Question about credit card cancellation

Self

[LuLuLuLu]

I have a credit card question for the brain trust that is FR.

[LuLuLuLu]

In July, Mr. Lu and I paid off a a major credit card. The card was cut in pieces and sent to the corporate address with a letter emphatically stating that we wished to cancel the account, and requesting that all credit bureaus be notified that the account was cancelled at the customers request.

When the August statement arrived, another letter was sent.

When the September statement arrived, a third letter was sent.

Yesterdays mail brought yet another statement that indicates that the account has a zero balance, and the (not insignificant) line of credit is still open.

Since the company is ignoring written requests, is there any way to close this account?

[dirtboy]

What company issued it?

[RiflemanSharpe]

Try calling the customer service line. They may have a third party open bills so they did not get the note you the sent.

[MozartLover]

There was probably a customer service phone number on the back of the credit card. There might be one on the statements. I would call; speaking person to person is harder to ignore than a written request.

[TheRightGuy]

and the (not insignificant) line of credit is still open.

FReepmail me the account number and I will see that it's taken care of ;^)

[retrokitten]

Just call the company and cancel it. They will offer you a lower interest rate or some other perk to try and keep you from cancelling, but just tell them you want it cancelled. No big secret.

[MozartLover]

Heehehee

[woofie]

I wouldnt worry about it...They are always ready to give you more credit and take your money but for all practical porpouses the account is closed

This is an uneducated opinion however

[Lazamataz]

Murder is your only option.

[rintense]

You must call them and request that your account be closed. Then, they will then send you a letter stating that your account has been closed- KEEP THAT LETTER!!!

[proud_member_of_ VRWC]

Yes, you must call the accounts department of the bank that issued the card to you. Cutting up the card and seending it to the corporate address will only cause a blank stare to come across the face of the mailroom employee who opened it. Call the bank, have someone "in the know" cancel it. Ask them to send you a written letter of confirmation after the account has been closed. There is no need to have them notify any relevant credit bureaus. The account closure will show up the next time an agency runs a credit check regardless.

[GovernmentShrinker]

Send them a letter by certified mail telling them in no uncertain terms that if the account is not closed forthwith, they will be sued. Address it to the "Legal Department". The account will be closed forthwith.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

I just received an e-mail from a gentleman in Nigeria who wishes to help with your problem. Please e-mail all of your pertinent banking information to ndugu@nigeriascam.com.

[The Old Hoosier]

Call, don't send letters.

[fml]

Consider yourself lucky. We too closed out an account and they continue to hope and pray you use the credit they are offering you. Just don't use the card, is that a problem for you?

[Consort]

Call them and tell them that your card was stolen and request that they put a freeze on it. They will send you a new one with a different account number. Keep it or cut it up.

[RebelBanker]

P. M. is generally correct. You need to get through to the customer service or account service department. Something sent to a bank's corporate address without a specific person or department identified will just get buried. My only disagreement is that you should probably ask the bank to notify the credit bureaus that the account was closed at your request (just to make sure). You do not want an "account closed by credit grantor" on your credit report.

Your Humble Servant...

[DumpsterDiver]

Here's a couple of articles that may interest you:

How To Close A Credit Card Account
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/debt/20031003a1.asp

How Cancelling A Store Card Affects Your Credit
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/cc/20030709b1.asp

[Hodar]

We too closed out an account and they continue to hope and pray you use the credit they are offering you. Just don't use the card, is that a problem for you?

Ummm, you have problem ... if you have a card (even if you never use it) on 'paper' somewhere you have the ability to immediatly acquire 'x' dollars of debt. This will used against you, should you buy a house. Because you have the immediate ability to acquire 'debt', the bank will 'assume' that you will. Thus, your limit on how much house you can 'afford' will be dropped to compensate for the theoretical 'debt' you can immediately acquire, whether you intend to use it, or not. That's a problem for anyone.

[DumpsterDiver]

Here's a couple of articles that may interest you:

How To Close A Credit Card Account
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/debt/20031003a1.asp

How Cancelling A Store Card Affects Your Credit
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/cc/20030709b1.asp