Credit Card Retards

Today's rant is brought to you by the reactive anger related to my relationship with credit card companies. I have spent most of my lunch hour and the better part of my morning trying to decide how I planned to reduce my credit card debt. Now this in of itself is not the cause of my anger. Oh no, I have enjoyed several dinners, designer handbags, hotel rooms and at least one fabulous vacation on the backs of my various credit cards. I am one of those people that are fortunate enough to have relatively decent credit. I have yet to meet a credit card or loan that I didn't qualify for. And although that lucious status was coiffed from my mother's good training and keen eye, it has also taken many years of meticulous planning and timely payments to maintain position. Suffice to say, I'm a decent customer.



With the onslaught of the recession though, banks and credit card companies alike have tighten their belts--meaning they've tighten their grip on their money. I received a letter from one such credit card company a few months ago. The letter indicated that they would be raising my interest rates and that I would be agreeing with this manuever if I continued to use the card. If I chose to "opt-out", I could do so, but my rate were still going to increase. My suggestion that the company more thoroughly research the meaning of both the concepts "opt-out" and "choice" went without response.



I protested. I called. I wrote a letter that outlined my utter disgust with this practice. My rates have still increased. I am incensed about this action because I have maintained my accounts with this particular company for several years. I pay my bills on time. Now I haven't used the card for some time and that's because I was paying off a rather large amount. But I am still distressed to find that, in this day and age, that means almost nothing.



How could a credit card company charge its customer's more when they are losing their jobs and funds are more stringent than before? Forget decent business relationships, there is only so much blood in turnips--as in none!