Household Bank Mastercard, Household Credit Services, Lies What Your Credit Limit Actually Is! Rip-off! Baltimore Maryland

Household Bank Lied to me about what my actual credit limit is. My stated limit on my card and statements have always said it was $400.00. Around the middle of September, 2004, I had a zero balance on the account. I decided I needed $400 cash, so I took out $400.00 from my bank from off of Household Bank credit card. I have always had all my credit cards paid through an automatic debit, which I don't really pay close attention to, as to looking at the statements from month to month.

I have a number of credit cards and one day I decided I was going to call them all and find out what the limits were and how much I owed. Instead of an automated response when I called I got a person come on the phone, telling me that I was over my credit limit and that I owed far more than $400.00. I said that I wasn't, that I only took out $400.00 which was my limit. She said the limit was really only $350.00. I told her this was a rip-off. She could have cared less. Yesterday, Dec.6, 2004, I went on-line and saw the following statement:

Current Balance $493.51

Available Credit $-93.00

Last Payment Amount $30.00

Last Payment Date 11/16/2004

Payment Due $115.51

Payment Due Date 12/17/2004

I immediately right then and there paid it totally off online on their website. I looked at the statement that I had received in the mail and as you can see above, it not only said that within the span of 2 months of taking out the $400.00 I now owed $93.51 in extras fees.

I saw that in the next billing period, I would be automatically charged $99.00 for annual fees and that if I wanted to cancel their card, I had to put it in writing and pay the balance within 30 days of the next billing period.

I called them this morning and thankfully got a very courteous customer service rep. and related to her that I had paid it in full last night online but would they hold me to the putting it in writing within 30 days, that I wanted to cancel the card.

Thankfully she told me that she'd process it right away. She asked me if the reason I was cancelling their credit card was because of the annual $99.00 per year fee (which means that I'd be paying $99 a year for absolutely no reason at all with only $350 worth of credit - which actually means that Household Bank was really only giving me $250.00 of credit a year.

I must have had a screw lose when I applied for that rip-off card, including finance charges)But I told her "No, that's not the main reason why I'm cancelling, I'm cancelling because it has always stated in writing that my line of credit is $400 - which is deceptive and a blatant LIE - because it's really only $350.00.

Household Bank is just preying and praying for people to approach their credit limits - I did not exceed my limit - but they said I did and kept outrageously charging me. I encourage anyone who owes them money, pay them off as quickly as you can and get rid of their card, as they will start charging you as quickly and savagely as though it's a forest fire in a draught!


Betty
Geneseo, Illinois
U.S.A.