@ngerasimatos wrote:
After hearing I used AMEX as my payment option, and me requesting him to sign a paper saying he refused to honor the return. He changed his tone and agreed to refund the item 100% back to my AMEX.
Ah, its good to know merchants fear our AMEXs just as much as we do! jk 
I paid off my mortgage and stopped using CCs over 10 years ago and my last (unused) card was canceled 8 years ago. I had only used a debit card for most of the last 15 years until I was getting increased hassles renting cars and hotels. Then I discovered the world of credit reports and what they recorded - and don't record. A few issues with utilities I failed to cancel when I moved and I found I was about as uncredit worthy as someone with zero credit history. Effectively that's what what I had.
Since, because of increasing car/hotel hassles, I decided a CC was needed so I investigated what was available and ran across a few sites (this is one) with knowledgeable denizens who steered me towards secured cards. I then picked up and WF and Citi card with the max allowed (10k and 25k). This is all background for why I'm very happy with the CSRs:
Earlier this year I had an emergency need to transport my mother, who was coming out of a stroke ward from one coast to the other so I could provide home care. I only had a few hours notice as other options evaporated. I called an air ambulance service, essentially a small jet with medical staff. I gave them the Citi CC info for a 20k fee and it was promptly declined, apparently due to the very large charge. I called the Citi CSRs, asked why the card was declined as the available credit was presumably 24k. I was almost instantly transfered to someone who really knew what was going on (Citi had recently changed it's secured max to 5k and apparently automatically limited single charges on the whole secured user base to 5k). He immediately offered to manually authorize the charge but the charter company's card servicer couldn't figure out how to do it so he had the account somehow changed to accept the charge in the automated system.
1. I understand how glitches like that can occur.
2. I thought Citi's employees handled the glitch professionally and competently..
3. I love their online payment options and clear web interface.
4. I love and use their virtual CC for vendors I don't do regular business with. Lowering my fraud CC risk lowers their costs as well.
As my credit has come back fairly well and I have gone, in 18 months, from not even having a FICO score to being in the 700s, preapps have been arriving, Discover, Visa, Amex, etc.. Me, I'm happy with Citi and WF. I recently added a CitiGold checking acct for the $500 cash back even though my main account is WF. The only thing I would like now is a secured 100k card. Especially if it paid the 4.07%APR of the CD that secures my current Citi card.
Amex certainly has good bennies but with the Citi secured card I have zero worries I'll try to use it somewhere and find the account closed.
Thanks haulingthescoreup,
She's been doing much better having recovered her speaking ability but still a long road to go I'm afraid.
I'm sure glad I found out about credit and had those cards as none of the banks I had accounts with had local branches where she was and it would have taken at least a day to get funds wired and I didn't have the time.