As I mentioned in a previous post, I started a new job this past week; I actually get paid two dollars more than I expected and the extra money in my first paycheck was a welcome surprise. I looked at the list of debt I created, prioritized by rate of interest and necessity. According to my calculations the first card that needs to be payed off is my Shi*ti Card (see debt list). The balance on this account is $199.01. It was 89 days past due and previous to the three $35.00 late fees, and finance charges, the account balance was around $85.00; the default interest rate is 29.240%...YIKES!
After logging into my online bill pay on the Shi*ti Card website I was greeted with a message letting me know that my account was past due and that I needed to select one of the
convenient pay options. I selected "Pay" and was taken to a screen where my options were: "Pay Balance," "Pay Minimum Due" or "Pay Another Amount." I selected "Pay Balance." I was then asked to enter all of my banking information, AGAIN, despite the fact that I have had online payments since I opened the card three years ago. After selecting next I was asked a barrage of questions including: "Why is this balance past due?" To which I could answer: death/family problem, unemployment, etc. "When can you begin making regular payments?" I selected today's date and was told that this information was an "error." Really Shi*ti Card? You don't want yo money today...'cause I could hold onto it for a minute. LOL. After answering, what I deemed to be, four more unnecessarily intrusive questions and selecting "Next" I got to a screen that read: ERROR. You can not "Pay Balance" until your banking information is verified. You may select "Pay Minimum Due." After letting out a sigh of frustration I returned to my account summary to begin the process again, this time selecting "Pay Minimum Due." The minimum due on the account was $119.90. I paid the minimum on the account then logged back in to make an additional payment. I subtracted $119.90 from the original $199.01 total and selected "Pay Another Amount" for the remaining balance of $79.11. I was greeted with yet another ERROR message that read: Your account is past due. You are unable to make more than one payment from the same account on the same day. WTF? It was at this time, while at work, that I let out an audible scream. I seriously thought about calling a customer representative to schedule a payment by phone but remembered that there would be an additional fee of $15.00 for this service which would not show up until the next bill...with a finance charge. So instead I will wait till one minute past midnight and make what "should" be my last payment since my due date is not until the May 20th.
Previous to this bill being past due, I previously paid my bill on time and could be described as a lenders favorite type of customer; I would charge, pay a little more than the minimum each month and maintain a small revolving balance. Despite this, I have ALWAYS received poor customer service from Shi*ti Card and I will be ecstatic when I receive a bill from them saying "Account Closed" and those magical words..."Balance Paid In Full."
