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!
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.
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.
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.