Lowes and GE Moneybank trouble

[KaPwing]

My mother has had a Lowes card forever. She put it up several years ago and has not used it since late 2007 after she paid the bill in full. Last November, a charge from a company named Trilegiant Corporation appeared on her Lowes bill for $65.00 for protection against credit card fraud.

We immediately drafted a letter to GE Money Bank disputing this charge. They stated they would take two billing cycles to investigate then let Mom know what they'd found. We have yet to hear from them.

They did reinstate the charge and added a late payment fee to it after 60 days.

I called Lowes and found no help there.

Now GE Money Bank is calling Mom multiple times a day. They refuse to deal with me when I answer even though she's told them I have her permission to speak for her.

She has always paid things on time and had good credit.

What can I do to resolve this dispute?

[VADebtor]

Did you dispute the charge in writing? If not you may be out of luck on the credit card dispute.

You can try to deal with the outfit that made the charge, and seek help by filinhg complaints with your state Attorney General or other consumer protyection agency, the FTC (they probably won't do anything bvut makes me feel better, and if they get numerous complaints they might), and BBB.

[nrgins]

I agree with VADebtor. Go to the company that made the charge. They're usually good about removing the charge if there was a mistake. But I think you only have like 30 days to do so, so it may be too late. But if it was a mistake, then they would remove it regardless.

Ask them why they added that charge. Was it something in writing, or something over the phone?

I'm guessing there was something tricky your mom got in the mail, maybe with one of her statements, that she sent back, not realizing what she was doing. Or it could just be a mistake on their part. That's what I would do first.

If you can get them to remove it, then get Lowe's to remove the late charge, since the original charge was illegitimate.

If you can't get them to remove it, then write a letter to GE Money Bank's Office of the President (can call GE Money Bank and ask them for the address, and they have to give it to you. Don't even have to tell them who you are, just say, "I'd like to get the address for your office of the president). Then write a nice letter explaining your situation and how absurd it is, and see what happens.

(I once was dealing with a very nasty collection agency who refused to credit my account for a payment I made, despite how many times I called. Finally, when I wrote to their president, it got cleared up. But that was a smaller company.)

If that doesn't work, I'd contact BBB and your state's AG. BBB would send them a letter and they'd have to deal with it. File a complaint against both GE Money Bank and the service that charged you (two separate complaints).

In the meantime, just relax. Apart from this being a black mark on your mom's credit, there isn't much they can do. If they call you can just ignore the calls.

Remember: the people who are calling you are just low-level employees making minimum wage whose only job is to try and get you to make a payment. They have no knowledge of your debt or authority to do anything about it. Trying to deal with them is a waste of time. The only way you'll get answers is by calling and asking to speak with a supervisor, or sending them a letter. So I just wouldn't answer if they call, or, if you accidentally answer, just hang up.

Your mom can also dispute the item on her credit report if she wants.

[KaPwing]

Brilliant. Thanks for the help!

[KaPwing]

Also, yes, we disputed in writing the day after she got the bill with that charge on it. I sent the dispute letter with validation. I have proof they received it.

[KaPwing]

I did find this little jewel after googling the company:

19actionnews.com/Global/story.asp?S=11524487

[nrgins]

I did find this little jewel after googling the company:

19actionnews.com/Global/story.asp?S=11524487

That's great. Now you have another avenue to pursue. Not sure if that would apply to you, since it's from 1999. But at least you have someone to contact if you don't find any relief from the company itself who may be able to point you in the right direction.

And it sounds like something your state's AG might be interested in, as well.

(Sad that companies are like this. And you'd think, after being hit with that large settlement, that they'd stop those practices. I guess not.)