I had a Chase credit that I stopped using about year ago. I travel to Detriot and New York City frequently for business - at minium, four or five trips a year to NYC and about twice that many to Detriot. I also visit Chicago and one or two other cities. I have been traveling like this for the past five years or more. However, every time I used my personal Chase credit card out side the LA area they would turn my card off because of their fraud alert system. I would understand if it only occurred when I went to odd location, but purchases in NYC or Detriot are not a unique thing for me.
Now I appreciate their deligance preventing fraud, but after more than five years of using my card in NY and Detriot you would think they would get used to the idea that I travel on business. One weekend after a Detriot trip, I went on an erran run. First stop; Home Depot. I can't remember what I was buying but I didn't bring my wallet, just my money clip so I only had the one credit card with me and sure enough - no can use becuase of the fraud allert. I had to get out of line and spend 10 minutes on the phone verifying my two purhases in Detriot and then get back in line again to try to buy them a second time.
Okay, I can deal with that - they do this every time so I am used to it. Next stop, the drug store. Well sure enough, the card doesn't work again. I have to get back on the phone to verify the same purchases one more time. This time, I am a little upset so I let them know that I just verified these purchases and my next stop is at the grocery store and I don't want to have to go through this process for a third in a half hour. "Of course not, sir. Your card will definately work." I don't think I have to tell you what happens at Von's: card no worky again! :( Now I am seriously pissed. I have never used the card again.
Okay, I told you that old story so I can tell you this new one.
My bank, Washington Mutual was purchased by Chase. They haven't closed any location in Conajo Valley, just swichted them over to Chase so it didn't seem like any big deal and it wasn't, until...
I typically only use my ATM card for cash. While I can use my ATM at most stores, I use my credit cards instead to rack up the points. Well, the credit cards have been creeping up so I decided to use my ATM card more to prevent the credit cards from getting out of hand. I just used it one weekend at a couple of stores. A few weekend laters when I needed some cash I went to use my card and got an "unable to access your account" message. What the !?!?!?
I had go inside the bank to talk to a teller. She can't help me, I have to call the fraud allert hotline. That's when it dawned on me - this is the same Chase Bank that owns my credit card that has been hiding unused at the back of my wallet. After a short phone call, I verifed the purchases I made and was able to then get some cash out the of the ATM machine.
That was over three months ago. Yesterday, I needed cash again and low and behold... same message - no cash for you fool. The fraud allert was on agian! For the same purchases I made in May! Even the lady on the phone was surprised it was on hold for purchases made so long ago. I guess this is Chase's way of making sure you don't actually use their card for any useful purpose.
Damn, I hate those guys. Does anyone have a bank they would recommend?
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UGGHHHH> I hate crap like that. Scott and I are with the teachers credit union. We opened it when Scott was in school. THEY are really good. No prblems.
I LOVE my chase card because I rack up points for travel. That's how I sent to Charles to Croatia and Vanessa to Paris.
But I do not travel very much so I guess that's why I do not have the same problem.
Chase Bank appears to be after the corporate big fish.
We are the irrelevant lemmings that just hamper their real profits. Just what are Chase Bank's "real profits?"
How about acquiring businesses at far below market value, businesses that are in panic mode because Chase Bank customers can't access reasonable home equity lines, have to pay 150% monthly minimum increases on low interest rate loans, and can't even get loans if they are back by actual collateral, so they have no money to spend on products and services that they might otherwise use.
So the more Chase Bank stifles middle america, the more money they can make on the purchase of struggling businesses.
It appears taht Chase Bank CAN LOSE MONEY in their credit card and home mortgage divisions right now because it means there are some really good deals buying businesses that are suffering right now.
However, this is a slippery slope to catastrophe for everybody. If banks only worry about 3-6 months ahead, then Chase Bank might be feeling pretty smug right now, but if the economy is not righted soon, things will just get worse and worse, and sadly, it will because of the credit card companies and home mortgage divisions stifling their customers above and beyond what is fair and reasonable.
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BLOGGERS AGAINST CHASE BANK
Just don't go with anything Citi Group. We have the same problems with them.
If you are prior military USAA is the best.
CitiGroup only once sort of tricked my dad on a balance transfer.
He had been getting life of the loan transfers but they tricked him into a 6 month low interest rate instead and he never was able to get back to the life of the loan offers. Once he was shifted to a different offer, they never made the nicer offers.
However, other than that one misstep, and one other time when their Canadian phone support was really awful, other than those two incidences, I have found Citibank to be much better than Chase Bank.
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