So there really are assholes -- who knew!
So I'm a big dumbo and didn't pay my credit card (online) until two hours ago (11pm-ish). Due date was 17 Feb, so obviously my payment won't be posted until 18 Feb. I paid off the full balance, rather than just the total due at the last statement in . . . well I don't know -- an attempt at good faith? So I call the good people at Chase United Miles up and explain that I'm a big dumbo and didn't pay off my card until now but I paid off everything I owe up to today so I can I please not have to incur a late fee?
Mean mr Chase man:Well since your payment won't be posted until tomorrow, you'll incur a late fee.
Me: How much is the late fee?
Mean mr Chase man: $39.99
Me: And there's no way I can avoid that fee?
Mean mr Chase man: Well we're a lot less lenient on that than we used to be, so you will get charged the full late fee, yes.
Me: I'm not trying to avoid paying my credit card, is there any way I can do the payment faster? The phone options mentioned there was an over the phone thing -- will that take effect faster?
Mean mr Chase man: You can do a rush payment so that it will be posted today.
Me: Okay, how do I do that?
Mean mr Chase man: It'll be $14.95.
Me: What was the late fee again?
Mean mr Chase man: $39.99, and the rush fee is $14.95
Me: Okay, that's a bit painful, but I guess I'll go ahead and do the rush fee thingy.
Mean mr Chase man: You'll need to cancel the first payment you've made.
Me: Sorry?
Mean mr Chase man: Well you've already made a payment to this account, so that'll have to be cancelled before you can do the rush payment.
Me: Oh, okay . . .
Mean mr Chase man: Would you like me to take care of that for you?
Me: Yes, that would be great.
Mean mr Chase man: Okay.
Me: . . .
Mean mr Chase man: So have a good night.
Me: . . . hello?
So I'm at my computer at this point. I update my Chase account online viewer thingy and see that he's cancelled the payment I just made 20 minutes ago for me. It's 11.30pm at this point. I figure 'okay, it'll update with the new payment soon'. Five minutes later, nothing. Ten more minutes, nothing. Okay, I'll wait 5 more minutes. Nothing. It's 11.50pm at this point. Okay, I'll try making a payment, because obviously if the guy did the whole payment I won't be able to pay it, since it'll be pending. Maybe the front page hasn't updated yet. But no, I can get through to the stages of paying it. I go back to my account main page and, noting that it is 11.55pm (ack!), decide to call the lovely Chase people again -- perhaps it takes 20 minutes to update on the website or something?
As it turns out, the ASSHOLE at Chase cancelled my damn payment, but never made the new payment for me. During this second phone call to Chase, the guy explained that as it was now 12.03am, a rush payment was no longer an option since any payment would post to my account on the 18th, thus incurring a late fee.
Trying not to fume, I explain the situation to this guy, noting that since the last guy was kind enough to cancel my payment, why wouldn't he also put a rush payment? Second Mr Chase man asks if I got a confirmation number from this guy. No I did not. Well, it turns out that the rush payment can only be done over the phone and that after any phone payments, I should get a confirmation number. I explained that I had no idea that that was the case, and I had no way of knowing this was the procedure for rush payments over the phone.
The guy was very nice and said that I would not be charged a late fee for paying it on the 18th. He also agreed to put a note in my account noting this. I could hear him typing, although i suppose it's possible he was just dicking around with me. I'll find out, I suppose.
I'm just . . . amazed. I don't know what I did to piss the first guy off, because it's not like he just hung up and forgot about the call, or is just lazy and couldn't be bothered to do anything. He cancelled my payment. And then never bothered to re-do the payment with a rush request. If I wasn't so fanatical about checking my account online, I wouldn't have known about this until who knows how long. I guess it's only $40, and it's not the end of the world but . . . I don't want to throw away my money. I worked several hours for that $40, and that's several hours that I would rather be at home cooking or cycling and sleeping.
Actually, I hate credit cards. Please don't shoot me for saying this, but I always appreciated Australia's resistance to credit cards. I loved drawing money out of the bank and using cash for everything. If I was really desperate, I could resort to my debit card, which I did, once or twice. But it doesn't really work like that here. People look at you funny if you use a $50 bill. Counting out exact change is weird and obnoxious (although fair enough -- since sales tax isn't added in to the price tags here, there's no way of knowing your total until you get to the register).
Maybe I'm a bit of a Luddite, but I don't like spending money I don't have. With the rare exception, I always pay my credit cards on time, but I still hate having to do it. I don't even like using a little plastic rectangle to for everything. I like seeing the money, feeling the money (especially if it's awesome Australian beach-safe waterproof plastic money!), watching it go to someone else as a reminder that I am indeed spending money. I hate relinquishing control to a giant credit card company who will charge you to high heaven if you happen to be human, and whose sole saving grace is that they'll give you a blender after you spend $10,000 on items in your top three categories at the following two retailers within a 12-month period after the activation of your credit card as long as the card activation coincides with the purchase of first-class air travel that includes a 14 hour stopover at Muscle Shoals NW Alabama Regional Airport between the hours of 2 and 4am on a Tuesday or Thursday afternoon. Please note that the One-Time Spinex Blender does not come with moving parts. A shipping charge of $29.99 will be added to your credit card automatically each month until you call us to get it taken off.
Your lovin' give me a thrill
but your lovin' don't pay my bill.
Now gimme money (That's what I want)
that's what I want (That's what I want)
that's what I want, ye-ye-yeh
that's what I want.