@Anonymous wrote:
@galahad15 wrote:The customer service that I received from Discover has, for the most part, been either average or slightly below-average; not really sure what everyone is so excited about them for, as the CSRs I have spoken with virtually no real power at least IME.
The best CS I have received from banks and CUs, in order from best to worst, would prolly be:
(1) FNBO
(2) [tied] Unify FCU, and thus far with them, Premier America CU
(3) Citi
(4) Cap1
(5) BoA
(6) Discover
(7) Chase
I'm noticing a correlation between your list and the APR you pay. I suspect our lists would all be slightly different, because, as we always say, YMMV
The APR reason may be partially correct, although I guess another reason FNBO got spot #1 for me is b/c of the ability to get SP CLIs every 3-4 months, with them also. However, although my FNBO Amex card is the card with my lowest nominal APR, b/c the APR is not fixed, it's not my favorite card either. Right now atm, my favorite card would most likely be the Premier America b/c of the low fixed-rate APR, although technically all of my single-digit, fixed-rate APR cards hold the #1 place in my wallet. Unify also got tied for the #2 place in my CS list b/c in less than a year, they gave me a CLI from a SL of $2k to the current CL of $7.5k. You may also notice that although my BoA Cash Rewards MC and my Unify VISA are my second-most favorite cards after the Premier America card, I put BoA further down in the list of my CS rankings, b/c their openness to SP CLIs is minimal or non-existent. To be fair, Unify requires HP for CLIs as well, but they reduced me from a starting APR of 12.5% F to the present 9.99% F, so I have to give them credit for that as well.
@Anonymous wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:Also, just to continue playing devils advocate here, there's no real proof that the CSR "hung up" on the OP. There are no time stamps at all, so we don't know how much time elapsed before the chat session ended
Actually there is because they're supposed to ask if there's anything else they can help me with.
Right, which is something taught in training, and as already discussed we have to consider that this employee may not have been properly trained. For all I know an hour elapsed before that chat was closed out of by the CSR since there are no time stamps. Not everything is black or white.
Yet someone like me who's never worked in customer service knows to ask a question like that if they're attending to someone's inquiries.
I'm sure if you asked 50 people on this board if they'd ask a basic question like that to describe how they'd end a customer service interaction, they'd all point out how it's necessary. Training can only do so much before the employee should be blamed for lacking in common sense. I can assure you can hour didn't elapse... Why would I lie about something small like this, there's no benefit to lying about it. I respected AMEX before this thread, not so much anymore.
@Anonymous wrote:
Off topic, but what is the particular attraction of a fixed-rate card? They can't change the rate in the first year, but can afterwards with 45 days notice. In contrast, the prime rate has changed just once in many years (and yes, it could start moving it more quickly, but then the fixed rate issuers can also increase their rates)
Very true and you have an excellent point that fixed-rate cards can also have their APR increased, although IIRC, even then fixed-rate cards would have one advantage over variable-rate cards in that under CARD Act, the fixed rate on existing balances before the RJ stays the same as before. In other words, the RJ is not retroactive to balances carried before the RJ, which are protected at the pre-RJ APR until they are paid off.
I have also had my BoA Cash Rewards card fixed at 9.99% F for over 9 years now (knock on wood), and again you're right that prime rate could increase eventually and cause fixed-rate issuers to increase their APRs on fixed cards -- that is another reason I now have 3 low-APR, fixed-rate cards, so that if any one or more of them receives a RJ, the others are still there as viable backups. However, one other thing that we may want to remember is, the prime rate for credit cards isn't quite what it used to be as an overall benchmark, since about 6-10 or so years ago,variable-rate APRs in the single digits were far more prevalent, among bank cc issuers. Right now though, prime rate is still at 3.5%, but credit card applicants will be hard-pressed to find a bank-issued (excluding CUs here), variable-rate card that is in that single-digit ballpark, with the exception of a few rare cards like the Barclay Ring. Instead of cards closer to 3.5%, we have cards that are much nearer to 15.xx% - 20.xx%+ that are much more typical now, now that rewards programs are more generous. Finally, I like the stability and non-volatility that a fixed-rate card offers, where (unless the card is otherwise RJ'd obviously), you have a card whose rate stays the same regardless of market volatility.