Be sure and cancel your credit cards before you die

[Chet18013]

Be sure and cancel your credit cards before you die. This is just so priceless, and so easy to see happening, customer service being what it is today.

A relative died this past January, and Citibank billed her for February and March for their annual service charges on her credit card, and then added late fees and interest on the monthly charge. The balance had been $0.00, now is was somewhere around $60.00.

I placed a call to Citibank:

Me: "I am calling to tell you that she died in January."

Citibank: "The account was never closed and the late fees and charges still apply."

Me: "Maybe, you should turn it over to collections."

Citibank: "Since it is 2 months past due, it already has been."

Me: So, what will they do when they find out she is dead?"

Citibank: "Either report her account to the frauds division or report her to the credit bureau, maybe both!"

Me: "Do you think God will be mad at her?"

Citibank: "Excuse me?"

Me: "Did you just get what I was telling you--The part about her being dead?"

Citibank: "Sir, you'll have to speak to my supervisor."

Supervisor gets on the phone:

Me: "I'm calling to tell you, she died in January."

Citibank: "The account was never closed and the late fees and charges still apply."

Me: "You mean you want to collect from her estate?"

Citibank: (Stammer). "Are you her lawyer?"

Me: "No, I'm her great nephew." (Lawyer info given)

Citibank: "Could you fax us a certificate of death?"

Me: "Sure." (Fax number is given)

After they get the fax:

Citibank: "Our system just isn't setup for death. I don't know what more I can do to help."

Me: "Well, if you figure it out, great! If not, you could just keep billing her. I don't think she will care."

Citibank: "Well, the late fees and charges do still apply "

Me: "Would you like her new billing address?"

Citibank: "That might help."

Me: "Odessa Memorial Cemetery, Hwy 129, plot number 69."

Citibank: "Sir, that's a cemetery!"

Me: "What do you do with dead people on your planet?"

 

[Tom]

Chet,

Condolences on your loss and apologies for laughing at that ridiculous conversation you had to go through. It really is priceless.

 

[Chet18013]

Thanks, Tom, hate to have led you on, but that was sent to me and I just had to pass it on here since so many of the RVForum members use credit cards while traveling.

Chet18013

 

[Tom]

OK thanks for the clarification Chet. I had a feeling that was the case. Glad I didn't come to the funeral  ;D

 

[Ron]

LOL sounds like something Quest telephone would do.

A couple years ago when we went to SLC as my mother was close to departing this world.  Just a month earlier my sisters husband had passed away then mom passed away.  While we were there my sister received a note from Quest addressed to my father who had passed away over 20 years ago inviting my father to return to using Quest.  When my mother had to give up her home my sister had all the mail transfered to her own address and of course the phone had been disconnected at that time several years ago.  Anyway with the death of her husband on month earlier and then mom having just passed this notice from Quest really upset her. 

I called the guy that had signed the note from Quest and simply requested that my dads name be removed from their mailing list since he had died more than 20 years ago.  This individual simply responded the he could not honor my request since this was the maner in which they were attempting to get previous customers to return to Quest.  I responded that I didn't think they would have any success in getting my dead fathers business again but he insisted he would take no action to stop such mailings.  When I asked to speak to his supervisor he replied he was the supervisor. I suggested that I would write the home office he simply indicated they wouldn't even reply.

Well I wrote the CEO of Quest  explaining the problem and went on to say that I recommended they get rid of this guy since if he believed that he could reserect business fro the dead then he was wasting Quest resources.  I also requested that he personally call and apologize to my sister and confirm the mailing would be stopped.

About a month later I got a call from my sister after she had received a phone call from a person identifying themselves as the CEO of Quest in Phoenix calling to apologize for the mailings and inappropriate behaviour of a quest manager.  At least somebody paid attention.

 

[John From Detroit]

Ron... That kind of reminds me of a newspaper or magazine article I read years ago.

A reporter was at a GM function where the CEO of GM was speaking and made some comment about customer satisfaction... He picked a reporter (This one) at random and ask if he had a GM car (Yes) any problems (YES!) by the time the press conference ended the reporter's local GM dealer had phoned his wife, brounght out a loaner and had a porter drive his car back to the shop where the reporter later stated it was fixed properly and completly.

Pays to notifiy the CEO  (The article had a bunch of other, simular, stories, some even better)

 

[Gasser]

I had a good laugh.  Thank you.  I will have to pass this on to work. ;D