Anyone who's read this blog even occasionally knows that I'm pretty nerdy about details. OK, I can be downright anal. But every now and then something slips by me. For instance, I am meticulous about bill-paying. I pay all my bills online, on time, and in full. Always. Well, except for once or twice a year when one gets by me. So imagine my horror when I found my VISA bill and my Gap bill in the desk today, unpaid, with due dates of November 23 and November 28, respectively. What's a girl to do? Easy: Call up and beg. It works every time. I called customer service and explained that I just discovered the unpaid bill and could they please-please-please waive the finance charge if I promise to pay the full balance as soon as I hang up the phone. And they said yes. They always say yes. (I'm sure it helps that I am such a goody-two-shoes all the other months.)
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November 30, 2005
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Me too! The only two times I've been late, the credit card people reversed all late charges and fees. On the Discover one a few years back, I said "I can't believe I forgot this bill, I'm hoping your Christmas present to me will be to reverse the charges" and the person laughed and said, "Merry Christmas".
Posted by: Susan | November 30, 2005 at 09:09 PM
BTW - if your credit card company is headquartered in MA, the maximum late penalty they can assess is $10.
I've been able to get them to reverse a late fee as well. But I'm not sure they consider me a good customer if I never pay a late fee and I never pay interest because I don't carry a balance.
However, I suppose they do actually make money via the fees they charge the merchant for every credit card transaction.
Posted by: James | December 01, 2005 at 11:47 AM