A Response From GE Capital
This response to my original letter came in two parts, the first an unsigned, error-riddled missive from an unknown service representative. It is fortunate for them (and not out of character) that the second letter arrived first.
January 21, 2003
Dear Mr. LeCour:
Thank you for your inquiry of January 15, 2003, concerning Mrs. Care Credit account.
Unfortunately, we are unable to address your concerns concerning her account, since you are not a signer on the account. The account is an individual account in Kimberly LeCour name only.
In order for the concerns to be address, Mrs. LeCour will need to contact our customer service number listed at the bottom of this letter, or correspond with us by letter.
If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact us at 1-800-333-1071.
Sincerely,
Correspondence
Fortunately, they redeemed themselves later in a three-page, comma-happy letter, a second response that I doubt I would have received had I not copied the original letter to Jeffrey Immelt, the Chairman and CEO of General Electric. Information which was duplicated from my original (and also lengthy) letter is omitted here for the purpose of brevity.
January 30, 2003
Dear Ms. LeCour:
I am in receipt of a letter dated January 8, 2003, from Richard D. LeCour, which was forwarded by GE Capital Consumer Relations, and received in our office on January 27, 2003. Mr. LeCour’s letter concerned your CareCredit account, for which GE Capital Consumer Card Company, (GECCCC), is the credit provider. I appreciate the opportunity to address the concerns outlined in the letter.
GECCCC is bound by state and federal legislation regarding the release of sensitive information on the accounts we service. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide Mr. LeCour with a response, or with documentation, since this account is listed in your name only. We apologize; however, since you have provided us with a verbal authorization to speak with Mr. LeCour concerning your balance, we are unable to address our response to him; therefore, we are directing our response directly to you.
Please accept our sincere apology for any unprofessional treatment extended by our representatives. Customer service and satisfaction are a very integral part of our business, and our representatives are trained to provide that type of quality in the services they render. We sincerely appreciate that you shared your experiences, so that we may evaluate and explore other options, in order to provide our customers’ with a consistent high quality of service, that you, the consumer, expect and deserve.
CareCredit offers promotions that are interest free if repaid before the promotional period expires. Minimum monthly payments are required during the promotional period and finance charges are accrued, but deferred. If the promotion expires, all deferred finance charges, plus any remaining unpaid balance, are posted to the acount’s regular balance. This information is included on each monthly billing statement.
We apologize if there was a delay in receiving [the March 4, 2002] statement; however, our records indicate there was no postal issue, and the statement was sent to your billing address the first week of March 2002.
Whenever the minimum monthly payment indicated on the monthly billing statement, is not provided by the due date, a late payment totaling $29.00 is assessed to the account. This fee and additional terms and conditions governing the account were outlined in the Cardholder Agreement, which is attached to the credit application and sent with the credit card soon after an account is opened.
It is the policy of GECCCC to collect on a past due account. Our employees are trained to perform their duties in the highest standard and in full compliance with applicable law and policies. We sincerely apologize if our effort to collect on a valid debt was perceived as rude; however the notes on your account document that the telephone call completed on Sunday, September 8, 2002, at 11:32, (EST), which would have been 8:32, (PST), and is within compliance with the Fair Debt Collection Practice Act.
Please be advised, GECCCC, the credit provider on the account, is permitted by Ohio and federal law, to access late payment fees and finance charges on a revolving credit account, as long as such charges are assessed in accordance with the terms of the credit agreement.
We apologize if there was a misunderstanding regarding the regular purchases or the promotional agreements and time frames. We also apologize if there was a misunderstanding concerning the terms and conditions governing the account; however, the information was provided in an appropriate and timely manner. Had payment been received within the promotional time frames, there would have been no deferred finance charges to the balance of the account.
You are considered as a valued customer, and I would like to personally apologize for any unprofessional treatment rendered by our customer service representatives. Since the account balance was paid 23 days after the expiration date for two of the promotions, we have credited the remaining account balance.
These credits will be reported on the next monthly billing statement, which will conclude on February 4, 2003.
In addition, we have removed the delinquencies from the account history and this updated information will be included in our next monthly reporting to the credit bureaus.
As documentation of the preceding information, please find the Optional Finance Plan, the Cardholder Agreement, and the monthly billing statements. In addition we have included the authorization and estimate, and the itemized transactions completed at the Regents of UC Davis that were subsequently billed to the account.
Our representatives have tried to explain the situation on numerous occasions, and we apologize they were unable to provide you with an adequate explanation, and regret the situation was not handled in a more professional matter. We hope the preceding information clarifies this matter to your satisfaction.
If there are additional questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Robyn Rountree
For GE Capital Consumer Card Company
The fact is not lost on me that her letter was ALSO copied to Jeffrey Immelt; appease the customer, suck up to the big guy, and attempt to save face. Under the assumption that the February statement arrives with the expected credits (if it arrives at all!), I guess I’ll drop the matter of the $1.55, the skirmish, battle, campaign, and the entire war won…
Is this still going on? I like most of the other folks want to buy some items. It looks like a class action suit may be in order.
Just found your ramblings. I also paid for something on a 4 month, no interest promotion. I paid three payment on time. All well and good!! However the last check was encoded wrong by Ge’s bank. When I discovered that I took the check to my bank and had them correct the error. This was in January of 2004. In February I received a bill for $171.00. I thought. Must be an error. It will straighten itself out. It did. Next bill was a credit for $171.00 Balance Zero!! Sorry, I neglegted to say that the encoding error was for $200.00. Then I received a bill with a charge on it for $200.00 Again it should straigten itself out. NO SUCH LUCK. I got calls about not paying the bill . Each time I explain what had happened. Once I spoke to someone named Alice. I was so frustrated I asked to speak to her supervisor, Sonja, who told me that I Had to have my bank supply documentation. In July i had a call from Nick Foucht. He said there was a check for $171.00 that was supposedly cashed by me.( I didn’t receive it.) He said he would haave a copy of it to me wwithin a week. Needless to say i haven’t received that either. Thenin early August , another call. This time a little sympathy. It is nice to feel someone is at least listening to you. i didn’t get her name but she said, “Oh! Your disputing the bill. She said she would inform whomever and I has a form in about four days. Well, Imailed off the form and copies a pertinent facts and luckily sent it certified mail return receipt requested. I wonder how long it willbe before i Hear anything from them. It was the same address that you have provided. Also, had a call on the 25th-Anna Smith at 5 P.M. and then another on the 28th, today from Nancy Fallows(?) and I asked her where she was . INDIA She gave me Jeff Emerick as the Pres of GE care. When I looked he up on Google he was a CPA. So thanks for the name of Jeffrey Immelt. I hope I don’t need it. Thanks for letting me venmt
? I’m trying to clean up my Credit report, but unfortunately I can’t seem to get any info. on accts. that I had opened & closed over 8 to 10 yrs. ago. and most of the company’s are all abbreviated, is there a place you can suggest I can go to obtain contact info. for business’ such as a business directory, possibly only. Also do you have a phone # for GECCCC? This is all so fustrating trying to contact comapny’s that want your money, give inaccurate info. to the credit bureau and then leave no contact info. for you there to dispute those inaccuracies, aughhhh!!
I received a “collection” call from a female who could barely speak English. She said she was calling from GE BANK. I was unable to understand the rest of her message but I was able to decipher the telephone number after listening to the message over and over. Where do they get these people?
I am in the midst of a Care Credit nightmare myself. This company is a sham company and I wish we could get a class action suit going as well as governmental agencies involved. I went to a chirpractor who said he was giving me a free exam. He took erays and told me to come back in two days. He said I needed 51 visits. He then quickly showd me the total amount for this…. 3085 American dollars, as well as amounts of 2500 dollars and another one I can’t remember if I paid a large amount per month. He then told his ecretary had called my insurance company and then said I could receive 1500 dollars a year for chiropractic but since it was May , he could spread it out ofvedr two years and I would pay nothing (two years at 1500 equals 3000)since the empire Plan (my insurance would reimburse me for the visits) He then showed me that I could pay Capital One (he never told me it was a credit care company) 93 dollars a month and would be chargeed no interest for one year…and since Empire would pay more than one 93 dollars a month reimbursement I would pay nothing) Note: I had been wondering where he came up with the 51 visits I “needed”, and the 3000 dollar figure….easy that is what the insurance company was supposedly willing to pay) Now I am paying this 93 dollars and getting no reimbursement from the Empire Play becasue I am sure they feel it it insane to go to a chiropractor for 51 visits. Hey, we need a class action suit against this whole sham. We need to get a senator or congressman involved…and attorney general or something…somebody with big weight. Hey, dopn’t forget about the newspapers, and those compalint solvers on tv. I would appreciate any advice about this, please. Is there a class action suit going someplace? I was NEVER told I was signing up for a credit card. Please write me at jecker@hoflink.com. I am not a blogger so write direct and put carecredit as subject. je
John, hard to quite follow your description of what happened, but it would seem to me that your complaint is with the chiropracter who seems to be clearly a criminal. I’d notify the local District Attourney’s office about how he wanted to cheat the insurance company (by claiming the treatment was spread over two years when it wasn’t) and that he wanted to cheat you by signing you up for a credit card against your knowledge. Again, it isn’t really clear from your description of the events, but I suspect the credit card company isn’t the one to blame. As far as they know you’ve signed up for an account and they gave it to you. The easiest thing to do with them is to cancel the card IMMEDIATELY and let them no that any further charges would be bogus. It may be that many of the charges you already have are bogus as well. Write the credit card company and dispute any charges.
I recently received an alternative financing plan for an extended warrenty from Ford which is a credit service of GE Capital Consumer Card CO. I purchased the vehicle in Aug. 2005 and to date 10/22/05 have not received any bills or information regarding this account, however I have received 2 phone calls saying my payment was late. They had the wrong mailing address and said they would update my address and send me a billing statement. It is over 10 days and I have not received any information on this account. How can you provide payments when you do not get a statement or any other information from the creditor? I don’t even know their mailing address to send them a payment.
I have been trying for two days now trying to find GE Capital Credit Card Services contact information. I need to find out their correct payment address, balance and correct credit card account. They took over my old Conseco credit card account. I need this information so that I can let CCCS of Atlanta know and make payments to them. I found your information while doing a web search for GE Capital.
I was never told that no interest for a year meant that GE Money Bank would compound the full amount in one month after the year was completed. 89 dollars plus was way too much interest. GE needs to advise people that once the time is up for the interest free period then the entire amount is due in full 0R COMPOUNDED AMOUNTS OF INTEREST WILL OCCUR. I closed the one account and now found I have another account with this Awful company. I feel I was misled and enticed by their no interest. This is a first for me as I have triple AAA credit and deal with other companies that do back up their no interest advertisement. Misleading, misled and WRONG. Not happy at all. If a class action law suit were to begin I definitely would participate. They entice consumers erroniously! Jovita Guerra
Hi, I am presently going through the same bull with GE Money Bank. I purchased a wood pellet stove from Kitchen Hearth and Stove in Binghamton, NY in Jan. 2005. I went there full well and prepared to pay for the stove in full, when the salesman offered a “No Interest/No Payment for 12 months” finance plan on the purchase. I said that was a great plan, why would I pay the $2800 in full if I could pay it over 12 months with no finance charges. I was never given an account terms explanation at that time so I left with only a credit card reciept. Over the following 12 months, I paid the $2800 balance down to $400 and when Jan. 2006 came, I figured I would start being charged interest on the balance. My Feb. statement came and to my surprise, the $400 balance was bumped to $1078. I figured this was a mistake and called customer service and was told that it was a deferred interest plan “not” and No Interest plan. I dug out the paperwork that I was given from the merchant and sent copies to GE explaining that the original reciepts stated that it was a “no interest/no payment” plan and not a “deferred interest plan”. Today I recieved a letter from GE stating the the statement that I recieved each month stated that it was deferred interest plan and that since I paid the promotional balance off 20 days after the end of the 12 months that I was responsible to pay the interest accrued for the entire 12 months. I have forwarded this to my attorney since the original reciepts that I had signed and was given at the time of purchase state “No Interest”. Is there anyone in this company (GE Money Bank) that can straighten this matter out without filing a lawsuit? This seems like a big SCAM.