walmart skip a payment program?

[granny031350]

I just got a call from Walmart asking to set up a payment on my account.  I was shocked.  The payment isn't even due yet and I have already set it up on their website to come out on the due date (to avoid holds have to use Walmart's site )   

So I started to question the rep and her comment was that I qualified for a "skip a payment" because of my on time payment history etc.  I said thanks, but no thanks to that but was astounded that they even called.

Anyone else have this happen?

[DI]

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@granny031350 wrote:

I just got a call from Walmart asking to set up a payment on my account.  I was shocked.  The payment isn't even due yet and I have already set it up on their website to come out on the due date (to avoid holds have to use Walmart's site )   

So I started to question the rep and her comment was that I qualified for a "skip a payment" because of my on time payment history etc.  I said thanks, but no thanks to that but was astounded that they even called.

Anyone else have this happen?

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I have no Walmart card.    Since you're eligible for the skip a payment program, they may have just wanted to quickly inform you so that you can cancel your pending payment.

[Anonymous]

This sounds like a scam.

I can't imagine a creditor calling a customer about a payment if the account is not overdue.  Sounds more like someone calling hoping to get bank account information.

[Anonymous]

Skip a payment program never skip a payment even if the program is legitimate. Skipping a payment could........could have repercussions because this signals you may be having financial difficulties which could signal a CLD or even closure of the account.   

[Anonymous]

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@granny031350 wrote:

I just got a call from Walmart asking to set up a payment on my account.  I was shocked.  The payment isn't even due yet and I have already set it up on their website to come out on the due date (to avoid holds have to use Walmart's site )   

So I started to question the rep and her comment was that I qualified for a "skip a payment" because of my on time payment history etc.  I said thanks, but no thanks to that but was astounded that they even called.

Anyone else have this happen?

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Something here doesn't quite ring true, but it could possibly be a legit call.

However, skip-a-payment programs are poison and I have never used one. They may let you skip a payment, but they still are compounding the interest. You also weaken your strength of payment record when you take advantage of such a plan. Best to avoid.

[DI]

A call coming from Walmart is always scandalous to me.  I`m just waiting on the "you won $1000" for taking our survey call.

[Anonymous]

More likely, "you won $1,000 yuan"!

[haulingthescoreup]

Just as a general word to the wise, I would never continue an incoming phone call that supposedly came from a bank. I'd ask for the employee's name and extension number and then look up the number on my bank card or on the bank's website, and call him/her back. Don't go with a phone number supplied by the person on the phone --no telling where you're actually calling.

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granny031350 wrote:

I just got a call from Walmart asking to set up a payment on my account.  I was shocked.  The payment isn't even due yet and I have already set it up on their website to come out on the due date (to avoid holds have to use Walmart's site )...  

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(emphasis mine)

OP, I hope you don't mind a comment from an old worry-wart: have you thought about scheduling your payments for something like 5 days before the due date, instead of on the due date? Stuff happens, and when it does, it's the consumer that gets burned, not the lender. I'd sure want to have more wiggle-room built in on my auto-pay. And just to wring my hands a bit more , you do go online to make sure that it went through, right?

(hope you don't mind my fretting!)

[BungalowMo]

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@granny031350 wrote:

I just got a call from Walmart asking to set up a payment on my account.  I was shocked.  The payment isn't even due yet and I have already set it up on their website to come out on the due date (to avoid holds have to use Walmart's site )   

So I started to question the rep and her comment was that I qualified for a "skip a payment" because of my on time payment history etc.  I said thanks, but no thanks to that but was astounded that they even called.

Anyone else have this happen?

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When you said you already set it up...that is, you set it up before the call??? 

When you got the call, did they ask for banking info?? 

Did you give it to them??

If you gave it to them, was it your debit card # or your checking acct #??

Sorry to say, but this has fraud written all over it.  I'd call walmart/bank & ask if this is a normal practice.  I'd also call my bank & cancel any transfer for this acct (if you gave them info that day).  If they have your debit/checking acct #....watch it or better yet, cancel it.  Get a new card & checking #.

NEVER EVER GIVE THIS INFO OVER THE PHONE UNLESS YOU INITIATE THE CALL. 

Sorry, but I just cannot stress this point TOO much!!!

[Anonymous]

+2 . Hauling and Bungalow each make excellent points here.

Scheduling payments for the due date can be risky. If technical errors prevent the payment from going through, there's no time to correct the situation or use alternative means for payment. Although I suffered no consequences, this has happened to me on two different accounts just since the first of this year. One account had an automatic payment scheduled thru its site, and that one didn't process as the paying cc company's site was down. The other payment could not even be initiated on that particular company's site due to a glitch in its own database, which took days to fix. So, it does happen.

As far as the incoming call, we always, always, always get an extension number and other info, and then we call back the known number for the financial institution to confirm it's a legit call before continuing. The folks at the other end of the line don't seem to mind this at all, and may even appreciate the fact that we are protecting our info from incoming callers claiming to be from (pick one: the bank, the cc company, the utility company, etc.).

Bottom line is that paying on time and protecting personal info is entirely the responsibility of the consumer.

The "skip a payment" option is not a good thing to use, IMO. Avoid it if you can.