Does any one know if companies keep a record of how many times we call? I know they keep track of when we receive increases or APR reductions.. but I'm wondering if they keep tabs on every single time we call or not. (even if no action is taken on the account)
Providian retention told me exactly how many times I called their direct line (1-800-215-7318) and intimated that the phone calls to their department set me back in terms of the 4 month interval for account benefits. I don't know if the latter is true, since when I pressed the rep on why I would be penalized for trying to actively manage my account by calling retention, she said "that's not true. It's just that we are limited by the computer." So, she backtracked. But she did tell me exactly how many times I had called that dept. Needless to say, it was a lot. I think I've worn Providan and Capital One out. Marci
Marci, The thing with Providian is that you get so many different answers to the same damn question! I've been going round and round with them about when my 120 day interval is up... every time I call it's different.
Yeah, I've noticed they lie quite a bit. The truth is they probably have no good reason to explain why the program makes offers (or not) at any given time, and simply come up with some answer they think will calm the customer. I've had it with Providian. I can't even get a grace period, even after paying the account off and calling retention. "You just got a credit increase in Feb. yada yada yada..." Marci
Marci, What 4 month limit are you refering to? I called that department after reading about these retention people and got my limit raised and APR lowered. Never knew you could (SHOULD) call to demand better rates--I assumed they were supposed to do that automatically? Anyway, are you saying there's a time limit on when you can call?
Supposedly, with Providian there is a 4 month cycle interval between "benefits" added to your account. But people have gotten better than that in some cases and others haven't gotten anything. I think "Marie" on this board wins for number of benefits obtained in the shortest amount of time. Do a search for "Marie" and "Providian" to see some of her strategies. I have had success. I got a CL increase and a month later got my annual fee refunded. Three months after that I got another credit line increase. But I fought hard for each benefit. Now I'm trying to get a grace period on my card. I think any decent card ought to have a grace period. Marci
