Early morning on June 20, 2010 at my office desk was an envelope from a bank, which is not my depository bank. Surprisingly, when I opened the envelope it contains a statement of account for a visa card. The sole entry is a charge for an annual membership fee.
I immediately dialed the bank's hotline, followed the voice prompt and finally was entertained by a customer service officer. After the standard identity verification, I immediately raised a complaint for charging me the membership. The charge, as I explained is arbitrary and whimsical. I had never activated, moreso used the card since it was given to me by the issuing bank.
The customer service officer explained their point. He said, with an arabic intonation that upon the issuance of the card in my name, it automatically enlist my name as a member. Being a member, they charge a membership fee, which in my case was waived during the first year. Now, this second year of membership, they will be charging the fee.
I agree their argument that anyone issued with a credit card by an issuing bank entitles one to be a member. However, I threw up these rebuttal questions to him: since i had not activated my card, am I not considered an inactive member? In any professional or socio-civic organization, can an organization compel an inactive member or any member for that matter to pay their membership dues?
Instead of directly answering my questions, he then proceeds to saying that this is a matter of their imposed policy. I need to pay the dues on or before July 4, 2010.
Calmly I then told him, no I will not pay. I know that this call has been recorded and now I will challenge you to forward my account to your recovery or legal department because I will not pay this membership due.
He then ask me if I really want to cancel my visa account to which I replied yes. I have not even activated my account despite repeated calls received from your bank insisting me to activate my card.
Finally, he told me that he had initiated a request to cancel my account with their bank. He further said that another person will call me in two or three days time, if none I may call back their hotline number on the fourth day, which is on June 24, 2010.
Today, June 22, 2010 I received a call from the bank. This time a lady. She again insisted me to activate my account with a promise that they will waive the membership fee. My instant reply is no. She then said that the waived membership fee plus the benefits the cardmember enjoys was just put to waste. She insisted that I am privileged to enough to have their card for free membership for the next 12 months.
I just calmly asked her that was it a lost opportunity for me or your bank's chance to earn from me? In the first place, I already promised myself to rid of any credit cards. I am a credit card free person right now.
End of conversation. Cancellation of my visa account becomes final.
I am sharing this experience to everyone thinking that I am not the only victim of this policy. All faithful readers of this blogs, your loved ones, or even friends had or may encounter the same situation.
Also, I would like to prove to everyone that we can all survive without that plastic money. All you need to do is to be content.
One of the advocacies for my blogposts is to teach everyone contentment. For the Bible says that contentment plus godliness is great gain.
God bless you all!!!
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