Author Topic: Cancel your credit card before you die..........(hilarious!) (Read 24004 times)

Connor Altinus Mcleod · « **on:** July 23, 2008, 06:29:32 am »

Now some people are really stupid!!!!
Be sure and cancel your credit cards before you die.

This is so priceless, and so, so easy to see happening,
customer service being what it is today.

A lady died this past January, and Citibank billed her for February and March for their annual service charges on her credit card, and added late fees and interest on the monthly charge. The balance had been $0.00 when she died, but now somewhere around $60.00. A family member placed a call to Citibank.

Here is the exchange :

Family Member: 'I am calling to tell you she died back in January.'

Citibank : 'The account was never closed and the late fees and charges still apply.'

Family Member : 'Maybe, you should turn it over to collections.'

Citibank : 'Since it is two months past due, it already has been.'

Family Member : So, what will they do when they find out she is dead?'

Citibank : 'Either report her account to frauds division or report her to the credit bureau, maybe both!'

Family Member : 'Do you think God will be mad at her?'

Citibank: 'Excuse me?'

Family Member : 'Did you just get what I was telling you -

the part about her being dead?'

Citibank : 'Sir, you'll have to speak to my supervisor.'

Supervisor gets on the phone:

Family Member : 'I'm calling to tell you, she died back in January with a $0 balance.'

Citibank : 'The account was never closed and late fees and charges still apply..'

Family Member : 'You mean you want to collect from her estate?'

Citibank : (Stammer) 'Are you her lawyer?'

Family Member : 'No, I'm her great nephew.' (Lawyer info was given)

Citibank: 'Could you fax us a certificate of death?'

Family Member : 'Sure.' (Fax number was given )

After they get the fax :

Citibank : 'Our system just isn't setup for death.
I don't know what more I can do to help.'

Family Member : 'Well, if you figure it out, great!
If not, you could just keep billing her. She won't care.'

Citibank: 'Well, the late fees and charges do still apply.'
(What is wrong with these people?!?)

Family Member : 'Would you like her new billing address?'

Citibank : 'That might help...'

Family Member : ' Odessa Memorial Cemetery , Highway 129, Plot Number 69.'

Citibank : 'Sir, that's a cemetery !'

Family Member : 'And what do you do with dead people on your planet???

(Priceless!!)

Gilgamoth · « **Reply #1 on:** July 23, 2008, 07:34:37 pm »

Thank you.

Connor Altinus Mcleod · « **Reply #2 on:** July 24, 2008, 12:49:32 am »

Nyxmyst · « **Reply #3 on:** January 31, 2013, 08:53:24 pm »

The sad part is, I really can see this happening. *facepalm

Miriwina · « **Reply #4 on:** February 01, 2013, 03:25:48 pm »

ahhahaha
Yes i could see this happening and I would not be surprised that it's taken from a real life fact..

Moz · « **Reply #5 on:** February 02, 2013, 05:54:06 am »

Even aside from forum necromancy (last post in 2008), you people are just ignorant. As a call center rep I find this thread offensive. I've spent many hours doing my best to console people who have recently lost loved ones and family members, and doing my best to help them get their finances sorted out, spending hours on the phone with one person. You people have no clue what the hell you're talking about.

Miriwina · « **Reply #6 on:** February 02, 2013, 06:01:19 am »

Hey Moz,

You are right. Not all are ignorant and stupid and most certainly not the majority. Some are as thoughtful as you are ( and I 'd like to give a special thanks to those indeed)... but I have been a witness to such stupidity as described by Connor (after my father died). So sadly, this little scenario is not totally fiction. :/

Moz · « **Reply #7 on:** February 02, 2013, 06:22:01 am »

I'm sorry about what happened in your father's situation, but what prompted the forum necromancy? (Please don't feign ignorance).

Miriwina · « **Reply #8 on:** February 02, 2013, 06:34:51 am »

Sorry..... I don't mean to feign ignorance, because I am really but really lost... what do you mean by that?
Are we talking about this post? Or are we talking about the Memorial forum?
If we are talking about this post, then I'd say it's just as any joke about anything or anyone... We need to take it as it is... just something to make people smile/laugh. I would not be surprise that Connor found this story in a Reader digest...

As for my father, it has been so many years now, we just laugh when we talk about what happened with the customer support... We see it this way: it was one person, and he was probably new at the job. Shit happens... even to the best among us...

Edited after reading post below

:Thank you Sorahl for opening up my eyes.
I sincerely did not understand the necromancy part but I had not seen that the post had been first written in 2008. (So what, I still find it hilarious anyway.

)

Sorahl · « **Reply #9 on:** February 17, 2013, 11:23:28 am »

You want to know something Moz... not all of us were around in 2008.. therefore sometimes it takes a while to catch up on posts in the forums.
I'm sorry you assumed that this post was about all customer support staff and therefore you are all like this.
How ever to accuse all people in this post thread of being ignorant is exactly the same thing.
I did notice you never mentioned the post when it was first posted by Connor, so i guess your views have only changed since then.
I guess if we all thought the same way, we would not have any funny stories or jokes in the world.
I for one am still going to read back through the old posts because i like too. If you want to call it forum necromancy that's your issue not mine.

Nyxmyst · « **Reply #10 on:** February 17, 2013, 12:27:33 pm »

Moz, it's too bad that you take this personally.

A good customer services representative is a wonderful thing, and greatly appreciated. Unfortunately, like every other sector in the business world, there are good...and there are bad. I have had more than my share fair of the 'extremely bad' to the point that I personally thought they, and/or the system they were working within at the time, definitely qualified for 'less than useless' status. That doesn't mean that they are bad human beings. That does mean, however, that either the system within which they were restrained needed a major overhaul, or that they were completely unsuited to the job in which they were currently employed. It happens.

I think if you are taking the stance that all customer services personnel in existence are qualified, and positive minded, that you're having delusions that simply isn't a realistic viewpoint. I will presume that you were simply so upset that your own post was a bit prejudiced into the defensive side of things.

I, for another, don't necessarily appreciate your response.

Kianne Cassidy · « **Reply #11 on:** February 17, 2013, 08:17:36 pm »

There is no such thing as forum necromancy in this forum. It's a stupid concept anyway. Stuff doesn't automatically become irrelevant just because a couple of years have passed. If I didn't get 29 useless unanswered posts in my Google results every time I try to find an answer to a technical question just because someone didn't want to (or couldn't) "necro" a year-old topic to post an answer (in a topic that never actually received any answers, mind you), I might actually get some work done once in a while.

Seriously, the entire concept never made any sense to me. If the topic is timeless (such as this one) then there's no reason why not to post additional replies regarding it whenever desired. People come and go, and old topics can be revitialized with new observations, and so on. I don't see any harm in it.

So post away, peoples.

Connor Altinus Mcleod · « **Reply #12 on:** February 17, 2013, 10:06:06 pm »

Forum necromancy must be defined as a Old Witless Ranger Lad digging though old posts and rigging up new stuff. (or very old stuff that he thinks is new) but anyhow... Guilty as Charged.

This was never meant to disparage anyone that is out there doing a good job, I spent a few years working in a call center as a telemarketer and yes I saw both sides of the coin. Please do not be offended when someone makes a post about a career.

As a Army Officer i have been referred to as a "warmonger" or that I am simply out there trying to into the pants of all my troops. Neither statement is true but there are examples of this happening at the highest levels in the military.

So please all post away with funny stories and remember that they are meant to poke fun nae to introduce contention or create a issue. Knowing your diligence and work ethic Moz I have to think that I would greatly enjoy working with your call center.

Connor

Moz · « **Reply #13 on:** February 19, 2013, 04:37:09 am »

Yeah, it's just a joke about bad customer service, I get it. I've dealt with plenty of agents who should be in another line of work, like cleaning latrines. If anyone "didn't appreciate" my reply, I don't care.

And yeah, military service members get maligned a lot worse than most career fields, except maybe dentists

Nyxmyst · « **Reply #14 on:** February 19, 2013, 08:11:03 am »

Quote from: Moz on February 02, 2013, 05:54:06 am

Even aside from forum necromancy (last post in 2008), you people are just ignorant. As a call center rep I find this thread offensive. I've spent many hours doing my best to console people who have recently lost loved ones and family members, and doing my best to help them get their finances sorted out, spending hours on the phone with one person. You people have no clue what the hell you're talking about.

Quote from: Moz on February 19, 2013, 04:37:09 am

Yeah, it's just a joke about bad customer service, I get it. I've dealt with plenty of agents who should be in another line of work, like cleaning latrines. If anyone "didn't appreciate" my reply, I don't care.

I see. So, it's all right to make a blanket statement that I (and the others who posted here) am both ignorant and have no clue what in the hell I'm talking about, because you don't care that I don't appreciate the name calling and accusations.

Duly noted. I find it sad that a member would be so rude and aggressive to others and simply brush it off with an 'I don't care'. I will be sure to avoid you, and any of your posts, in the future, as I've no desire to spend time with that kind of an attitude.

Enjoy life.

Moz · « **Reply #15 on:** February 20, 2013, 03:48:27 am »

Fair enough

Miriwina · « **Reply #16 on:** February 20, 2013, 03:16:05 pm »

Quote from: Moz on February 19, 2013, 04:37:09 am

Yeah, it's just a joke about bad customer service, I get it. I've dealt with plenty of agents who should be in another line of work, like cleaning latrines. If anyone "didn't appreciate" my reply, I don't care.

And yeah, military service members get maligned a lot worse than most career fields, except maybe dentists

You are being plain rude. You did not have to add that you did not care. This is blatant lack of diplomacy. One not expected especially from a "customer service representative".

Brethraeus · « **Reply #17 on:** February 26, 2013, 09:13:15 am »

sadly something like this happened in my family, and it took the state court to stop the charges being sent. only afterwards did they find out that the bank was doing money frauds itself and they were shut down in the region because of it.

Kheldarren · « **Reply #18 on:** February 26, 2013, 02:28:46 pm »

At first I thought Moz's post was sarcasm. Kind of like "Oh yes, we are the worst thing ever" and mocking it humorously. Then I read further and discovered he was serious. The only problem is that he can't be serious. It was an obvious joke and NO ONE is that thin skinned as to take real offense at something that is legendary like poor customer support. I man an IT help desk as part of my IT job and part of my part time job at the police department. I not only didn't take offense at the joke, but thought it was quite funny. Someone post one about bad IT help desk support. I can use a good laugh and we post those on the company bulletin board for all to see because we have a good sense of humor here.

The problem is that he is trying to say he is courteous and patient with people as a customer service rep, only to show exactly the opposite side here. Doesn't make a single person have sympathy for his "plight", but it does make us believe even more strongly that customer service reps are rude and uncaring.

I'm going to intentionally think that he was having a really bad day and we just caught him at a bad moment. I've had bad days and lashed out at people when I didn't really mean it, so let's go on that path and assume that's what happened to him.

Sorry you had a bad day, Moz. I hope it gets better.

Moz · « **Reply #19 on:** March 01, 2013, 02:50:56 am »

Part joke, part sarcasm, part serious.

I use empathy statements, mutuality statements, pulse checks, de-escalation techniques, etc. I can't tell anymore if I'm being sincere with these people or if I'm just lying to their faces. Maybe I'm just losing my mind. Srry if I offended anyone.