...opt-out of "courtesy overdraft fees" so that if you use your debit card and don't have enough money for what you're swiping it off, they will actually decline your card. However, you have to remember to never swipe as credit, only as debit.

Reader Jon thinks he's got it figured out. Opt out of courtesy overdraft screwing, and then ask for a debit-only card. "Voila," he writes, "you have a checking account and debit card immune to shady courtesy overdraft fees." However, since Chase now owns WaMu, I'm betting you have to already have a WaMu account for this to work.

(Photo: thekateblack)

Be sure to read our Ultimate Consumerist Guide to Fighting Back, a go-to handbook for the dissatisfied consumer. Once you've decided to go the executive customer service right, be sure you read this first so you know what to say when you call the corporate avatar of your choice.

The Consumerist Executive Customer Service Index

ACS
Adelphia
Air Tran
Alamo
Alaska Airlines
Allegiant
Aloha
Amazon
America West
American Airlines
American Express
Amtrak
Apple
ATA
AT&T
AT&T Wireless
Bank of America
Barnes and Noble
Bell Canada
Best Buy
Blizzard
Blockbuster
Blogger
Bloomingdales
Blue Cross/Blue Shield
British Airways
Borders
Busey Bank
Buy.com
Cablevision
Charter Communications
Chase
Circuit City
Citibank
Comcast
Continental
cox
Delta
Direc-TV
Discover Card
Dish
Disney
Ebay
Enterprise
Equifax
Experian
Fedex
Frontier Airlines
Fry's
Gamefly
Geek Squad
Georgia Power
Helio
Home Depot
Humana
HSBC
IKEA
ING Direct
Insight
Keybank
Lenovo
Loew's
Macy's
Microsoft (and Xbox)
Midwest Airlines
Motorola
National City
Nicors
Northwest Airlines
Norton
Office Depot
Office Max
Orbitz
Paypal
Pitney Bowes
Qwest
RCN
Regions Bank
Register.com
Ryan Air
Samsung
Seagate
Sears
Sirius
Skybus
Sony Ericcson
Spirit Airlines
Sprint
Sports Authority
Staples
Symantec
T-mobile
Target
Time Warner Cable
TransUnion
Uhaul
United Airlines
United Health Care
UNUM Life Insurance
UPS
US Airways
US Cellular
Verizon landline/DSL/Fios
Verizon Wireless
Vonage
Wachovia
Walmart
Washington Mutual
Wells Fargo

In the event you can't find the info you are looking for here, you can scan our backlog of contact info, or use Google to uncover the addresses yourself. In the event you find something we don't have, feel free to share at tips@consumerist.com.

Researched by Alex Jarvis
Last updated: 11/07/2008

Massive Effort to Save Mortgages [WSJ] (Photo: respres)

We love it. It's like the Worst Company In America Contest, but for real.

September Madness [TechCrunch](Thanks, Fuzz!)

I'm currently a Chase customer, but my brother is WaMu. As he was walking down the street in Brooklyn the other night, he managed to catch this picture.

That's one smart sign.

Ashley writes:

My husband works in downtown Minneapolis and has the annoying habit of putting small purchases on his credit card (under $5.00). He patronizes a chain here called PotBelly Sandwich Works, never spending more than $4.50 a pop. Last week I was paying our credit card bill online and noticed we had pending charges of $858,432.06. Yes—almost a million dollars. Needless to say, our credit limit is about $825,000 less than that. We called Chase and were told that the pending charges were indeed correct but that the charge had been rejected. When the rep told us the charge was made by PotBelly, I couldn't help but laugh. There was a charge that same day from PotBelly for $4.23 because my husband had purchased a sandwich, but that was it. The fraud rep said that because the charge was rejected, not to worry about it, but that it wouldn't disappear from our pending column unless PotBelly reversed the charge. There was no mention from the fraud department of canceling our cards and issuing us new ones. When my husband went to PotBelly the next day, they could give us no information. I can't imagine them reversing an $858,000 charge anyway, especially without a receipt (given this was done after my husband had left the premises.) My husband works in IT for a large corporation and thinks this is nothing but a system glitch and doesn't think it's worth pursuing because the charge was rejected.

My question is: what is our next step and what should we be worried about? It sounds as if someone didn't close out a ticket and just kept charging my husband's card. However, there's no way in hell this Potbelly does $858,000 in business in a day—or even a year, I imagine. Anyone who wanted to commit fraud wouldn't, I presume, be so dumb as to charge nearly a million bucks on a personal credit card. The charge is bound to be rejected. I am also disturbed that we did not receive a call from Chase when this charge was put through, but that's a minor quibble at this point. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Ashley is covered under the Fair Credit Billing Act, which protects against incorrect charges. The FTC has instructions for formally disputing the charge, but we wouldn't fret. Chase rejected the charge, and even if they hadn't, it wouldn't be a tough charge to reverse. Sure, her husband may have eaten the sandwich, but PotBelly's still hasn't delivered the pool, tennis court, or the several cars that had to have been promised as side dishes.

As a banker with 20 years experience in the industry and veteran of about 8 takeovers throughout the years I can give you the scenario with estimated timeframes.

DAY 1 THROUGH 3 MONTHS
Nothing changes, you keep writing your same checks. You get the same statement in the same format. You log in to the same website address for internet banking. Maybe you see some new faces in your office from the "Takeover" bank (in this case JP Morgan Chase)

3-6 MONTHS
Few changes, mostly minor. You order checks and it has the new banks name on it, maybe new procedures for sending wire transfers or making loan payments. Half of the staff at your local branch has quit or been "re-assigned" elsewhere. They start changing the signage outside the office and get new brochures, but your accounts stay the same.

6-12 MONTHS>
You get notice that the format of your checks will change in a few months but you still can use your old checks for now and you might get assigned a new account number or given a new format that adds or subtracts digits. Some freebies you used to get with your account have disappeared (ie. you now get charged for a safe deposit box rather than get it for free). They've changed the hours the office is open. The only person you recognize when you go to the office is old Ethel, the head teller who's been there since 1977.

1 YEAR ONWARD
You get notice in the mail that your old account type is being discontinued and you now have the some new "special" type of account. You're not supposed to use your old checks anymore, if you make a mistake and write one anyway they'll probably pay it. Ethel retired and you don't know a soul in your old branch and it looks like any other Chase office.

If you bank at both WaMu and Chase, your deposits continue to be insured separately today just as they were yesterday, and generally will be for another six months. At that time, your deposits will be insured by the FDIC for up to $100,000 per depositor (with an additional $250,000 for self-directed retirement accounts), and will continue to be backed by the strength and security of JPMorgan Chase.

Here's the full FAQ:

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q. What will happen to my account at WaMu? And to my branch?
A. It's business as usual. As of September 25, 2008, JPMorgan Chase has assumed the deposit and loan accounts, and all branches, of Washington Mutual. You can continue to access your accounts just the way you've accessed them in the past: use your same branch, same debit, credit and ATM cards, same checks.

Q. Is my money safe?
A. Yes; in addition to FDIC insurance, now you're assured your bank is backed by the strength and security of JPMorgan Chase. If you have money in both banks, your deposits have separate FDIC insurance for up to six months. Come see us and we can help you review your coverage.

Q. What if I have more than $100,000 at WaMu?
A. Your money is secure and now protected by the strength of Chase. Chase assumed all deposits of Washington Mutual.

Q. When can I bank at Chase branches in my area?
A. We'll be working hard to combine systems as quickly as possible so you can begin to enjoy expanded branch convenience in your area, and we expect system changes to begin late next year. We'll let you know in advance of any changes; in the meantime, simply continue to bank at WaMu branches as you do today.

Q. Do my direct deposit, automated payments and transfers remain the same?
A. Yes. These services all continue for you without interruption or action on your part.

Q. Where do I send my credit card and loan payments?
A. There is no change in how or where you make payments; payment instructions and addresses remain unchanged.

Q. I have a Chase credit card, car loan, and mortgage. Can I make payments at a WaMu branch now?
A. Not yet! We'll let you know when you can make Chase credit card, car loan, mortgage or other loan payments at WaMu branches, or vice versa.

Q. I have deposit accounts at both WaMu and Chase. Are both of my accounts insured?
A. Yes! Your deposits are insured separately today just as they were yesterday, and generally will be for another six months. At that time, your deposits will be insured by the FDIC for up to $100,000 per depositor (with an additional $250,000 for self-directed retirement accounts), and will continue to be backed by the strength and security of JPMorgan Chase.

Q. I'm a small business owner. What will change for my business?
A. Immediately, no change at all – bank just as you do today. As our systems merge, we look forward to bringing you innovative services ranging from online invoicing to convenient ways to help you manage your cash flow. Chase is a national leader in business banking services, and is the nation's #1 SBA lender.

Q. I have a relationship with the WaMu Commercial Group. What will change for my business?
A. Immediately, no change at all - work with the Commercial Group just as you do today. As our systems merge, we look forward to bringing you innovative services. Chase is a national leader in commercial lending and cash management solutions.

Welcome WaMu [Chase]

(Thanks to Miss Dona!)

JPMorgan Chase in new bid for Washington Mutual [Daily Mail]
WaMu Responds to Standard & Poor’s Actions [Press Release]
Washington Mutual stock rises; merger talk disputed [Reuters] (Photo: James Callan)

I asked if he had seen an uptick in the number of WaMu customers switching over in the past week. "We've seen it in the past six months," he said. "The rich people leave first, then everyone else does. Why don't you open an account?"

When asked if WaMu customers were opening up Chase accounts as backups, he said, "Most people just switch."

PREVIOUSLY: Don't Start Yanking Your WaMu Accounts

Nate says:

Approx. 4 Months ago I found my dream home, however, my dream home is more than likely far less extravagant than what most people might consider their dream home, as I'm a recent college graduate and as of 2 months ago, a newlywed. That being said I don't have much money, but I managed to find a decent older 2 story home that I loved. More importantly my at the time wife-to-be loved it as well. Needless to say we purchased the home as soon as we could.

We were approved in no time to purchase our $60,000 home. We of course chose Chase as our mortgage lender because my wife had previously done all her banking through them and they seemed to have their act together, boy was I ever wrong. We did everything cautiously. We hired a top notch inspector to come out and check everything out, despite the home being 90+ years old everything was in tip top shape, save for a few windows here and there. No problem.

This is where things get interesting. Because of a previous home we had looked at that had fallen in a flood plane we were certain to write in on our offer that if the home was found to be in a flood plane we withdrew our offer. However, we were happy to find that the house was in the clear. We closed on the home May 29th.

One fine day whilst sitting at my dinner table eating lunch with a friend of mine and my soon-to-be wife (at the time), my soon-to-be wife began screaming in the other room (where our mail came in). I ran in to see what the problem was, and there in her hands she held a note from Chase stating that they were "Sad to inform (us) that your home NOW lies in a flood plane and requires flood insurance." (my own emphasis added) We were shocked and devastated. However, life goes on right?

I went to my insurance agent a few days later to get things taken care of (mere weeks before my wedding). When I went in to talk to him we discovered that chase was demanding we carry $185,000 worth of flood insurance. I was blown away... There was no way i could afford that sort of coverage which came out to be around 200 a month. I immediately began investigating. Within a few days of investigating I discovered that there had been no changes to the FEMA flood maps in my area since 2002, which means there was no way my house had JUST been put in a flood plane, it had been in one all along but Chase failed to tell me so before I closed on the home. I decided to look into how they could make such a mistake, turns out they were using a flood map from 1990 to determine if I was in a flood plane or not... a map that was over 18 years old. How could they do such a thing? I was Irate.

After some talking with some "higher ups" at Chase I agreed I would pay flood insurance on the home at $60,000 worth of coverage which ran me around 45 a month. I only agreed to this because they told me nothing else could be done.

Fast forward 2 months-

I'm now happily married, and I thought things were going great until...

I received yet another letter from Chase stating that we failed to purchase an appropriate ammount of flood insurance and that we needed $185,000 worth of coverage....

I'm at my wits end, I cant afford that much insurance and I never would have purchased the home had i known it was in a flood plane... Its neither my wife or I's fault that our home is in a flood plane, so how can Chase be doing this to us? Adding that much extra a month to our bills will seriously put us in a financial strain. We both are recent college graduates and both have student loans to repay, hence why we went after such a cheap home. Please help us get this out there and in the public eye.

We took a look at what the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (the agency that regulates national banks, like Chase) had to say about flood insurance, and we have good news and bad news.

The good news is that you're only required by law to have as much flood insurance as you have outstanding principal on your mortgage:

At a minimum, the insurance coverage must equal the outstanding principal balance of the loan. Coverage must be obtained and maintained throughout the term of the loan.

The bad news is that if your house really is in the flood plain, there's not a lot you can do about it. The OCC recommends that you contact FEMA's Flood Map Assistance Center if you dispute the maps your bank is using.

National banks determine if flood insurance is applicable based on a review of the appropriate flood maps. If you believe that the flood map used by your bank incorrectly identified your property as being in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), Federal law allows the lender and borrower to jointly apply to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to request a review of the decision.

Visit FEMA's Flood Map Assistance Center or call them at 1-877-336-2627.

As far as dealing with Chase's general incompetance, we're afraid this might be a job for a consumer lawyer.

Answers About Flood Insurance [OCC]
(Photo: mistaken poet )

A reader named Ben writes,

Chase.com doesn't know how to protect their customers passwords. Their login page does not use a secure connection
(see attached). It uses http instead of https. That means that your password is not encrypted when submitted, which is pretty bad for a financial site. (However, they do care enough to include a meaningless, fake "secure" lock icon next to the login form.) I spoke with them a month ago, but they haven't changed anything.

Once you've logged in, everything is encrypted, but that initial password transmission on the home page isn't. Fortunately, if you're a Chase customer you can change the address manually to https (just add an "s" to the end of the "http" and hit your enter key) to trigger the encryption.

Note: A couple of initial comments were lost from this post, but we thought this one from beavis88 was good to know:

As long as the target of the form is an https url (and it is), the data will be encrypted. This is bad form, no question, but they are not total and complete idiots at least.

"We take this very seriously, and we are working with EMC [a mortgage company JPMorgan Chase owns] and the family's attorney to make this right," said Tom Kelly, a JPMorgan spokesman.

After the Dickson's bought the house back in May, the foreclosure proceedings were supposed to have been stopped. They weren't. That's when the former owner's mortgage company (owned by JPMorgan Chase) hired "Field Asset Services Inc." to drill the locks and "empty the house," according to the Austin American-Statesmen. Field Asset Services claims that the Dickson's possessions were given to area thrift stores, but they have been unable to locate them.

Ordinarily, when personal possessions are left in a foreclosed home a court order is needed to remove the items and the owners are given the opportunity to reclaim them within 24 hours. JPMorgan Chase says its not sure if there was a court order in this case.

Elizabeth Bradburn, the Dicksons' real estate agent, is organizing an effort to collect donations for the family. She said gift cards to furniture and household goods stores are preferred and may be sent to the Dicksons' business address: 9800 N. Lamar Blvd.,

No. 315, Austin TX 78753.

"It's been awesome to see people mobilize and want to help out," Hance [Dicksons' attorney] said. "The Dicksons are, of course, very grateful and touched by the outpouring of support from the community."

Cedar Park couple sues Austin company in foreclosure mix-up [American-Statesmen](Thanks, Ron!)

The public guardian's office was put in charge of Jessie McDonald's affairs after a doctor found that she was suffering from dementia. They claim that Chase is preying on a vulnerable consumer by not repaying the stolen money in a timely fashion: "This [teller] was helping herself to about $300,000,'' Public Guardian Robert Harris said. "It's even more egregious when it's someone who is completely reliant on her savings. She is so vulnerable. You would not expect the bank would be the one preying on her at this point.''

Chase says that they were the ones who caught the teller in the first place, and that they're working to return the money:"We . . . urged them to intercede on behalf of Mrs. McDonald, and we are currently working with the public guardian's office to resolve the financial details,'' Chase spokesman Tom Kelly said.

Mrs. McDonald owns a townhome in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, but is currently living at Crestwood Care Centre in Crestwood, IL. Her bills are being paid from her savings, but she's running out of funds. In order to move home, her townhome will need extensive renovations and she'll need 24-hour care. In short, she needs her life savings back or she may end up on public assistance.

The Sun-Times says that there's currently an FBI investigation taking place, but the teller hasn't been charged criminally. Mrs. McDonald now understands what happened to her and she says she's disappointed.

"You trust somebody. She was so nice. And I wasn't thinking," McDonald told the Sun-Times. "I was really disappointed in her."

'She was so nice' [Chicago Sun-Times](Thanks, Ellen!)
(Photo: epicharmus )

Both NDphoxylady and I know that that doesn't count. The credit card company needs to send you an additional kind of disclosure notice. She has paperless billing, which may explain why she never got it. In any event, that still doesn't excuse their non-notification. Three times she called Chase. She asked for supervisors each time and was directed to voicemail, which she never got a call back from. We told NDphoxylady it was time to escalate to executive customer service and pointed her to the Chase numbers on our site. Within a few minutes of calling, Chase waived the fee. NDphoxylady was happy about that, but still pissed that it happened in the first place.

She wrote, "Now, we pay everything on the 12th, and I do not have the time to check every month that my due date is going to change...I feel like closing my account with them.

I mean to me it's the principle that matters, they could have charged me three bucks and I would still be pissed off. It's their manipulative behavior, and I doubt many people called to get these fees removed. They probably thought it was their fault and never reported it to chase

Is anyone trying to control these companies? I mean can't government regulate something?"

We told her if that she really feels strongly about it, to write a letter to her elected representatives. This excellent post shows you the most effective way to write to Congress.

"Who will protect the customers," NDphoxylady asked. " It's like we have to stick up for ourselves and for other people."

It's always a good idea to scrutinize your monthly bills. You never know when they're going to try to sneak in a new fee.

(Photo: Getty)

Now Yechial wants to know, are BP stations simply charging more to negate the 5% rebate on the Chase BP card, or are they really dealing with higher fees on their end? This L.A. Times article published last week says it's the second reason—which means any rebate your credit card promises you on gas purchases is going to be inherently less valuable so long as expenses keep rising for station owners.

From the L.A. Times article:

Gas retailers are being hurt by several forces, including lower sales, higher credit card fees and fuel expenses, that are directly tied to this year's dramatic rise in the price of oil.

In Van der Valk's case, fuel sales have fallen as much as 10% as customers cut back on driving. The lost volume means fewer customers flow through the convenience store to buy coffee, sodas and other money-making items.

With each price increase, more people use credit cards to buy gas, taking a bigger bite out of station profits. A dealer typically pays a 10-cent transaction fee plus 2% to 2.5% of the total fuel sale for each customer.

Yechial writes, "I have told my wife to no longer use BP gas stations, and we are canceling the BP credit card." It's probably not the station owner's fault he's having to charge more, but we agree that if the only reason you got the BP card was for the gas purchase rebate, you got a bum deal. (But so did the station owner.)

"Soaring costs are squeezing gas station owners too" [Los Angeles Times]
(Photo: Yogi)

I just received a strange UPS package this morning, a check for $4,500

It's obviously a scam but I was wondering if I could get some expert advice on how to handle the situation in the best and most entertaining way possible.

I believe this got started when I posted a "roommate needed" ad on Craigslist. One girl replied right away, saying that she was coming here from another country. She also mentioned that she was having many things shipped to her here... like a BWM?!?!?

I had already given here the address and she said that her Dad was sending a money order. I had nothing bad bad feelings about the whole thing so I told her the place was already taken. A couple of days ago she emailed saying that she needed my help. She needed me to cash the check that her Dad had already sent and that I could keep 10% of it as a transaction fee.

So I'm guessing that the Craigslist ad is how these people got my address.

Should I just not respond? String them along?

Thanks in advance,

Sean

There's really no point in stringing them along — unless you're secretly Batman or something. You're not, right? Anyway, one option is to collect all the information you can about these folks — emails they've sent, the package, all that stuff, and file a police report. It may sound pointless, but Reader Chris managed to get his Craigslist scammer arrested by filing a police report. For all you know, these people have been trying this all over town and you may have the missing puzzle piece. Or they could be in Nigeria.

You can also contact your local FBI field office and ask them if they're interested in seeing the check. If you'd fallen for the scam, we'd advise that you report it to the FBI's internet crime complaint center. Thankfully, you didn't!

Sean sends an update:

The scammer contacted me again and asked if I got the check. She wants me to cash it and send the money to a person in Oklahoma who she says is a car dealer at a place where she wants to buy a car. Also that I need to send the money through Western Union. For clarification, the check was sent from a Florida address and has contact name, address and phone number.

I called the JP Morgan Chase Bank to tell them that I have a lot of contact information from someone who made an obvious forgery of their check. Chase basically said "yes, we're aware of the problem". I asked if they wanted any of the information, like the name and address in Florida that it was sent from. The name & address of who it's supposed to go to? They said, not really.

I called the local FBI and they said they get lots of this and had me go to IC3.gov to report the information. I filed the report but I'm not counting on getting any response.

Well, Sean, you did everything that you could do.

On Wednesday the 22st, I deposited a financial aid check from my university for $3,193.00. I had a balance of $33.03 in the account. I deposited through the bank's ATM machine, and the slip told me there might be a hold on the check AFTER I'd already deposited, but it did make a small sum available to me in the meantime. I wasn't happy with that, but there was nothing I could do, the ATM already had my check so I went home, resolved to spend as little as possible until the check went through.

The next day, the 22nd, I stopped by an ATM to check my balance, because I couldn't remember how much the bank was allowing me to have until the hold could be removed from my deposit. It told me I had access to the full amount. Delighted, I took out the $300 I needed to pay my electric bill from the ATM and went on my way.

As the day progressed, I used my debit card for things like gas and lunch. All told, about 6 small transactions. Today, I made a large grocery list, thrilled to be able to eat something other than the student staple of ramen noodles I'd been enjoying for the last week, and headed out the door.

Surprisingly (or not) when I used my debit card today it didn't go through. I went down the street to my neighborhood Chase branch and checked my available balance. I was NEGATIVE $390! My heart stopped, as I wondered what could have happened to all of my money. I went into the branch and asked to speak to someone regarding my account. I explained all of the above. They told me that the ATM receipt I had showing my balance was only showing my ledger balance and not my available balance, and that I should have known from my deposit slip that there was a hold on my deposit. Fair enough, I said, but that distinction isn't made on my balance statement, and anyhow, why would your ATM dispense $300 to me if the funds weren't there?

The rep (who wasn't wearing a name tag) said "Oh, the ATM will forward you the money, if you're willing to pay the fee". And this is where I pretty much loose it "how would I know I was getting hit with a fee if the ATM didn't tell me that? It just gave me the money! So the bank knew I didn't have the funds, gave them to me anyway, then charged me an NSF fee without telling me. I can understand this sort of thing happening with a debit transaction, but this is your ATM!"

The rep tells me she agrees with me, so I ask her if she can take off the fee. She tells me she can't do that, that the only way that fee is going to come off is if the bank determines after my deposit "goes through" that they made a mistake, then THEY will contact ME for a refund. Ha!! The worst part is, that because of this, I got hit with 6 NSF fees for that day. The first two transactions could have been covered by my old balance of $33.03 but since Chase has a policy of covering transactions by order of amount from greatest to smallest, that $33 went to pay their ATM's NSF fee! Convenient, isn't it?

I ask if there's anything they can do to remove the hold on my check, since I've deposited checks from my school with them before. The rep tells me that's not an option either, because I deposited into a new account, which is true. I've been a customer of Chase for 4 years and had both a checking and savings account with them already, but I opened a second account with them about 2 months ago. When I explain this, she tells me that it doesn't matter how long I've been with them, that's just policy for all new accounts. So I ask her how much longer before the hold comes off, and she tells me it won't be for another 7 days! So not only have they stolen $200 of my money in mistaken NSF fees which they caused, but they also stole my last $33. I have a quarter tank of gas and nothing to live on for the next week, not to mention a lot of bills that need to be paid before the end of the month.

I've never had a problem with Chase before this, but it was so frustrating how they seemed to have an answer to everything and where completely able to deflect responsibility for their screw up. The final insult came as I walked away, when the rep hollers after me to "have a nice day!" I stopped in my tracks and turned around and yelled out "not likely lady!".

I'm so angry. I can't even see straight.

Johanna, we applaud you for not yelling "Go @$#@ yourself" at that sarcastic banker. You are obviously a very nice person who deserves better treatment than Chase is able to provide.

We think the best thing for Johanna to do is kick this issue up to the top. Launch an EECB (executive email carpet bomb) on Chase and ask that your fees be waived and your money released. Here's some contact info to get you started. For more information about launching an EECB, click here.

(Photo: epicharmus )

Chase Executive Management Hierarchy
Jamie Dimon Chairman & Ceo
Phone: 212-270-1111
Fax : 212-270-1121
E-Mail Address: jamie.dimon@jpmchase.com

Charlie Scharf CEO Retail Financial Services
Phone: 212-270-5447
Fax: 212-270-5448
E-Mail Address: charlie.scharf@chase.com

Gerald A. Smith CEO Credit Card Services
Phone: 302-282-3100
Fax: 302-282-3939
E-Mail Address: gordon.smith@chase.com

Marc Sheinbaum CEO-Retail Auto and Education Finance
Phone: 516-745-3838
Fax: 516-745-4040
E-Mail Address: marc.x.sheinbaum@jpmchase.com

David B. Lowman CEO Home Lending
Phone: 636-735-2121
Fax: 314-256-2800
E-Mail Address: david.b.lowman@jpmchase.com

(Photo: Maulleigh)

Yesterday, I went into a downtown NY Chase branch. I went to the ATM, asked for $120 and the door that dispenses the money never opened.

I went into the bank and told a teller what had happened and was instructed to stand by the machine.

When no teller came out to meet me after standing there like an idiot for 10 minutes, I went back in and asked the teller when someone was coming out. She said, oh - the money didn't come out YET? She never mentioned me to anyone.

Now I'm instructed to go to the customer service counter where they told me the machine has been doing this all week. My question as to why it's still in service was met with blank stares until one person said they didn't have the authority to do take it offline.

Then I'm told that (even though they know it's a problem) I can't get the money back for 24 to 48 hours.

I asked to see a manager and was told the same story.

As she said that, another man came in and said that he lost $200 in the SAME atm.

I politely told the manager that if one more person comes in here with the same story, I would send an e-mail to the Attorney General, FDIC, Fed. Reserve, BBB and local news. It was astounding how quickly the proper motivation was able to get the machine turned off and the money back into my account.

I have to wonder, if I didn't stand up for myself - just how many people would be out $$$ for 48 hours (and possible more)?

Good for you, Keith. It's a good thing you came along. All the customers who didn't get screwed by that ATM because you took the time to stand up to Chase owe you a hug.

(Photo: epicharmus )

Earlier today I got a call from a Chase telemarketer.  He called to inform me about a great Fraud Protection service.  The caller vaguely described what was covered over the next minute as he read his prepared script.  Toward the end of the script, he said that Chase would be sending an informational brochure and that I would have the opportunity to review the information with my family before I proceeded with the purchase of the Fraud Protection service.
 
At this point, I initiated the end of the conversation by saying: "I'll review the materials when it comes in the mail".
 
Chase telemarketer mumbled: "Ok, I'll charge you $7 and ship the information out to [Address]".
 
I cut him off mid sentence and asked him to repeat and clarify to make sure what just happened.  He indeed signed me up without my permission.
 
I proceeded to tell him "NO" in a strong and firm voice.  "I did not agree to pay anything, I did not agree for any service".
 
I politely requested that he send me the information, and not sign me up for the fraud protection.
 
At this point, I was about to hang up the phone when he came back with "Mr. XXXX, don't you know that some one's identity is stolen every 4 minutes"
 
I replied, "No, I don't want the service"
 
Chase telemarketer rudely cuts me off: "but Mr.  XXXX, what are you going to do when someone steals your identity?"
 
"No, Didn't you hear me?"
 
Chase telemarketer cuts me off again, "but you arent safe...."
 
I slam the phone down.
 
You just lost another customer Chase.
 
Now I have to call back and make sure that he didn't sign me up.  I feel like I need protection from Chase's employees from stealing my identity rather than some stranger who might steal my credit card or something to that effect.

(Photo: jebb)

Pavel writes:

I've been reading your site daily for over a year and I get a pure kick when people expose the inner filth of corporate America. As of yesterday I have my own story to share.

I've been with Chase for several years now. I have a checking account, a savings account, an Amazon Visa card and United Visa card with them. I carry small balances, pay my "non-chase ATM" fees, my "Online Bill Pay" fees, the occasional "Overdraft protection fee" for when they transfer money from Savings to Checking... in other words the average customer who never creates trouble and generates revenue.

About a month ago I decided to open a second checking account and use it only for direct deposit of my payroll check. Then every other Friday I'd go online, transfer some of the amount to savings and the rest to checking.

Until yesterday morning, when much to my surprise not only was my direct deposit not there, but also the entire account was missing. As in GONE. There was no trace of this account whatsoever. I called Chase customer service right away (it was about 7:30 AM) just so I can hear a totally brain-dead teenager tell me that my account had been closed a week ago for carrying zero-balance for too long. "WHAT??? You have got to be kidding me. I have a direct deposit going there every other Friday, you closed the account a week ago, so you're telling me a zero-balance for a week gives you a reason to close the account? Despite the fact that every two weeks there is a rather sizable deposit from ADP" Her totally expected dumb answer was: "Sir, it's the system that closed your account, not us. There is nothing we can do to prevent this from happening". Evidently, in her pea-sized brain "The System" is an almighty creature with an evil behavioral twist rather than a piece of computer software that 99.9999999% of the time does exactly as instructed.

Escalation to Little Miss Braindead's Supervisor got me nowhere either. I was told that they can not reopen my account and I'd have to go to the branch that opened my account at, where the manager is the ONLY person who can make this happen, despite my repeated attempts to explain that the branch had been bulldozed two years ago along with the Dominick's store it was in. Oh, and get this. Even if with the help of the Almighty I somehow managed to get the account reopen they wouldn't be able to deposit the amount they were holding before midnight on Tuesday. Now I'm not going to start crying that I have bills to pay, checks that were going to hit my account and so on... I've got plenty of dough in both checking and savings to cover expenses for months to come. But that's not the point. So, naturally, I request an escalation to Executive Customer Service (800-242-7399). I get transferred to a Michelle Crabtree (713-262-3866). She tells me pretty much the same story. My simple answer to her was along the lines of "Dear Michelle, if I don't have my account reopened and funded by noon today, I will take extreme pleasure in writing about this to our our local newspapers (those happen to be Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times) along with spending $25 on a Small Claims Court filing fee.

She promises a prompt resolution and I tell her she has about 4 hours to deliver on her promise. I get a call back midday saying that they will be able to reopen the account (but not until midnight) and create a "credit memo" on my old checking account, but I'd have to go myself and move the funds to savings or the credit memo will fall off at midnight. It didn't make much sense to me, but hey, this is a specially trained professional who has been entrusted with handling sticky situations on behalf of the office of the president. Or maybe not.

Of course the credit memo disappeared at midnight. And of course my checking account was not reopened, and of course there are overdraft protection fees on my account which currently shows negative balance. And of course, the only people who can fix this are Executive Customer Service but that's not open on the weekend.

Now let me say this... I work as the Executive Assistant to the President of my company and I CAN WALK ON WATER! Moreover, my attitude is that if 40-some years ago we were able to land on the Moon with a help of a computer that had less processing power than my cellphone... nothing is impossible. If these people really work for Executive Customer Service, Chase has to either redefine what that means and admit it's just a bunch of glorified idiots, or train them better.

My 2 cents.

Cheers and keep those stories coming!

Pavel G.
Chicago, IL

(Photo: Ben Popken)

The resulting news story has what may be the greatest sentence ever written:

The personal check was not made out to Mr. Fuller and when the bank contacted the check owner, the woman said she did not write a check for $360 billion.

Really? She didn't? You'll be shocked to hear that Mr. Fuller was also charged with unlawful carrying of a weapon and possession of marijuana. When asked why he was tying to cash a check for such a large amount, Fuller told police that the check "was given to him by his girlfriend’s mother to start a record business." No word on whether Mr. Fuller and his girlfriend are still dating.

Man accused of trying to cash check for $360,000,000,000 [Dallas Morning News]

Here's what our readers said when they nominated these two companies:

Chase:
"Nothing about their credit cards is good. They are legalized loan sharks."
"They like to play musical payment-due-dates."
"raises rates without notice, etc."
"I got a credit card with them that was supposed to be 0% interest. The first time I carried over a balance they charged me interest. And than I have received no end to the special offers that they offer through their card. They are the most annoying credit card company out there."
"Their customer service sucks, they abuse their employees and they are one of the big four behind the Payday Loan industry."
"I've been through hell with Chase credit services"

United Health Care:
"Ruining people's lives and/or killing them"
"Their service is abysmal, and they're currently being sued for it. They intentionally underpay both medical providers and consumers."
"All their employees upstairs got to the cafeteria before I did (at 11:55) and bought up all the Chicken Parm Rotellos for lunch. I really wanted one... I had to settle for crappy pizza."
"Any company in the business of letting people die is a bad one."
"operate on "screw the customer" as their guiding principle. United Health also offers the additional service of making life miserable for actual health care providers."
"absolute bottom of the pile insurance company."

This is a post in our Worst Company In America 2008 series. The companies nominated for this honor were chosen by you, the readers. Keep track of all the goings on at consumerist.com/tag/worst-company-in-america/

STILL OPEN FOR VOTING:
Clear Channel vs Toyota
Countrywide Home Loans vs Dish Network
Sprint vs Hewlett Packard
Blue Cross Blue Shield vs CNN
Gamestop vs Monster Cable
Bank Of America vs Toys R' Us
Toshiba vs Microsoft
US Airways vs Washington Mutual
American Airlines vs Blockbuster
Time Warner Cable vs Radioshack
Wellpoint vs Charter Cable
Dell vs Home Depot
Sears vs Citibank
Wal-Mart vs TJMaxx
Mattel vs ATT
Capital One vs Video Professor
eBay/Paypal vs COX
Apple vs SallieMae
Diebold Vs Pfizer
MTV vs TransUnion
CompUSA vs DirecTV
Target vs Best Buy
Allstate vs Verizon
DeBeers vs 1800 flowers
Starbucks vs United Airlines
Exxon vs Crocs
Google Vs Sony
Ticketmaster vs Wachovia
Facebook vs The American Arbitration Association
Comcast vs Menu Foods

Severe Adverse Action from Citibank [Fat Wallet]
RELATED: How to Cash In On 0% Offers For Credit Cards [WSJ]
(Photo: mod*betty)

(Photo: Ben Popken)

1. Bundle all compensation as base income, don't break it down to commissions, bonuses and tips
2. Add gift funds to the base income
3. And if that still doesn't work, just top off the income with an extra $500!

Full document as leaked to The Oregonian (turns out journalists are good for something other than reprinting our press releases, at least now the rest of us can learn from these advanced tips), inside...

Chase mortgage memo pushes 'Cheats & Tricks' [Oregonian via BoingBoing]

Over the last 12-24 months, I've been annoyed with about 3-4 mailings a week from Chase for various add-on services and useless products. Already a customer of theirs, I did not appreciate this onslaught of advertising. Here's a quick opt-out website in which you can cancel all direct marketing letters from Chase... dnmoptions.chase.com.

http://www.cardratings.com/creditcardnews/2007/11/chase-will-no-longer-increase-rates.html

Recently, my husband and I got two new Chase credit cards in the mail. I didn't look closely, assuming that this was a new card for our never-used Chase Mastercard account. This account has been around for seven years, but we prefer another card with a rewards system; the Mastercard account is open only to benefit our credit rating. Therefore, no urgency in activating it — I dropped it in the bill pile to deal with later.

Completely unrelated, I decided the next day that it was a nice time to pull my yearly free credit report. Everything was as it should have been, except an old Visa BankOne account which I had from early 2003 to mid 2004 was not listed as closed. Curious, I called the customer service number from the last bill and found that it did seem to be active — thankfully, with a zero balance on the card. The weird part was that it wouldn't accept my old billing zip code, but was quite happy with my current address; since we moved here only a few months ago, I am positive I never told the credit card company the new address when I was canceling many years ago.

I spoke to the cancellation department, who persistently tried to sell me on the advantages of keeping this account open while her computer "processed the request" to close the account. After three minutes of protesting this account should have been closed years ago, I gave up and let her chatter, grunting every now and then so she wouldn't think I'd hung up.
"My goodness, this account has been open five years and has always been in good standing. That's great for your credit report!" (It should have been closed years ago!)
"We can offer you a very low APR, which is great if you carry a balance!" (You mean that four-year-old $0 balance?)
"You can add a reward system to this card, and get free gas or airline miles!" (urrrrrg....)
"If you ever want to reopen this account, you'll have to go through the approval process all over!" (Whatever.)
After a couple minutes of grunting, she confirmed the account was closed. I hung up and went on my merry way.

At this point, I thought this was just some quirk that had happened in 2004 — either I had not closed the account as I remembered, or a computer glitch had left it open. But, the next day as I sorted through the bill pile, I looked more closely at the two Chase cards we'd received. They were in fact Visa, not Mastercard, and matched the account number I had just closed. Chase had sent me two cards for an account that they acquired from BankOne, found my new mailing address, and reopened the account without my knowledge or permission.

The cards are cut up and the account is closed with Chase. I feel abused, though; I would have been a hell of a lot angrier on the call to close the account if I had known the entire situation. We don't really want to cancel our other, seven-year-old, Chase account, since it's good for the credit rating and all; so unfortunately, the only way I can "punish" them for doing this is continue to not use the old Mastercard account, thereby not giving them any merchant fees.

-Erica

Later, at a staff meeting...

Chase Boi 1: Hey what are we going to do with all these dead credit card accounts we just bought?
Chase Boi 2:I know, let's turn 'em back on and send 'em new cards. Some people will use them and we'll make money off the fees.
Chase Boi 1: If anyone complains, we'll pour sugar in their ears about how great the card is and if they really really push, we'll just close it down!
Chase Boi 2: Brilliant!

It's always important to be mindful and attentive when new credit cards are sent to you in the mail unexpectedly. Also, check your credit report for errors, like accounts you thought were closed, and follow up on any inconsistencies. Annualcreditreport.com is the place to go to get a copy of your credit report for free, once a year, with all the three credit bureaus.

One afternoon, I received a call on my cell phone with "unavailable" appearing on the Caller-id. Ordinarily, I might have just ignored it, but I answered the call and an electronic voice informed me that it was Chase Fraud Services calling about unusual activity on my account—the call continued as follows:

Recording:

Chase: Hello, this is Chase Fraud Services with an urgent call regarding your Chase Credit Card. We have determined there may be fraudulent activity on your account. Please take a moment to confirm recent purchases. Please press one to continue:

Me: One

Chase: Did you make a purchase on (yesterday's date—they waited one day to call me) in the amount of $14.95 at [redacted—internet site]?

Press one for yes or two for no.

Me: Two

Chase: Let me confirm, you did not make a purchase yesterday in the amount of $14.95 at [redacted—internet site]?

Silence...

Chase: Did you make a purchase on (yesterday's date) in the amount of $39.95 at (an Internet Data broker—for what I later found out was a background report on me)

Chase: Press one for yes and two for no.

Me: Two

Chase: Please hold for a representative.

[Five minute hold time in order to speak to a fraud representative.]

Chase: Sir, before we proceed with this call, I need to verify your identity. What are the last 4 digits...?

Me: Excuse me, but I refuse to provide you with any personal information. I did not initiate this call and I have no proof you are who you say you are. And for all I know, this could be a" phishing" scam.

[What in the world is Chase thinking by calling customers asking them to identify themselves? It's no wonder people fall prey to phishing scams.]

Chase: Sir, this is not a phishing scam, this is Chase.

Me: Well, that's reassuring.

Chase: Sir, do you have your Toys-R-us Master Card in your possession?

Me: Not on me, but it is at home.

Chase: So you are confirming that you received it?

Me: Wait a second, this is a phishing scam! I have a Toys-R-us VISA and not a MasterCard. Besides, my card doesn't expire anytime soon, so why are you asking if I received it?

Chase: Sir, I am going to suspend this account, and place a fraud alert on your credit report. Please do not use your card; we will replace it with a new account number.

Me: Wait a second, what the hell are you talking about? I haven't used my card in months. It doesn't expire, and it's a Visa, not a MasterCard! Please explain what's going on here.

Chase: Sir, we sent you a new card about a month ago.

Me: Why did you do that when it doesn't expire anytime soon?

Chase: We had a branding change. The store signed on with MasterCard and as a result, we sent you a new card with a new account number.

Me: And is there a reason why you guys didn't bother to notify me to expect a new card in the mail?

Chase: Sir, we have millions of customers, we couldn't possibly notify every customer each time we send out a new or renewal card.

Me: Why is that? I signed up for Chase alerts, electronic statements and electronic notifications—it doesn't cost you anything to email a customer.

Chase: Sir, I don't make the rules.

Me: This is just outrageous. I don't want yet a third account number generated. Please do not send me a new card. Just close the account.

Chase: Sorry sir, I cannot do that.

Me: What do you mean you cannot do that?

Chase: Sir, when we suspend an account for fraudulent activity, the system automatically generates a new account number. So there is nothing I can do. You will receive a letter from Chase, please sign and have it notarized and return it or you will be held responsible for the unauthorized charges.

Me: Wait a second, something doesn't make sense. How did anyone manage to use the new card
if it requires activation from my home phone number?

Chase: That is a good question. Hold on a moment.

Chase: Sir, it was not activated. And rest assured that all these charges were declined as a result.

Me: Excuse me, but if they were declined, then why are you sending me a letter to be notarized?

Chase: Sir, it's a procedure we must follow under these circumstances.

Still thinking that this bizarre conversation was a phishing experiment, I logged on to Chase online and confirmed that my available credit was reduced to zero on this account. The call was legit, after all! What we have here is a perfect storm of coincidences that led to this incident and if you think ID theft cannot happen to you, think again. The credit card was not stolen. It was not intercepted in the mailing process. It turns out that a careless Postal Service letter carrier delivered it to the wrong address, directly into the hands of a professional ID thief.

Without missing a beat, that person managed to use the card on the Internet for a small purchase at [redacted—internet site] presumably to see if it works, and then proceeded to use the card to pay for a background check on me at two data brokers. The Chase fraud representative lied—Chase did not, in fact, decline these charges.

In an attempt to find out who used my card, I called each merchant and I was informed that they are unable to give me any information because they could ultimately be held liable if I went after that person. I later found out they live in my zip code and through other sources, their name and address. (all three merchants agreed to immediately reverse the charges—something I asked them not to do, because I wanted Chase to investigate this).

I learned that the magnetic strip on the back of the credit card remains deactivated until a phone call is made to activate it. However the account number itself, will work if it is used online. [ed. The magnetic strip is just a dumb magnet. The "activation" occurs within the electronic credit card systems, not within the card itself]

I consider myself a savvy consumer having put in place measures to prevent this from ever happening in the first place:
1) I signed up for a credit report monitoring service that emails me whenever there is new or unusual spending activity.
2) I routinely shred all documents containing personal information.
3) I opted out at the DMA website and subscribed to Catalog Choice to eliminate junk mail.
4) I signed up for electronic statements to prevent misdirected mail
5) I routinely monitor my FICO score.
6) I signed up for credit card alerts sent to my BlackBerry.
7) I pay all my bills using Internet banking instead of sending checks in the mail.

Following this incident, I had to take additional measures to protect myself by placing a credit freeze on my credit report at all three credit bureaus as I learned that the "fraud alert" Chase placed for me is not foolproof. Apparently, if someone applies for credit electronically, the computer does not recognize the alert. (one reason why "Life lock" is a bunch of BS) Additionally, I went to www.optoutprescreen.com to opt out of pre-approved offers for credit and insurance and filed a report with the postal inspector regarding this incident. I also just learned that at least one bank will allow you to pick up renewal cards at a branch, instead of having it mailed to your home.
[Consumerist editors - you may want to use the following for an additional article—although it is related to this incident, it bears a separate warning:]

Do you frequently get a letter in your mailbox addressed to a neighbor? Or, perhaps, addressed to someone living down the block? Did it ever occur to you that if you are receiving that letter addressed to someone else, perhaps they are receiving your mail?

You may not be aware that the postal service has a regular carrier working your route on a five day work week. As mail is delivered six days a week, that means one day each week (usually on a Tuesday) a substitute carrier delivers your mail and they rarely know the route. These subs are not the most accurate to begin with and the postal service rarely keeps them on a regular schedule. So you can be sure that once a week mail will be delivered to the wrong address.

That is generally not a problem when all your neighbors are honest people. But, find someone who just happens to be in foreclosure or is about to be evicted and you may find yourself in my situation.With shoddy mail service, the banks are effectively playing Russian roulette with your account and personal information when they bombard you with balance transfer checks and unsolicited cards at random.