A Year of Unwarranted Fees and Service Charges Means Bad Credit for this Teacher

Capital One is a totally disgusting display of greed and malicious intent. Between myself and my boyfriend, we have 5 accounts with Capital One: two checking, one savings, an auto loan, and a credit card. We have never been treated kindly by them under any circumstances and have had numerous problems with all the aforementioned accounts. However, no situation could trump this most recent example of their bone-chilling desire to consume every possible penny of their customers' money.

When Capital One was Hibernia, we had no trouble deferring payments if absolutely necessary, getting statements mailed to us if we needed, changing information, etc. Since Capital One has consumed Hibernia, in addition to many of their other conquests, we have had trouble with all of those things.

We have always lived paycheck-to-paycheck as a teacher and a construction worker. There are probably many jobs that would pay much more than both of those, but we believe that we should enjoy going to work every day. Because of this, we are admittedly often late on payments for our credit card, but tried to keep the auto loan current.

When we moved, we contacted the bank and informed them of our new address via the 24-hour customer care line, of course with someone who barely spoke broken English and did not understand any of the questions I asked him. I cannot believe that after all of the money Capital One is sucking out of this nation that they would have the audacity to first outsource all phone calls through the Middle East and second put an American Flag on half of their cards. It disgusts me.

The gentleman assured me that the address was changed and we would receive a letter in the mail informing us of the changes. Neither our new address nor our old address received this letter, and this was just the first drop in the bucket.

We used to get something from Capital One in the mail at least every other day: mostly advertisements, solicitations, newsletters, junk mail, etc. Occasionally we got a statement from one of the accounts. After approximately a month had passed and there had been NO communication from Capital One, we got nervous and called AGAIN and asked to change our address. We were told by that representative that they could not change addresses over the phone and we had to do it online (this information changes each time we speak to a new representative) or in a branch. We did this online and also requested any statements that we missed to be mailed to us again.

Before we knew it, we started getting collections phone calls for our auto loan and credit card that sounded like this: Jessica D----------, we are calling for you to pay your capital one auto finance payment of $364.47 we have to make a final decision on this account today please press one to make a payment by phone for a $5.00 fee or forward the payment plus penalties to Capital One Auto Finance." Then this run-on sentence of a recording would hang up, allowing me to do nothing and not informing me of the address to which I should forward (because usually it is paid inside of the bank) or of what "penalty" amount they were imposing on me, or even why my note had mysteriously gone from $324.95 every month (even when late) to $364.47.

I called the 800-number back that called me, but got yet another recording informing me that this was an outgoing phone number and I had to call A DIFFERENT number to speak with someone. I of course got someone who spoke no English and could not understand what I was saying. He could not tell me why I was not receiving bills, or why my payment had gone up, but he could easy spit out my penalty fee of $35. He just kept getting frustrated and saying "Okay ma'am I will be happy to assist you with that information."

Finally, I got fed up and agreed to ONE-TIME pay by phone by check from a bank account from a new bank closer to our new home. He thanked me for "choosing Capital One," and put me through to someone who he said could change my address. I was hung up on.

After much frustration, I then went into the nearest branch (which was 22 miles away in another city) to change my address, and was informed by the first teller that she didn't know anything about Capital One Auto Finance and that that was not part of their company or her job, and she could not send me a paper statement in the mail or change my address. She also told me that "generally speaking I was going to have to go to the branch where I opened my checking account." I demanded a manager, who made me wait over 30 minutes for her to "help" me.

I calmly repeated the situation, and even laughingly said that if Capital One wanted their money or the opportunity to repossess a fully assembled vehicle, they would "change my f--king address." As soon as that was said, she took the opportunity to demand that I leave for my "excessive foul language, rudeness, and scene-causeing" and even asked the security guard - who was probaby sixty years old and a hundred pounds overweight - to escort me from the building!

During this embarrassing display, as I packed my purse back up and re-foldered my paperwork, I asked if my address could just get changed before I left. She said to write it down and she would make sure that it happened so long as I vacated the building.

Two weeks later and no correspondence still, I began to receive new kinds of phone calls. This time, I owed for Capital One Auto Finance and my Capital One card, which had not been paid in two months and they were ready to cancel. In addition, I was told that my checking account number was invalid when I paid over the phone, so I now had a double months' payment plus a $32.00 NSF fee and another $35.00 late fee, in addition to my now mysterious increase in amount. They then informed me that I had to pay over the phone or they would begin repossession.

I tried to tell the person on the phone that the last gentleman must have had my checking account number, and that if they just went back to listen to their "recorded phone calls" that they could clearly hear me reading out the CORRECT number to which this man actually responded, "Actually, ma'am, we don't record most calls." I was furious! In addition to - you guessed it - hardly speaking English, he was rude and not at all helpful and hung up on me when I asked for someone who understood what I was saying by calling me a "racist American." Hmm, I wonder if that was one of those not-recorded phone calls....?

In the ensuing months, I paid out over $1800 in collections fees, late fees, payment fees, and whatever else they felt like charging me. I have still never received any communication from them and finally spoke with my attorney who sent them a letter stating that they would be billed or sued for my fees, whichever they chose, and that no more payments would be made until the accounts were brought up-to-date with information. He also requested they turn over any records of information that they had of my account to him.

Since then, Capital One has bombarded him with junk mail, as if they either figured they could gouge one more customer, or to spite him for a sternly-worded letter. I still have received no bill, and he has received no legal communications from them whatsoever.

It is pathetic that so many people have so much trouble just paying a bill. I was never a rich woman, but now I'm almost broke and Capital One has literally ruined my credit; my score has dropped almost 320 points (to a 402) in the last year and my credit card has been cancelled (by them). I can guarantee that if they did have my real address, they probably would have come and gotten the car already. I don't even know how long it takes to rebuild one's credit when they are my age, but it disgusts me to know that I may never have good credit again because it was likely more convenient for them to bill, bill, fee, fee, fee, bill, bill, and fee again than to just send me a statement.

These are by no means uncommon examples of their customer service. In addition to this year-long "incident", we and many others have been wrongfully charged multiple overdraft fees with positive balances in the bank, late fees for payments made on time and lost in their system, were charged for our "free checks" when we signed up for our account with them, were lied to about transfer and service timelines, and much, much more.

FUCK you, Capital One (thats right, I said it and you can't throw me out now), for all your misleading advertisement and pathetic display of uncontrollable greed. When asked recently in a magazine poll of how much the working stiff thought his employer valued honesty, an anonymous Capital One employee said, "I think that company values money, and nothing else."

Comment On This

Issue 1:

In addition to the issues raised on this company's way of treating their customers, I would add that they are also wasteful and un-American in their business practices. They send out tons of Junk mail that is laden with plastic bubble wrap (to make it seem like there is something worthwhile in the envelope I'm sure), to 'protect' the standard application they send out. WHAT A WASTE! Where is that going to end up 99% of the time? In the dumps. Why don't they have to pay a fee to all the communities that they pollute with this crap?

Issue 2:

UnAmerican again... They are using call centers in New Dehli, India for their customer relations people. Why not use American workers? They suck! That's why. I don't have anything against the folks in India, but why are we contacting them instead of having Americans employed.

In conclusion, DO NOT USE CapitalOne. You will be ripped off, sent Junk Mail, and talk to someone called Mike, Peter, or Sally in India (very Indian names, right?) instead of talking to an American who could use the job instead.

Don't support big companies that screw the US every day!