topic Re: imagine is uncaring...had my card taken!!!! in Credit Cards

imagine is uncaring...had my card taken!!!!

makeynik — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 22:06:54 GMT

I have had an imagine card for 2-3 years. I have been very careful to try to pay it on time, usually with multiple payments. I had 2) 30 days late last year (can't really remember why) and then 2 this year. They said I pressed the checking account key for processing online, although I actually wanted to take it from savings account, although I have been using my savings account only and had in fact typed it in that day, but apparently hit wrong key. Whatever. They refused to GW it. They have also reported me over limit before ($622) when they made a mathematical error, which caused a drop in scores, when I was in fact a couple hundred under, and had never allowed myself to get near limit that month, always paying online, and said I needed to dispute with CRA when I called them on it. Also, they always report highest utilization ( I am not sure if that is common practice or not)even if that is not my balance on the date reported. I had tried to have %50 or below at near end of month, but no dice, always highest limit.

Last month on my $500 card, I paid $750 overall and my balance was in the $400's which they reported. The month before, they reported it at $522, when I got hit with their monthly fee. It is usually near limit, because it is my only card, and I have been concentrating on paying pfds. I was going to start keeping it at under 10% util next month after getting a B of A secured card. Well today, I thought I was nearing limit, but had to pick up something for my son in the city, and the clerk said I was declined and had to take the card! I called them from her phone, and they said my payment was returned, and I was overlimit by $100, my payment is due on 10/5 and yep, I was supposed to turn over card!!!

Now, I am not the best bookkeeper and have bounced payments before, but they have my payment history, which shows about 3 hefty payments a month for some time. I was needless to say, embarrassed, but wasn't going to raise a stink in the store, but was definitely shocked. I have never had that happen before, I have been declined before, especially a few years back when I really used credit, but I thought I was a fairly good customer.

Re: imagine is uncaring...had my card taken!!!!

haulingthescoreup — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 22:22:00 GMT

I'm so sorry to hear that happened to you!

Maybe it's a sign. You have a BofA secured card now, and here's your chance to write perfect history on a brand new card.

If the lovely folks at Imagine haven't closed your account, try to get at least one payment to post, showing as on-time, before you close it. It looks better for that last payment to have a green square.

Re: imagine is uncaring...had my card taken!!!!

makeynik — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 22:51:07 GMT

Thanks, I was going to pay this Wednesday on it anyway...I felt like I was in a movie...! Unreal.

Re: imagine is uncaring...had my card taken!!!!

makeynik — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 22:53:19 GMT

Oh, and is it normal for ccc to report highest util for the month? Or what it is at the time of reporting? I was thinking that maybe they were a bit ticked at me for monitoring them so closely and disputing it a few times...

Re: imagine is uncaring...had my card taken!!!!

haulingthescoreup — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 23:03:26 GMT

CCC's report both your balance at whatever time they report (usually on your statement date) AND your highest balance within the cycle. You'll see that second figure on your reports.

So for instance, here's how my highest intracycle balance shows, even though the reported balance was $0 (This is just from the TU column on TrueCredit, because I haven't figured out tabs and columns on Firefox yet):

- PENTAGON FEDERAL CR UN -
-
- Account No.: 43067910****
- Condition: Open
- Balance: $0
- Type: Credit Card
- Pay Status: Current
- Past Due: $0
- High Balance: $2399
- Terms:
- Limit: $10000
- Payment: $15
- Opened: 02/17/2008
- Reported: 09/02/2008
- Responsibility: Individual

Late Payments (last 7 years):
30 Days Late: 0
60 Days Late: 0

Re: imagine is uncaring...had my card taken!!!!

Anonymous — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 23:38:09 GMT

Hauling... being newer to CC's, where it says High Balance, is that the highest you have ever had the card at, or the highest reported when a statement cut? For example, if I have a credit card, with a $500 limit and I had $300 charged, but before the statement cut paid it down to $60... (and did this every month) would my highest balance be $60, or would they report it as $300?

Re: imagine is uncaring...had my card taken!!!!

makeynik — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 00:40:50 GMT

All I can tell you from Imagine...it seems on my crs that they post limit and my highest balance. Imagine always posts my highest balance during the period. I have purposely paid it at the beginning of the third week to about $100 and did not charge anything until after the fifth of the next month, and there it is! Posted on the 4th with my previous highest balance, never what it is on the posting date. I even called rep to ask when they post, and they would not tell me...so, I knew I couldn't keep it at zero balance, or hardly even around $50, since it was my only card, so I was, well screw-it, I am not going to worry about it, work at lowering the highest balance while I get a new card (B of A) that I can flip flop charges with...like someone else said, your best level utilization is used up the moment you hit the gas pump to fill up!

Re: imagine is uncaring...had my card taken!!!!

haulingthescoreup — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 00:54:13 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:

Hauling... being newer to CC's, where it says High Balance, is that the highest you have ever had the card at, or the highest reported when a statement cut? For example, if I have a credit card, with a $500 limit and I had $300 charged, but before the statement cut paid it down to $60... (and did this every month) would my highest balance be $60, or would they report it as $300?

I don't know what Imagine is up to with OP, but this "highest balance" figure should be the highest balance that you EVER had on your card, at any point within the cycle.

Note: for AmEx charge cards, it displays the highest balance that has posted, not the highest intracycle balance.

I used my USAA AmEx to pay for new hardwood floors. When my statement came, I nearly needed a box of Depends when I saw that $10K+ figure. But it was just there as highest balance, with $0 as usual for the current balance. (This was last December.)

And I've kept using the card since then, and I've swapped the CL up and down, but that highest balance still displays.

Here's how it looks now (CL at the time was $32K; I later juggled it around with the USAA MC):

- USAA SAVINGS BANK -

- Account No.: *********
- Condition: Open
- Balance: $0
- Type: Credit Card
- Pay Status: Current
- Past Due: $0
- High Balance: $10067
- Terms:
- Limit: $10000
- Payment: $15
- Opened: 12/08/2006
- Reported: 09/04/2008
- Responsibility: Individual

Late Payments (last 7 years):
30 Days Late: 0
60 Days Late: 0
90 Days Late: 0

Re: imagine is uncaring...had my card taken!!!!

Anonymous — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 22:45:35 GMT

OMG! That is awful...I am sooo sorry..I can only imagine how embarrassing that was!! Kiss Imagine Goodbye and move on. I will also warn my friends not to get them.

Re: imagine is uncaring...had my card taken!!!!

makeynik — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 23:18:32 GMT

It was very embarrassing! I was in a Boy Scout store, buying a shirt for my first grader...but, the shock and disbelief threw me for a greater loop. I wonder if I was having too much contact with them so that I was on a "terrorist watch list" of sorts. I always pay online, and when I just joined these boards, I thought, well, I will make sure that I pay to a lower util by the last of the month. BOOM! They posted $640! on the fourth when my balance was around $100. I called them up after reviewing my account online. When my limit was approaching $500 once or twice that month, I paid a couple hundred so that it never touched it... When I called the rep, we went through the payment history and he no matter what, he could not add it up, although he sure tried!!! They said they couldn't change it, to dispute it. And before that, when they tried to post a check on my savings, they said it was my fault and would not goodwill, so everytime since that time, I have called to ask if they had it going through savings...babysitting them. I also emailed them about my reportin once or twice. The only time I was legitimately overlimit was when they added fees on. The worst part is that this payment was returned, I guess, looking at my online, on the 15th, I was in the store on the 19th, and they never called me or emailed me. Also, even now, I have not received a letter.

Re: imagine is uncaring...had my card taken!!!!

fishbjc — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 00:09:27 GMT

Imagine WHO? Lol, give them the old heave-ho! You have a secured & are on your way to bigger and better cards. Your scores are improving nicely.

Since WHEN do sales clerks have the authority to take away a consumers card? I worked at Kohls & we were told we are NEVER to keep a customers card upon decline. We are to hand it back to the customer and ask for another tender. So, you're saying a DECLINE showed up on the clerks monitor and she took your card away from you? To do what....try to use it herself? I think I would have been over the counter!

Re: imagine is uncaring...had my card taken!!!!

makeynik — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 00:45:52 GMT

No, it was declined and there was some other message about taking it...honestly, I am not sure now what it said...She said, you card has been declined and I am supposed to take it...I was in shock, because I thought I had available credit, so I asked her to show her screen and it said something about electronic something (what I can recall, the shock has called brain malfunction!) but I got on her phone and asked them what was going on...and then I asked "Am I really supposed to give it to her?" and the guy, well he was smarmy all the way, said yes...so I guess they are closing my account...I mean how would I be getting it back?

Re: imagine is uncaring...had my card taken!!!!

makeynik — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 00:56:06 GMT

And thanks for the support, by the way...it is really hard as a single parent to pay for the past, live in the present (am kinda dreading Christmas, being Mrs Santa without a Mr. contributing really is hard) and build for the future all at once! (Especially with all the rising costs!) Baby steps, baby steps, and sometimes, I guess, 1 step forward, 2 back...but thanks for the support, again. I can do this!!!!(grimacing smile)

Re: imagine is uncaring...had my card taken!!!!

fishbjc — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 03:56:07 GMT

Looks to me like you are doing it. Your scores are improving, and things will get even better. Slow and steady. This Imagine card has done it's job for you, now it's time to move on. Let them keep it.

Are you eligible to join NFCU????? They're the way to go.

Message Edited by fishbjc on 09-20-2008 08:56 PM

Re: imagine is uncaring...had my card taken!!!!

dondk — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 05:41:48 GMT

years ago.. I was at a CompuUSA with my lawyer.. I had a similar thing happen to me, the clerk actually took my card. I was embarrassed and my lawyer stepped up and reprimanded the clerk and told him he had no right to confiscate my card. The clerk backed down and gave me the card back. Paid in cash and moved on.

Once outside the store my lawyer told me the credit agreement is between me and them and the retailers have no right to retain my card. He told me that CC companies at times will use tactics to get store employees to confiscate the cards and offer them cash to send the cards back. You will naturally be upset and will do anything to make it right. It is only a tactic to embarrass you and motivate you to contact them, nothing else as the relationship with you and them at that time is over.

I can relate to your issue, just know that respectable retailers value your business more than being the "muscle" for a CC company.

I have never had that happen to me again, but I have also never forgotten that event and it has been 14 years.

Re: imagine is uncaring...had my card taken!!!!

fishbjc — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 20:33:20 GMT

About 15 years ago we had work done at a local station privately owned with name of BP. My BP charge was declined. The clerk insisted on keeping the card & wouldn't use me use the phone.

I ended up walking home & calling BP, issue was fixed over the phone. I walked back and there on the bulletin board was our card taped to a sheet of paper stating DO NOT ACCEPT CC FROM THIS PERSON.

I was about to scream for the police. Owner pulled up and totally went balistic on the clerk. Ended up getting a nice deal on the repairs, but still very embarassing.