to pay it back, plain and simple. What part DON'T you understand? And BTW, it's spelled "asshole" not "arsewhole". I take some umbrage at this because yes, I may be an asshole but at least I know when to pay my damn bill ON TIME.

@EdnaLegume: That just isn't true. At least not with Chase. AutoPay will automatically deduct your payments from the account you designate on your due date, and are not affected at all by grace period changes. They're not actually "moving" the due date so much as they're cutting the grace period so that your billing cycle is shorter. My credit cards (one of which is through Chase) are on AutoPay with the minimum despite the fact that I pay them in full every month. It's an emergency mechanism I put in place for just this reason (also, in the event that I am stressed out/life circumstances make me forget about my due dates).

Bottom line: credit card companies exist to fuck the customer. Assume your credit card company is coming up with new and creative ways to fuck you, right now, as we've having this discussion. Behave accordingly and you'll be fine.

I'm with Pylon83 on this. People need to actually look at their bills when they come in. Not only should they be checking that items were charged correctly, but noting when their bill is actually due, not when they think it's due.

@KarmaChameleon:
I agree, if you all behave and follow the rules we'll be just fine. God help you if you try to complain or beat the system.

Ok enough with the blame the victim crowd on here.

You pay your bill every month on the 21st, suddenly it is due on the 17th without notice. We all have to become accountants just to keep from being hit with arbitrary fees.

Is it legal yes, is it total crap also yes. Take your business elsewhere.

I get so tired of people throwing out the "I don't have time to do this". Who the hell is so f'ing busy that they don't have 3 minutes to sit down and look at their OWN f'ing bill statements. This person obviously had enough time to write and email off this little complaint...and he obviously has enough time to browse this website. While I do not agree with Chase shifting the date in an apparent attempt to leech some fees, but this person is just as liable. Just like at any bar or restaurant you go to, it is not the business's responsibility to ensure that the bill is correct, but it IS their responsibility to fix it if a mistake is discovered. People nowadays seem to assume no real responsibility...if something goes right...they were smart consumers, if something doesn't go in their favor, it's always the companies fault.