topic Re: Help! I opened a credit card by mistake, what should I do? in Credit Card Applications

Help! I opened a credit card by mistake, what should I do?

JakeRogue — Fri, 15 Dec 2017 18:58:42 GMT

This is mildly embarassing, but this past Sunday I was at Homegoods purchasing some kitchen knives with my girlfriend (my first time in a Homegoods store I might add). The register lady kindly asked if I was interested in a rewards card, if I signed up I could get 10% off my purchase and then I accrue points on future purchases. I have tons of rewards cards with different stores (I'm referring to membership and loyalty cards, NOT credit cards), so I said, "Sure why not!". She asked if she could borrow my license as it's easier to type in my name quickly, I did not object. She asked for my email and I gave it to her. She gave me this little thing to sign, and I signed it.

Not 30 seconds go by and I look behind her and see a poster advertisement that Homegoods has a credit card which offers 10% off your first purchase upon approval of the credit card. I ask the lady if that's what she meant by rewards card, because if that's the case I'm not trying to sign up for a credit card. But then her register prints a receipt, and it has my name, DOB, and it says I'm approved for $2000 at 27.XX% for a TJX card or something while simultaneously she says, "Yes I signed you up for the store card like you agreed to."

I immediately tell her I want to cancel this application process, manager comes over, they call customer service on the phone, and long story short 45 minutes later they said I can cancel the account on my own but since I'm already approved, I can't undo the application...

1) So first thing's first. I acknowledge that I clearly goofed and was not paying as sharp attention as I probably should have. I'm very embarassed and my GF was shocked this happened too and she didn't realize I was signing up for the credit card either when we discussed what transpired over and over.

2) In my defense, I was feeling very sick when we went to the store. This could possibly explain my lapse in judgment/paying attention.

3) Is there ANYTHING I can do or should do? Or is it too little too late? I've already received emails from my Discover Credit Monitoring and Credit Karma about a new account opening in my name. I'm very angry that I opened this card but I'm assuming that it's just my own dumb fault and that I have to live with the consequence.

Any advice, heckling, trolling, or solutions appreciated.

Re: Help! I opened a credit card by mistake, what should I do?

Anonymous — Fri, 15 Dec 2017 18:36:23 GMT

It's a lesson for sure. They ask me all the time the same question.

I'd write a USPS CMRRR letter to Synchrony AND to TJX Corporation AND the CFPB explaining that you were deceived into applying, were not told it was an application, and that the store representative may be violating Federal law by promoting a credit application as a 'rewards card'.

DEMAND that they remove the inquiry AND the account COMPLETELY from your credit reports in a certain amount of time (I'd give them 5 days, myself).

CC everyone on the bottom of the letters and let them know you retain your rights but are giving them a chance to fix things before you have to accelerate further.

Re: Help! I opened a credit card by mistake, what should I do?

Adkins — Fri, 15 Dec 2017 20:24:12 GMT

That's some shady crap right there!

+1 on what ABCD2199 posted!

Re: Help! I opened a credit card by mistake, what should I do?

tcbofade — Fri, 15 Dec 2017 20:59:05 GMT

....and when that doesn't work....you now have a new account.

Seriously, if they'll undo what is done, that's awesome....and rare.

If not, it's water under the bridge and don't lose any sleep over it. These things happen.

Re: Help! I opened a credit card by mistake, what should I do?

Anonymous — Fri, 15 Dec 2017 21:18:50 GMT

I agree with ABCD though I would suggest this one change - send your letters USPS priority mail with delivery confirmation and not certified return mail receipt.

I always suggest this when filing disputes as all the CRA's and most all creditors use PO BOXES (even if it's a regular address your sending to odds are it's a rented box) and any mail requiring a signature cannot be left in a po box and is this handled differently than priority mail with delivery confirmation. With PM they can leave your letter while also giving you proof of & time/date of delivery which can be important for time limited rules around disputes. Also if you get the tracking labels in advance at the post office or order them for free online from USPS store you can include the tracking number in the header of your dispute letter which gives you greater legal weight as they can't claim to not have seen the letter when responding to you or fudge their dates to be within legal requirements to respond to a dispute.
You do however want to use CMRR any time you send payments.

You also want to include any CRA showing an inquiry for the card (EX or EQ or TU depending who they pulled) in the letter campaign, again being sure to use priority mail with delivery confirmation. Depending on how you plan to go about this you might want to save notifying the CRA's until you send your initial dispute to the lender and see their response, but frankly if your going to include the CFPB you should go ahead and mail the CRA's as well. Get a binder & buy/print a calendar, make copies of every letter you send including PM tracking receipt & file turn in your binder. Do not accept offers to dispute or view any information online, via phone or email. If they email or call you insist on postal mail - harder to make a mistake or be taken advantage of when you have a clear and traceable written documentation.

I wish you luck and feel free to pm me or post followup questions here. Unfortunately from a legal standpoint based on your description of the event it's going to come down to a matter of "do they want to make the effort fighting you?" in regards to will you succeed. Since you technically gave verbal concept to apply and signed the agreement they're covered, it'll be up to you to make the case of misleading & deceptive practices.

I'm attaching a picture of the tracking forms you want in case your post office sucks like mine and tells you they won't give you any or have them. They come in a 50 pack and are stickers with a built in receipt portion. USPS website store calls them "USPS tracking label"

LABEL400_large.jpg

Re: Help! I opened a credit card by mistake, what should I do?

Anonymous — Fri, 15 Dec 2017 21:53:47 GMT

Yeah the signing of the app was bad news. Very bad because you should never sign anything without reading it.

Still, if the rep misled you, you have an out. They should not be lying to people to get them to sign up.

Re: Help! I opened a credit card by mistake, what should I do?

Anonymous — Fri, 15 Dec 2017 22:00:18 GMT

True. From my time managing retail I can tell you it's rare to unheard of for survalience cameras to record audio in any area except the cash room so it will come down to he said she said as far as what the cashier told you you were applying for. Still the signature hurts but if you explain how she made it seem you were signing up for a store membership card and not a CC you've got a shot.

I think if you handle it all via tracked & documented mail and maintain the impression that you will be meticulous and persistent until every avenue has been exhausted they may very well give in just to get you to stop. Here's hoping.

Re: Help! I opened a credit card by mistake, what should I do?

SBR249 — Sat, 16 Dec 2017 00:49:41 GMT

I'm not a lawyer but I think it may be hard to really nail them on the language used in the exchange for a few reasons:

1. It's probably not recorded, so it's a he said/she said kind of thing.

2. "Rewards card" isn't really a term with concrete legal definitions. Technically, a credit card that gives rewards (which it sounds like this one does) can be a "rewards card" and it is possible that using such terms to promote the card isn't even against policy or regulations.

3. You did sign on the dotted line. Regardless of what is said, you had the opportunity to read over the contract and see exactly what the terms are that you are agreeing to.

4. (This is purely my speculation) There probably wasn't any deliberate intent to deceive since she gave you the contract without trying to conceal the credit provisions and she honestly answered your questions when you referred her to the advertised signs about the card posted in store.

While I agree that it would be nice if credit applications can have an automatic cooling off period like cell phone contracts but I don't think it's common. Rather than coming out guns blazing, it may be better to be nice and polite with the bank and ask for a favor. After all, honey attracts more flies than vinegar.

Re: Help! I opened a credit card by mistake, what should I do?

Anonymous — Sat, 16 Dec 2017 01:28:26 GMT

OP send me the card and I'll take care of everything. J/K

Re: Help! I opened a credit card by mistake, what should I do?

Anonymous — Sat, 16 Dec 2017 01:33:18 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
I agree with ABCD though I would suggest this one change - send your letters USPS priority mail with delivery confirmation and not certified return mail receipt.

I always suggest this when filing disputes as all the CRA's and most all creditors use PO BOXES (even if it's a regular address your sending to odds are it's a rented box) and any mail requiring a signature cannot be left in a po box and is this handled differently than priority mail with delivery confirmation. With PM they can leave your letter while also giving you proof of & time/date of delivery which can be important for time limited rules around disputes. Also if you get the tracking labels in advance at the post office or order them for free online from USPS store you can include the tracking number in the header of your dispute letter which gives you greater legal weight as they can't claim to not have seen the letter when responding to you or fudge their dates to be within legal requirements to respond to a dispute.
You do however want to use CMRR any time you send payments.

You also want to include any CRA showing an inquiry for the card (EX or EQ or TU depending who they pulled) in the letter campaign, again being sure to use priority mail with delivery confirmation. Depending on how you plan to go about this you might want to save notifying the CRA's until you send your initial dispute to the lender and see their response, but frankly if your going to include the CFPB you should go ahead and mail the CRA's as well. Get a binder & buy/print a calendar, make copies of every letter you send including PM tracking receipt & file turn in your binder. Do not accept offers to dispute or view any information online, via phone or email. If they email or call you insist on postal mail - harder to make a mistake or be taken advantage of when you have a clear and traceable written documentation.
I wish you luck and feel free to pm me or post followup questions here. Unfortunately from a legal standpoint based on your description of the event it's going to come down to a matter of "do they want to make the effort fighting you?" in regards to will you succeed. Since you technically gave verbal concept to apply and signed the agreement they're covered, it'll be up to you to make the case of misleading & deceptive practices.

I'm attaching a picture of the tracking forms you want in case your post office sucks like mine and tells you they won't give you any or have them. They come in a 50 pack and are stickers with a built in receipt portion. USPS website store calls them "USPS tracking label"
LABEL400_large.jpg

Thanks for the info! I didn't know that and it's probably cheaper than CMRRR

Re: Help! I opened a credit card by mistake, what should I do?

Anonymous — Sat, 16 Dec 2017 03:50:11 GMT

Some one coached the cashier to use the term rewards card. Possibly the head cashier or store management. The question is where did they get it from. Some stores reward cashiers for getting cards applied for. One of part time jobs many years ago was in Macy's better dressed men's wear. I got money for 1) card applications and 2) grabbing unsigned Macy cards and getting them signed or we cut them up. I think the term rewards card is misleading.

Re: Help! I opened a credit card by mistake, what should I do?

SouthJamaica — Sat, 16 Dec 2017 14:25:24 GMT

@JakeRogue wrote:
This is mildly embarassing, but this past Sunday I was at Homegoods purchasing some kitchen knives with my girlfriend (my first time in a Homegoods store I might add). The register lady kindly asked if I was interested in a rewards card, if I signed up I could get 10% off my purchase and then I accrue points on future purchases. I have tons of rewards cards with different stores (I'm referring to membership and loyalty cards, NOT credit cards), so I said, "Sure why not!". She asked if she could borrow my license as it's easier to type in my name quickly, I did not object. She asked for my email and I gave it to her. She gave me this little thing to sign, and I signed it.

Not 30 seconds go by and I look behind her and see a poster advertisement that Homegoods has a credit card which offers 10% off your first purchase upon approval of the credit card. I ask the lady if that's what she meant by rewards card, because if that's the case I'm not trying to sign up for a credit card. But then her register prints a receipt, and it has my name, DOB, and it says I'm approved for $2000 at 27.XX% for a TJX card or something while simultaneously she says, "Yes I signed you up for the store card like you agreed to."

I immediately tell her I want to cancel this application process, manager comes over, they call customer service on the phone, and long story short 45 minutes later they said I can cancel the account on my own but since I'm already approved, I can't undo the application...

1) So first thing's first. I acknowledge that I clearly goofed and was not paying as sharp attention as I probably should have. I'm very embarassed and my GF was shocked this happened too and she didn't realize I was signing up for the credit card either when we discussed what transpired over and over.
2) In my defense, I was feeling very sick when we went to the store. This could possibly explain my lapse in judgment/paying attention.
3) Is there ANYTHING I can do or should do? Or is it too little too late? I've already received emails from my Discover Credit Monitoring and Credit Karma about a new account opening in my name. I'm very angry that I opened this card but I'm assuming that it's just my own dumb fault and that I have to live with the consequence.

Any advice, heckling, trolling, or solutions appreciated.

Personally I don't think there's anything you can do to get the account off your credit report.

This is why I steel myself, before I go to the cashier, to resist any entreaties. These folks are under enormous pressure to push the store's cards.

Re: Help! I opened a credit card by mistake, what should I do?

SBR249 — Sat, 16 Dec 2017 14:34:18 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Some one coached the cashier to use the term rewards card. Possibly the head cashier or store management. The question is where did they get it from. Some stores reward cashiers for getting cards applied for. One of part time jobs many years ago was in Macy's better dressed men's wear. I got money for 1) card applications and 2) grabbing unsigned Macy cards and getting them signed or we cut them up. I think the term rewards card is misleading.

I'm not saying using the term "rewards card" is not misleading but if you are going to argue your case based on that there's probably a higher bar to pass. Like I said, the term doesn't have a formal definition that you can point to and say that it was used incorrectly in order to deceive. It would also be difficult to prove that the term was purposely used to conceal the fact that it was an application for credit. It could be that "rewards card" just sounds better and is more likely to entice people and that's why she used it or was coached to use it. Merely saying that the cashier intentionally used vague or ambiguous language to promote the product and entice people to sign up makes for a pretty weak case, I mean that's basically the definition of what an advertisement is.

My point is that in this case, if the OP plays hardball right off the bat, it may make companies less likely to be more accommodating in trying to get this resolved and legally the OP's case may not be all that strong to begin with.

Re: Help! I opened a credit card by mistake, what should I do?

marty56 — Sat, 16 Dec 2017 14:52:03 GMT

If you don't have any accounts with Synchrony, this will help you establish a relationship with them and worst case score some points with GF.

As rule, when a checkout person asks a question that starts with "Would you like...", I go into nagging DW mode and tune them out.

Re: Help! I opened a credit card by mistake, what should I do?

Anonymous — Sat, 16 Dec 2017 21:12:26 GMT

No problem Ima, I dunno the going rate for CMRR but I can tell you that prepaid flat rate priority mail postage I get from the kiosk in my post offices lobby runs $6.65. The tracking/delivery confirmation labels & the 6x10 clear panel flat rate envelopes I use are free. The process I following calls for 6-12 pieces of trackable mail so I prepaid and stocked up on the free supplies before starting.

As far as the strength of your "legal argument" in the matter of your new card I have to agree with others here and say it's legally flimsy at best on account of you signing. That said it doesn't necessarily mean you don't stand a chance if you dispute but from my personally experienced but unprofessional and not providing-legal-advice perspective I don't think the laws on your side here.

I'll agree about the coaching to push cards though. Having to hound and even corrective-action my employees based on their success or lack thereof in pushing Redcards (and credit at that, the debit didn't boost metrics nearly as much as the credit versions) was part of what I hated most about managing Target and was one of the many many reasons I left asap

Re: Help! I opened a credit card by mistake, what should I do?

AverageJoesCredit — Sat, 16 Dec 2017 23:03:42 GMT

Stinks big time but signers remorse happens. Been there done that. At the end of the day, you have a card that can grow big limits should you choose but also one that can be closed as well. I agree with other posters opinions on mater but in the end , we gotta take the final responsibilty for signing our name on something even if we were decieved by a cashier. Like they say, now you know, and knowing is half the battle, yo joe!

Re: Help! I opened a credit card by mistake, what should I do?

RadioRob — Sun, 17 Dec 2017 07:10:25 GMT

Out of curiousity ... the card was opened with just the info on a drivers license?

I did not think an account could be opened without a SSN (which should not be on any modern license) and without income information (which obviously is not).

Re: Help! I opened a credit card by mistake, what should I do?

arkane — Sun, 17 Dec 2017 11:22:45 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
No problem Ima, I dunno the going rate for CMRR but I can tell you that prepaid flat rate priority mail postage I get from the kiosk in my post offices lobby runs $6.65. The tracking/delivery confirmation labels & the 6x10 clear panel flat rate envelopes I use are free. The process I following calls for 6-12 pieces of trackable mail so I prepaid and stocked up on the free supplies before starting.

As far as the strength of your "legal argument" in the matter of your new card I have to agree with others here and say it's legally flimsy at best on account of you signing. That said it doesn't necessarily mean you don't stand a chance if you dispute but from my personally experienced but unprofessional and not providing-legal-advice perspective I don't think the laws on your side here.

I'll agree about the coaching to push cards though. Having to hound and even corrective-action my employees based on their success or lack thereof in pushing Redcards (and credit at that, the debit didn't boost metrics nearly as much as the credit versions) was part of what I hated most about managing Target and was one of the many many reasons I left asap

Ah so that's why they pushed the "do you want to get 5% off" card so hard. I don't really blame them for doing their job, but man one of them actually tried to guilt trip me by going "sir do you want to save 5% today? No?! You don't like free money?!" And meanwhile I was just dying inside and trying very hard to contain my groan and eyeroll.

I'm so glad they opened self-checkout stations, because now I can avoid these conversations entirely. Though next time if I have to go through a cashier, when asked this question, I'll just answer with "no thanks, I already have 4 credit cards, and that's 3 too many!!"

Re: Help! I opened a credit card by mistake, what should I do?

CreditInspired — Sun, 17 Dec 2017 21:24:46 GMT

Unfortunately, OP, I think you may have to live with the consequenses. Like others have said or implied -- treat it as a lesson learned. For kicks, I Googled a TJMaxx credit application to find out just what you signed, and it states:

By applying you agree that, if approved, Synchrony Bank may provide you with a TJX Rewards® Platinum MasterCard® or a TJX Rewards® Credit Card.

I also noted two separate boxes (both 27.99% APR). So, I think as someone else noted, you probably wasn't deliberately deceived because they are actually called rewards cards. Also, as someone else noted, it would be surprising if you didn't have to provide your income and SSN.

Also, look at it this way. At least the inquiry was for an approved card. It would be worse if you had been declined and got an inquiry too.

Like others have said, we have all been there, done that. I can still recall the rant I went on in March for applying for a Chase Slate and got 3 HPs because I had the audacity to see if my SL could be increased. Yep, hard lesson-learned.

GL2U

Re: Help! I opened a credit card by mistake, what should I do?

AverageJoesCredit — Sun, 17 Dec 2017 22:15:08 GMT

Good info CreditInspired. How dare Chase! Lol