I got a hit with a $39.00 late fee, for paying my Citi Dividend card late. In today’s multiple-payment option age, paying your bill late is really silly—especially when you have the money. Although it was my fault for paying late, I still don’t like fees. So… what’s the best way to get rid of them?
Just ask!
My prefer method of contacting banks for non-emergency needs is via the Internet. For me, I get better results when I write, since I’ll come off as less of an idiot, and my words can be more neutral.
Contacting Citi Bank’s “Online Customer Care Specialist” is easy enough. Login to your account, look for Help/Contact Us on the far right, select Contact Us, and then click on Send A New Message. Select the message topic and type away.
I typed up a short message, which basically told them the real reason why I paid late (I forgot), how it was my first time ever paying late, and I ended the message with a request for the fee to be waived. The result?
Kudos to Citi’s online customer service for their fast response:
The late fee refund was posted immediately. Woot!
Your results will of course vary. If you frequently pay your credit card late, you can only get these fees waive so many times. The best bet is to ask nicely, give them at least a good reason, and remind them that you’re a loyal customer (or will be one). If you get denied, don’t fret—just chill out and try again by phone. Remember that different customer service representative will yield different results, so you can always try calling a few more times.
Easiest way to avoid all the hassles? Don’t be like me, pay your bills on time!
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April 6th, 2006 at 10:01 am
Been there. I did the same with MBNA
Good job getting it reversed without even talking to someone. It’s funny, even if I call to say, “Hey, I screwed up, and did not pay you on time…” they still throw in, “by the way, I noticed that you don’t have credit guard insurance…”
April 6th, 2006 at 10:29 am
You. Are. Awesome.
I am never paying any sort of “fee” again without fighting it first.
April 6th, 2006 at 3:24 pm
yeah, don’t just let it slide. I use to just eat the fees and pretend it’s not there.. you generally can get away with a few once in awhile. $40 is definitely worth an email.
April 7th, 2006 at 9:48 pm
I have been a bad ass to all banks and credit card agencies ever since I learned to speak English fluently (I am Russian). But I usually do it over the phone because that way I can judge how aggressive I can be by listening to the tone of the service rep’s voice.. So far I have a record of getting all charges reversed (saved us hundreds of dollars!).
It is frustrating to me that my husband, who is American, can never hold his ground with them, he always tries to be super nice and polite, and as a result he rarely gets charges taken off. When he talks to them, he sounds like, “Well, I am not sure but I think we sent it over a week ago… yes, of course, yes I understands, oh, we are trying to be on time, I know it is important for the score…. yes, we will keep that in mind next time… it’s ok, no big deal…”
Uhhh! :(
When _I_ handle this, it sounds like “Hey, I did not miss anything, you guys screwed up, I sent it to you 17 days ago, I have a receipt. That’s your policy? Well, I think you should consider changing your policies. I have not had any problems like that with any of my other credit cards. I would like to speak to a supervisor, please. Sure, I will hold. Yes I am still here. No, I do not think I could be mistaken, if you need a receipt I will mail it to you. Listen, we are overall happy with the card, but we are not going to pay $40 because you guys didn’t bother to open your mail for a week. I sent it 17 days ago. Or, if you insist, we will pay you 40 bucks, but we will very likely close the account and never recommend your company to anyone again. Yes, just taking it off would be very nice of you. Thanks, I am very satisfied and I don’t need anything else at the moment. Oh, by the way, can you make sure it does not lower my credit score by some chance? No, I think everything else is ok. Have a wonderful day!”
One time I found out that I was actually mistaken and we did send the payment later than I thought, but it was too late by then, they already reversed the charge. Oops. I actually felt bad.
The best way to go, of course, is to send everything on time and keep records. But even when you screw up, letting them know that some understanding would go a long way with you usually will do the trick. The only company that is (or was) really bad about customer service is Providian. Good thing we paid them down, now I can always tell them, “Ok, be that way, but you won’t get a penny more of our business, believe me.” Feels liberating. :)
(Sorry for the long post)
April 8th, 2006 at 5:58 am
lol, don’t worry about the long post, it was a good one! Aggressiveness definitely can work, if you’re good at it. I’m in the case of your husband, a little bit too timid for my own good. I use to have the problem of backing down too easily, but after many practice I’m a lot better at holding my position against phone reps.
Good story, thanks for the post. I’ll have to agreed with Providian too, they’re subprime so perhaps the service are along the same lines, might get better once WaMu overhauls them.
August 25th, 2006 at 6:36 am
Hey I just wanted to say that your advice worked. I got slapped with a $25 late fee for my condo association fee this past month. Evidently, the fee was due on the first of the month. I called *today* explaining that I have been pretty much gone the entire month of August and that I had never received any formal documentation indicating when or where to drop off the check.
After that I all I had to do was politely ask if they could waive the fee this time and if it would be alright to pay two months’ fees come September 1.
So thanks, Cap, you saved me $25.
November 8th, 2006 at 1:03 pm
Cap for president! woot woot!