Excuse Me I am Pissed Off! Advanta Sucks! Consumer Beware!

Here we go just another way that the good consumer is getting screwed. I am so pissed off that this post just may end up being a constant rant.

I have been doing business with Advanta Credit Card for years now and many other credit cards. I always pay on time, always pay double or triple my minimum due. On some great advise given by someone very close to me I will not comment on my credit or credit limit.

So here is the story. After years of a good relationship I missed one payment. I can't even say I missed a payment. The date due was 9/7/08 and I really thought it was 9/15/08. Mind you this was the same week as Brimfield a huge outdoor antique show that runs for a week. I came home and notice the bill was due on the 7th I paid it on the 10th. I immediately notified them through e-mail of my error and requested that the late charge be remove. Two days later I received an e-mail that they had honor my request. Yeah they honored that request and increased my interest rate to over 25%. I immediately communicated again through e-mail that this was a totally unacceptable rate. Now tonight I received an e-mail from Advanta informing me that I was a credit risk! Can you believe this crap. Let me tell you I was not not very happy. I told them I have always been a good, no great customer and I feel that I am being robbed and punished.

I know of other people who have this credit card and they are over limit, notoriously late, paying hugh interest rates and late fees. I am there when the credit card company calls and tells them that if they pay the minimum due they would reduce their interest rate. Not by 1%, 5% but sometimes by at least 10% or 12%.

I am sick and tired of the BS. I am sick and tired for paying for everybody else defaulting on their obligations. Needless to say I canceled my account and will be paying off my balance. To think I have referred this company to many people. Now I know they entice you with low rates promising you great service and customer relations just waiting for one human error.
Does this sound familiar (big bail out). Let me know. I strongly request that if anyone is using this credit card - don't be late because no matter how great of a customer your are you are going to get F**K**. Please excuse my language but I am so pissed it isn't even funny. Yea know what cancel your account and tell them Lisa sent you.

Thanks for the rant. The next post will be more upbeat. Promise.

Visit: http://oceanviews.activerain.com to see comments about this post.

Thanks

Lisa

CALL TO ACTION - Attention all Real Estate Professional & Consumers. Simple statements can result in Big Ideas

This morning I was reading a post by Michael Klijanowicz titled "HALLOWEEN IS GOING TO SUCK THIS YEAR". It was a cartoon about children trick or treating in a neighborhood of foreclosed homes. There was a comment made by Renee Burrows on how she was going to use this opportunity to place flyers at these properties which got me thinking. Sometimes the simple statements result in Big Ideas.

The post by Michael made me realize how we get so wrapped up in all this mess that we sometimes forget about the children. In my comment I suggested that maybe as real estate professionals who have listing where the property is empty wouldn't it be cool if someone was on the porch handing out candy to children.

My Call to Action: Do you as real estate professionals think that we could get together and accomplish something like this is a short amount of time?

Would you be willing to participate?

Do you have friends, relatives, or such that would be willing to participate?

How about a Halloween party sponsored by real estate professional in your area?

I am fairly new to real estate and unfortunately don't know many of you but I think this is a great contribution to our communities. Maybe our children won't be so afraid unless it is in the usual manor attributed to Halloween. The fun scary stuff.

We could demonstrate what we always claim as professionals - that we care, that we can accomplish anything in a timely fashion, that real estate is so much more than just selling houses.
How would you accomplish this? Send e-mails to location real estate agents. Post an ad on your Local Board's Blog, Post an ad in your local paper. Contact your SOI. Any ideas? Or do you think this is just a stupid idea?

Please let me know what you think. Oh and by the way "Time is of the Essence". LOL

Whatever the outcome.

Lisa