New Jersey politicians appear to be engaged in some sort of contest to see who can get the most stringent anti-junk mail law passed. First an Assembleyman introduced a bill a few weeks back that would ban companies from mailing unsolocited checks to consumers. Now the Assembley’s Consumer Affairs committee has proposed starting a “Do Not Solicit” list, which would block credit card companies from offering new cards to consumers who aren’t interested. [More]
banks
How Cons Steal Your ATM Card
By 12.15.09
The Real Hustle shows two methods fraudsters can use to jack your ATM card and PIN. The first is the skimming method most of us are familiar with. The second is a lo-tech distraction-based method that, while interesting, seems a little higher risk than most card thieves are willing to put up with. [More]
This Chase Customer Service Rep Is An Impenetrable Fortress
By 12.11.09
Stephanie just encountered a Chase CSR who I’m pretty sure will never fall victim to social engineering, and who would likely be unbreakable in a courtroom cross-examination, too. Of course, in Stephanie’s situation this just means that the CSR refuses to help her in any way at all, which isn’t the kind of thing you hope to find when you call customer service. [More]
Bank Offers Gadgets Instead of Interest on CDs
By 12.11.09
Peter spotted this ad while making a deposit at a Central Pacific Bank in Hawaii. The idea of opening a certificate of deposit without getting interest seems fairly sketchy, but if you really dig Sony products and don’t want to pay for them with the massive amount of money you’re depositing, maybe a deal like this would work out for you. [More]
Merchants Demand Credit Card Fee Relief
By 12.10.09
Merchants are pushing for more credit card fee reform, for the fees they have to pay. Every time you swipe at checkout, whether it’s a credit or debit card, the merchant has to pay two fees. One is a flat per transaction fee, the other is a percentage of the total sale, called the interchange fee. Those rewards cards you’re so fond of? They have the higest interchange fees. Those rewards and cashbacks don’t come from a magical reward tree, they’re paid for by the interchange fees. In other words, the Quickie Mart is paying for your “free” airline miles. [More]
UPDATED: No, Wells Fargo, You Can't Leave Animals To Die
By 12.9.09
Wells Fargo foreclosed on a Rhode Island shelter for abandoned animals, barred former owner Dan MacKenzie from entering the property, and seems to be just letting the animals fend for themselves, the Providence Journal reports. [More]
Chase Executive Customer Service Drops APR From 26% To 9%
By 12.8.09
Crippled by a high interest rate that ate up his monthly payments with finance charges, reader Eric says he used the patented executive customer service technique on Chase to get his APR reduced from 26% to 9% and 3 months of fees refunded. Here’s his story: [More]
Reach HSBC Executive Customer Service
By 12.7.09
HSBC Card & Retail Services
James R. Lane
Vice President, Executive Resolutions
831-772-6248
james.r.lane@us.hsbc.com
10 Reasons Why Gift Cards Suck
By 12.2.09
When we announced the availability of free Consumerist anti-gift cards yesterday, we were surprised to see so many pro-gift card comments. So, we decided to put together a quick list of the reasons we think gift cards are lame — especially compared to cash. [More]
Citibank Closes Overdraft Protection Due To Lack Of Overdrafts
By 11.30.09
We all know that banks offer overdraft protection because it makes them money, not because they want to be kind to customers. Still, it seems weird–or maybe just brutally honest–that Citibank would cancel Corrie’s overdraft protection service simply because she’d managed to avoid any overdrafts since she opened her accounts. [More]
'I Stopped Denying People': Ex-Bank Of America CSR Tells All
By 11.27.09
Here’s a testimonial from a former Bank of America customer assistance employee. She was fired on Monday for offering repayment plans to too many customers, even those who “deserved” the 29.99% APR for making late payments. After hearing her story, you might conclude that this job was never a good fit for her skills. The next time you run up against a dead-sounding CSR, though, remember that people like Jackie don’t make for profitable collections department employees, which is why they don’t stick around for long. [More]
You Can Buy Used ATMs On Craigslist
By 11.24.09
Even if you always look for skimmers and hidden cameras when you use an ATM, you still might be a victim of identity theft if the ATM is later sold on eBay or Craigslist. [More]
Don't Let Maintenance Fees Ruin Your Automatic Savings Program
By 11.11.09
If you participate in an automatic savings program like Bank of America‘s Keep the Change service, where debit card purchases are rounded up and the difference is deposited into your savings account, keep an eye on maintenance fees. James says he was hit with a $5 charge last month because he hadn’t met the minimum monthly deposit requirement of $25: “It turns out that I wasn’t even accruing $5 worth of change per month, so I was losing more money due to the maintenance fee than I was saving via Keep the Change!”
Bank of America Cancels Solo India Traveler's Debit Card, Shrugs
By 11.11.09
Does “Bank of America” actually mean “Bank of America Only”? After pulling another reader’s debit card access back in August even though she had explicitly notified the überbank about her travels, BoA has apparently done it again. Reader Bristol tells us that she has been penniless in India for the last week after the bank’s mysterious computers canceled her debit card.
Is Bank Of America Of Trying To Skirt The CARD Act With New Annual Fees?
By 11.10.09
In a series of recent posts, WalletBlog has accused Bank of America of breaking the spirit of its “no new fees” promise and of potentially breaking the law next year, after it announced it will introduce annual fees on some existing credit card accounts in 2010.
Former Customer Says Wells Fargo Bills Him $101.70 On Closed Account
By 11.9.09
Royal says it’s costing him more than $100 to break free of Wells Fargo after he closed his checking account before waiting for all pending charges to clear.
Contact HSBC Bank USA's CEO
By 11.7.09
Having trouble with HSBC? Executive customer service no help? Here’s where to contact the president and CEO of HSBC Bank USA.
