My roommate was sent a credit card without requesting one. It came with a bill for a $59.00 membership fee. He immediately sent a letter canceling the card and stating he never authorized the card. He just received another bill today. I tried calling the company but all I do is get placed on hold.

My story is worse..

In May I recieved my Capital One statement with a $59.00 charge for the annual membership fee. On the reverse side of the statement it stated that I could close my account by paying off the balance and sending a letter to cancel the account within 30 days to avoid the membership charge.

Thirty days would have been May 19. On May 11 I wrote a letter to close the account and enclosed my cut-up credit card. The payment to close the account was sent separately. The final payment $1.99 to close the account was posted May 17. On April 22 I recieved a letter that my account could not be closed because of the $59.00 balance on my account which now included interest.

I wrote back advising them that the balance was for the mebership fee and that I had conformed to thier instructions for closing the account which read the balance excluding the mebership fee must be paid prior to the end of the 30 day period.

The next letter I recieved said they would honor the request to close the account but membership fees were not refundable and to continue to make timely payments to avoid a late charge. Of course by this time the next statement had come out and is overdue. I have written # more letters and I am still waiting for a response.