Nuova Kia Sportage: prime foto spia
It looked inviting. вАЬSimply use one of the enclosed access checks for your Bank of America Rewards American Express Card вА¶ [and] start saving with your new 0% [interest rate].вАЭ Because I never use the card, and because, IвАЩm both humbled and proud to say, after beating back several thousand dollars in credit card bills IвАЩve been debt-free for nearly a decade, my initial response was to put them through the shredder. But this was right before I was heading out to buy a car вАФ used, in the $7,000 range вАФ and the offer said I had a $24,900 credit limit at 0 percent until next July. This was September, and calculating my rate of savings, it seemed like a good idea. Just to be sure, I called the phone number on the checks. вАЬYes,вАЭ the customer service rep confirmed, the checks were good up to $24,900. But if I could hold off buying the car, would I be interested in receiving another card with an even better deal вАФ 0 percent until January 2011? At first I said no, but eventually, she sold me вАФ all the while assuring me that if I wrote a check that day on the first account everything would be fine. The folks at Kolar in Cloquet were more than willing to deal, and the 2005 Kia Sportage checked out, so I did buy it that day. We shook hands, and I wrote out a convenience check, good as gold. Or so I thought. A letter from Bank of America arrived a week later. вАЬReturned check [for] $7,193.80. Nonsufficient funds,вАЭ it said. вАЬWhat!вАЭ I yelled, and immediately called the bank. Several customer service representatives apologized profusely. What happened, they said, was the credit limit on the first account was lowered вАФ dramatically, to $5,000 вАФ when the second account was opened. (The second one was only set at $10,000, which still doesnвАЩt add up to $24,900.) After hours on the phone, Bank of America agreed to transfer $7,200 into my checking account (and also to waive the $39 returned check fee вАФ how generous! вАФ and cut in half the 3 percent fee for using the check.) Fortunately, the folks at Kolar were still accommodating. Instead of calling the cops on me for writing a bum check and driving off with the SUV, they agreed to wait for the funds to clear. вАЬThatвАЩs the benefit you get from dealing with a local business,вАЭ salesman Steve Grams said. Dealing with the mega bank wasnвАЩt quite as personable. Was I the only one to whom this had happened, I asked Bank of America spokeswoman Betty Riess? вАЬIвАЩm sorry you had a bad experience,вАЭ she said from San Francisco. вАЬIt sounds like it was more of an aberration.вАЭ Apology accepted, but if itвАЩs an aberration, itвАЩs one thatвАЩs happened 27,000 times вАФ the number of people who complained to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and a sister federal agency, the Office of Thrift Supervision, about American Express convenience checks. In June, the agencies slammed the company for вАЬfailing to provide timely notice of credit line reductions before consumers used вА¶ convenience checks that were then dishonoredвАЭ вАФ exactly what happened to me. вАЬAmerican Express suspended its convenience check program as soon as the order took effect and has not resumed it,вАЭ OTS spokesman William Ruberry said from Washington, calling it an вАЬunfair or deceptive practiceвАЭ for which the company was fined. вАЬAmerican Express is telling us they have suspended their program.вАЭ That was in June. Why did I get the not-so-convenient checks in September? Because, American Express spokeswoman Corey Karsch said from New York, they came from Bank of America, not American Express. вАЬBank of America is the issuer,вАЭ she said. вАЬThey are responsible for handling the customer relationships.вАЭ And Bank of America? вАЬI think thatвАЩs an American Express question,вАЭ spokeswoman Riess said in a follow-up call. I have a better idea. LetвАЩs have the feds take a second look at it. Robin Washington is news director of the News Tribune. He may be reached at rwashington@ SITE
- kia sportage клуб
- kia sportage 1996
- kia sportage казань
