GEMB has lost their **bleep** mind!

[Anonymous]

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beenthere wrote:
You guys have got me checking my GEMB account every day now.

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Signed onto my Jcp account to see if the limit had changed.... not change with a $0 balance since 06/2007  Checked my Lowe's account have a 1700 balance at 0% apr for 12 months and cl is still 10k so no change there either.... when these cld are done can they be viewed on the online account history or do you wait to get a letter in the mail?

so I'm guessing there has to be something specific triggering the cld & cli's

Message Edited by Bran9192 on 11-16-2008 12:16 PM

[score_building]

in my experience checking online gives you a heads up since the letter (when they send one) usually follows the online account update.  i've heard of some issuers like amex sending a 'courtesy' email as well. 

 the reason a lot us are checking our online accounts more frequently than we normally would is because it will typically appear there before we receive other forms of notification.

[Anonymous]

It isn't random. There is a basis to the decision making process. Good people are getting hit but not because they have changed but the rules have changed. Paying 80 on a 1900 balance used to be 2 or 3 times the minimum due which used to make a person look OK but today, paying ONLY twice the minimum every month for several months may show as a great red flag. That might be only one example. Just speculating here but my best guess is that we should take every tip we've gathered here and fly as low under the radar as possible. Remember, these institutions still can't service without us.

[marty56]

Back in my subprime days, my Chevron card was closed to its $2400 limit.  I noticed that when you got close to the limit, they required you to pay more in terms of the % of the balance.

I would recommend not carrying a balnce on any GEMB product.

Besides their interest rates suck anyway. 

As a side note, I nolticed that Sams has been peeking at my EQ report at least once a month.  IMHO I think they do this everytime you used the card or when the update your CR.

[Anonymous]

They must place roulette with the account numbers each month to determine who gets a cld or cli. Because there don't seem to be a pattern with the method to their madness. Dormant accounts with $0 balance such as my Jcp account, people who pay the minium or whatever. As I said earlier in this thread I have 1700 bal on Lowes thats 0 interest/no pay for 12 months and haven't been hit (knock on wood) with cld yet. My payment history on those types of purchases vary to extremes. For example the original purchase was around $3800, the following month I made a payment of $1800 then no payment for 2 months then $50 payment no payment the next month and $50 or $100 the following. So, theres really know way to determine what exactly prompts the changes in credit lines = no method to the madness...... I dunno. I'm curious if there are any members here in the forums that are former or current employees that work for ccc that could shed more light on these types of questions.

[Anonymous]

Well I was on the phone for over an hour last night with folks at GEMB. It took a minute, but I got to talk to a supervisor in the fraud alert dept.  I always try to speak to these people because they actually offer some help.  The supervisor looked at my account.. found the letter I was sent... that I have not gotten.. and said that my CL was decreased based on a number of factors.  He read off the factors that were there before I even got the cards... Then again, I had a collections agency put 6 collections accounts on my CR for a hospital that billed the wrong insurance.  That showed up about 3 months ago.  Perhaps that along with the credit crunch raised a flag.  I told him that I was worried that soon GEMB would CLD all of my accounts.  He said that although they were all under GEMB, each company contributed their own criteria for decreasing limits and/or closing accounts.  He said there is no one set rule to go by so I will not know what will happen until it actually hapens.  This was before I found out that they hit my Chevron account too.

He did call cust. service at Pay pal and buttered them up  a little.  They offered to temporarily increase my credit limit so that I can make a purchase.  I declined that offer.  They made it clear that once I made the purchase, my CL would go back down.   UMMM NO THANKS!

[score_building]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Then again, I had a collections agency put 6 collections accounts on my CR for a hospital that billed the wrong insurance.  That showed up about 3 months ago.

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until this is dealt with affirmitively it is likely to continue to raise eyebrows.

[dallasjetfan]

I have 5 accounts with GEMB and if they lower my CL, I will just cancel that account.  Screw the CC's if they want to lose a good customer.

[Anonymous]

GEMB just closed my Lenscrafters card, I haven't used it in 18 months.  Of course I found out when I was at the store trying to buy new glasses!  They'd closed it for inactivity the week before and I hadn't gotten the letter yet.  Considering that most vision insurance covers frames and lenses once every 24 months...I don't know what they were expecting.

I also just got a letter that they closed DH's Daniel's Jewelers card too, opened to buy my Christmas present last year on a 0% offer, and paid off in March 08...also due to inactivity. 

When I talked to a supervisor about the Lenscrafters card, I told her that not only was I going to tell everyone I knew to avoid GEMB, I would post to the forum, and would never get a GEMB account again...and considering how much people already hate them, it wouldn't take much more for them to hate them even more!  She didn't care at all.  She just said "ok" in a surprisingly chipper voice.

I was angry at first but I realized I'm better off without them.  We have a few more GEMB accounts, and we needed most of them for rebuilding.  But we sure don't need them now...

These are the first and only AA we've gotten so far..AMEX actually LOWERED our interest rate!

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I was angry at first but I realized I'm better off without them.  We have a few more GEMB accounts, and we needed most of them for rebuilding.  But we sure don't need them now...

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Well, yeah!  That is my concern, I need these accounts for rebuilding.  My how things change quickly!  A few mohths ago I was singing GEMB praises for even giving me credit.  I was meticulous about taking care of these accounts.  Now, I check everyday fearing the worse.  I cannot say that I was every really angry, but fearful since it is right around the holidays and, like most people, I need a little more credit.  Perhaps, this is just a way for me to not go building up more balances on cards.  I was going to put an mp4 player on Paypal when I found out I had bee CLD.  Now I have just decided not to get that particular player.  There are two others I want to get as gifts instead.  I will just pay cash for them and for most items I am buying this year.  Any account I use now, will be just for the sake of keeping the darn thing open!