Sometimes, you do things, not thinking it will work. The pleasant surprise is, of course, when it does.
I stupidly incurred a late charge on my credit card last month. I simply forgot to pay the bill until the day it was due, and then instead of calling to pay by phone, or even trying their website directly, I tried using my Bank of America online bill pay, which caused a five day delay on the payment.
Doh!
Sheepishly, I took the late fee and ate it, and let a month go by. However, after reading up on all of (the many) financial blogs I read, I became more and more convinced that an email to Chase asking them to credit me for this first-ever late fee might not be a bad idea.
I was sure it wouldn’t work. I mean, come on, who gives your money back just because you ask?
Dear Stephanie,
As a valued customer, we have credited your account for the $39.00 late fee. You will see this adjustment on your next billing statement.
If you have any further questions, please reply using the Secure Message Center.
Thank you,
Josh Morales
Email Customer Service Advisor
Are you serious? And from an email, no less. I was sure they only did this type of thing when you called them. But from what I’ve been hearing, it seems you probably will get more of a reaction from an email – either they like to see your request in writing, or they themselves have trouble writing a “no,” which you could easily copy-paste to show how you’ve been treated.
Either way, I’ve learned my lesson about forgetting and paying late. Bad, Stephanie, bad!
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