BoA Pre-Approval Site Insulted Me

[Anonymous]

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Vic wrote:

"Pre-approved" is a sweet, deceptive little term- sort of makes you feel welcome. The prefix "Pre" means "before". Therefore, in reality, "Pre-Approved" is essentially defined as "not yet approved". It means the same thing as if you are still breathing- you are "Pre-Dead". Utterly meaningless.

           "Bitter Party- your table is ready"!- Vic

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I have to disgree, to a certain degree anyway.  Preapprovals aren't exactly meaningless.  All else equal, a preapproval is more likely to be approved than an "invitation to appy," which in turn is more likely to be approved than a cold app.

I can think of at least a couple of cases I have read where someone applied through a preapproval, only to get a much smaller CL than they expected, and when they tried recon they were told something along the lines of, "Well, we weren't going to appove you at all except we see you applied through a preapproved offer."

The problem with preapprovals is not that they're meaningless, it's that the term itself is misleading.  People tend to think, "Hey, I'm approved before I even apply," which is simply not the case.

Message Edited by cheddar on 02-17-2008 10:02 AM

[WhirledPeasPlease]

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cheddar wrote:

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Vic wrote:

"Pre-approved" is a sweet, deceptive little term- sort of makes you feel welcome. The prefix "Pre" means "before". Therefore, in reality, "Pre-Approved" is essentially defined as "not yet approved". It means the same thing as if you are still breathing- you are "Pre-Dead". Utterly meaningless.

           "Bitter Party- your table is ready"!- Vic

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I have to disgree, to a certain degree anyway.  Preapprovals aren't exactly meaningless.  All else equal, a preapproval is more likely to be approved than an "invitation to appy," which in turn is more likely to be approved than a cold app.

I can think of at least a couple of cases I have read where someone applied through a preapproval, only to get a much smaller CL than they expected, and when they tried recon they were told something along the lines of, "Well, we weren't going to appove you at all except we see you applied through a preapproved offer."

The problem with preapprovals is not that they're meaningless, it's that the term itself is misleading.  People tend to think, "Hey, I'm approved before I even apply," which is simply not the case.

Message Edited by cheddar on 02-17-2008 10:02 AM

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Yup, and my point was merely that I wasn't receiving any pre-approved offers -- not even checking or savings.  By opting back in I am hoping that I will begin to see something, instead of being blocked for everything.  I believe this makes sense for me since the only pre-app offers I get online are the standard 4 from Amex.

I'm not sure if Vic was directly referring to my post or not, but I thought I'd clarify.  I'm definitely not apping at the moment anyway.  (I learned my lesson with Citi, not once, but twice!)  I most certainly know what the prefix 'pre' means.  My sixth grade Language Arts students do, as well.

-Painting Peas (Again.. enough painting already!  I'm just ready to put this beast on the market!)

[Anonymous]

     Dear Cheddar-

     (Great Handle, by the way) You mention that the term itself ("pre-approved") is misleading, that people tend to think- "Hey- I'm approved before I even apply." Is dead-center on target. My point exactly. To me, (and I assume, to most normal adult U.S. consumers) the term "Pre-Approved" means you are totally "green and go" until you just fill out a few of the pesky forms and paperwork.

     It is WAY different than that, as I'm sure you know. I'm just a huge fan of plain English, up-front disclosures of what a deal is before somebody signs on the dotted line. (Or clicking the "submit" icon, as this is the year 2008).

                   Later!- Vic

[Anonymous]

Web site question- where the H3LL did the winking "smiley face" icon come from in my last posting?!! I DIDN'T PUT IT THERE!!

               ---Vic

[Anonymous]

You must have hit the ; and then the ) that's the manual way to put in a winky face.

[haulingthescoreup]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Web site question- where the H3LL did the winking "smiley face" icon come from in my last posting?!! I DIDN'T PUT IT THERE!!

---Vic

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It's from your close quote followed immediately by a close parenthesis.

These occur in hilariously inappropriate situations. They can be avoided by putting a space between the comma, semi-colon, etc and the parenthesis.

[Anonymous]

Thanks! If I live to be 100, (and I'm half-way there!) I don't think I'll ever figure out all the quirks of computers and the internet!- Vic

[Anonymous]

LOL! Don't feel bad Vic. I'm older than you and prolly more computer challenged too!

[Anonymous]

I wonder if I will ever see an offer on the BOA site. I only receive below message:

Unfortunately, we are unable to provide you with any special online credit card offers at this time. This could be due to any number of reasons, including incomplete information, credit bureau availability, or your credit history.

However, you can take advantage of these other Bank of America product offerings to help you start or build your credit, save money or open an account:

<SCRIPT language=javascript src="/stylesheets/common.js" type=text/javascript></SCRIPT> <SCRIPT language=JavaScript type=text/JavaScript> </SCRIPT>

Secured Credit Card

• A great way to start or establish your credit
• Qualify for as little as $300
• Learn more

Keep the ChangeTM

• Automatically save with each debit card purchase
• We'll match 100% of your savings for the first 3 months
• Learn more

Checking or Savings Accounts

• Apply and open account online in minutes
• Easy access to your money
• Learn more

I had the secured card (graduated to unsecured in Nov 2007), have their checking account (since 2000) as well as savings account with keep the change.  Someday .............