Cancel your credit cards b4 you die!!

[drumrob]

Be sure and cancel your credit cards before you die! This is so priceless
and so easy to see happening - customer service, being what it is today!


A lady died this past January, and ANZ bank billed her for February and
March for their annual service charges on her credit card, and
Then added late fees and interest on the monthly charge. The balance had
been $0.00, now is somewhere around $60.00.

A family member placed a call to the ANZ Bank:

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

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

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

ANZ:
'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?'

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

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

ANZ:
'Excuse me?'

Family Member:
'Did you just get what I was telling you . . .. The part about her
being dead?'

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

Supervisor gets on the phone:
Family Member:
'I'm calling to tell you, she died in January.'

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

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

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

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

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

Family Member:
'Sure.'
( fax number is given )

After they get the fax:

ANZ:
'Our system just isn't set up 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. I don't think she will care.'

ANZ:
'Well, the late fees and charges do still apply.'

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

ANZ:
'That might help.'

Family Member:
' Rookwood Memorial Cemetery , 1249 Centenary Rd, Sydney Plot Number
1049.'

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

Family Member:
'Well, what the **** do you do with dead people on your planet?'

[ippielb]

Some reason, i actually do believe this.

[jediracer]

This actully happened to my Grandmother. She received a collection letter from a bank stating my grandfather owed $120.00 on a credit card 5 years after he had died. It took a months to get it cleared up.

[TRPLXL2]

OMG that is horrible! Well what would you do if there ashes were scattered out in the Paicific Ocean? I believe it actually happened too, when my grandma died we kept getting doctor's office's callig wanting to schedule follow up appointments even though we had notified them of her death!

CREDITORS ARE BLOOD SUCKING VAMPIRES!!!!!!!!!

[tbplus10]

Keep in mind Debt collectors average collections on about 40% of the accounts turned over to them, all they have invested is time so anything payed is gravy.
Their are people that will pay off a balance on something like this because they either dont know any better or have this consuming guilt that granny owed this money and its not right to leave the credit card company take the loss because she died. Maybe if someone showed them the amount of interest granny payed out over the life of the card they'd feel differently.
But then again its my opinion that the majority of these credit companies in trouble got there because they got greedy and loaned money to anyone foolish enough to apply for their services.

[Pete95Sierra]

[Appliancepresident]

How funny , but you know somewhere that happens . What is wrong with us

[TomsHHR]

I never get cards that have an annual fee for that reason..

[unplugged]

Did they read the fax you sent them? Maybe they missed the part at the top that said "death certificate"
Let's bail them out too. I'm sure they would take a trillion tax payer dollars to make them feel better.

[Dezzmo]

F$%^ the credit card companies

They've been out to screw everybody since day 1! One of my cards had a 7.9% and I mistakenly made a payment 12 days late so they changed it to 27.9%! When I called them about this they said that I was 30 days late. I said "look again at the date it was deposited", she replied "Oh, it was 12 days late". "Well then change it back to 7.9%", she said "Sorry it's too late". I then began rip in to her for about a minute (which is actually a long time when your getting yelled at)!

25 years ago we never had an abundance of credit cards and we got along just fine. If you wanted to buy something like a car stereo or and appliance you would simply "Save up" for it. Now they have us brainwashed saying that the only way to make a purchase is to use Plastic

Sure, you'll get one credit card with a $2500 limit then they'll increase it $5k. Within a year you will receive 2 more cards from different banks and the next thing you know your 30 Grand in the hole with credit card debt and no idea how you'll get out of it !

Trust me folks when I say this; cut up all your cards and get a Debit Card. It may take you a little longer to make a purchase but you'll be saving yourself a ton of money.