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 its
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???



something similar happened to a friend of mine... he was 2 years old... his parents received a pre approved credit card in the mail... they cut it up shredded it and threw the pieces away... a few months later they received the first bill.. which was the membership charges... the mother chuckles to herself and shreds the bill. another month passes by and she receives another bill... this time she decides to call the credit card number... upon calling she explains to the lady that her son is only 2 years old how could they have given a credit card to a 2 yo, and that they had never activated the card they just shredded it and threw the peices away. The lady on the other end says well it shouldn't have happened but the bill is still due, the guys mother refuses to pay the bill. nothing was ever agian seen, no more bills nothing. years later, my friend was probably 19 or 20 decides he is going to buy his first car. Never having had ANY credit or so he thought. he figured he'd need a co-signer at most. after 30 mins of reviewing of his credit.. the financial person ask him to come sit down in his office. He begins to tell my friend of some outrageous no payment for like 16 or 17 years at some credit card company. My friend freaks out and says well you guys know im only 19 and how could i have had a credit card for this long? come to find out since his mother refused to pay it and the lady on at the credit company refused to understand the situation his account was just sitting there racking up late fees and intrest.... needless to say he called the credit card company and told them the situation they found is so unbelievable he had to go through 2 different managers before one finally realized what he was saying and cleared the account. not sure on the dollar ammount that they wanted but u could imagine say it was 60 dollar annual membership fee. x 17 years plus interest it had to be a pretty good penny. what the credit card company thought was odd was that they never recieved a bill after the mother had called. flaw in the system i guess. maybe his age had alot to do with why collections agencies and bills were never sent through the system.

Thanx for sharin this with us. Whats happenin in the world, today?

I don't like the way businesses can manipulate us today. I mean, THEY can send you junk mail, make a mistake, and expect you to clean it up for them.

thanks for telling us wats going on out there

well actually that is right. the family has to close the account., and if ever there are outstanding balances, the family of the deceased has to shoulder the bills. but it the account in insured against untoward incidents, the insurance will pay for the balance. but the family should close all accounts first or declare death.

thats what the person above was trying to do declare death and the credit company says "were just not setup for death"

hahaha well...i guess that is not a very credible credit card company.

i think most credit card companies play dumb thinking we'll just pay to shut them up.

One of the many reasons I vow never to get a credit card, they suck you in and drain you of money, the way I see it if you don't have the money for something, tough.

how about instead of tough... just wait longer.