Credit One Bank's unfair billing practices as described by many patrons throughout this website and other complaint boards.

I believe in all that support the belief of Credit One's fraudulent billing, pyramiding late charges, and predatory lending practices. I have been with this bank well over 4 years. Like millions of Americans, I had slow credit and I submitted to an offer from this bank, as they prey people with slow, no, or bad credit simply because we're vulnerable. We felt left out in a nation and world that pushes the idea of credit upon everyone, and if you don't have it, you're nobody. I disagree. You don't need credit to survive. Break away from these people and YOU will have more power of your future, I guarantee it.

My situation: I was just around a balance of $220 out of a $500 credit line by Credit One when I had problems financially and work. I did what I can to cover the necessities but a lot of my bills and credit cards got out of hand. I am a fighter and sucked it up, paying what I can and getting back to my feet. For my credit cards, I enrolled all of them in Consumer Education Services, Inc, a Care One Credit service for helping consolidate my credit cards and pay them off. CESI worked with me well and negotiated substantially lower interest rates, and set me up with a payment plan on my cards. Within a few months, I was on schedule and pretty much back on my feet. Every card accepted my proposal and worked with me no problem except Credit One. They refused every proposal CESI sent them and refused to work with me in helping to pay them off. I admitted I fell behind, had problems but was willing to settle and most of all PAY THEM. I just wanted to have them stop their charges so I can work on negating the principal. They refuse every time and there is a new charge on my card every other week. I pay them every month still, and yet they charge back more on my account than I'm paying them. It's called Pyramiding Charges, and it's against consumer rights according to the FDIC. Now I am in a situation where I am attending school, paying health insurance, working full time, paying a car & insurance along with several housing and utility bills. Not that I'm crying for help because I do what I have to do. Just Credit One's refusal to work with me, and still charge me ridiculous charges seems unfair. Yes, I accepted the card and agreed to the conditions, but why weren't charges such as a "closed account maintenance fee" in the Terms? You find it let me know. I will be writing my full story and follow up on this bank. Please email me for more details.

To all those who simply say "pay your bills" and "it's your fault," I say you are ignorant. You are ignorant to post such a thing because you don't understand the situation, and your knowledge of it shows. This is obviously happening to more people than anyone can keep up with. Google "Credit One Bank Complaints" and see how many results you get. They have an "F" rating with the BBB and every other Consumer Complaints Board that looked at them. They are NOT a legit Bank, and the practices they use are not only fraudulent and predatory, but they're wrong. This company should not be in business. To simply say they can get away with it because it was in their "Terms & Disclosures" is wrong because A)They are not accurate, and B) They do not disclose changes in their polices as required by the consumer rights by the FDIC. They simply leave it open to "can change without notice." They use loopholes to jump through the system and that's how they can get away with it. Email me to challenge me on it, I not only welcome it, but encourage it. I did my research. They violate several rights on the FDIC. Check them out on this page: http://www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/rights/index.html.

The only way, we as consumers (AKA: the powerless) can do anything is by petitioning to the government, and attacking them at a "customer service" level. Their refusal to follow up disputes, work with customers, work with agencies such as the Better Business Bureau, their call center agents' knowledge of the business, and their lack of customer commitment is the way, en masse we can effect them. On Credit One's website, their customer service motto states:

"Our Customers
We are proud of our accomplishments as a company, and perhaps just as important to us is the genuine concern and attention we strive to show towards every one of our customers. We are dedicated to serving the needs of our customers with superior customer service." -Credit One Bank

Is it just me, or is there anyone else that not only disagrees with that statement, but has felt Credit One has not lived up to that statement in you dealing with them? I am in the process of creating a petition, and a beginning a report on all who have been affected by the wrongful business practices of this bank. They must not get away with these practices and prey on the hard-working consumers who just want a fair credit card company, and wish to not hurt their credit, but work past mistakes and be on the way to establishing good credit.

It is hard enough to survive and make a living as a working-class citizen without companies like this taking waste money from you to feed their corporate CEOs and officials. Enough is enough. I ask all who have been affected by this bank to email me at [email protected] to share their story. With each series of complaints I will forward them to the FDIC, FTC, BBB, and other government agencies in charge of funding, insuring, and governing these corporations. The only way we can do anything is with everyone's help. Stop throwing your rent, food, clothes, gas, insurance, mortgage, utilities, and overtime pay to these greedy companies who are in business not to help you, I promise, but to harm you and take whatever they can from you before people start speaking up. It's NOT OK to just sit back and let them ruin your credit and take YOUR working dollars. Don't listen to people who tell you to do nothing. Don't be afraid of companies like this. Please email me and together we can work to alleviate one of these companies from crushing us with their fraudulent charges. Don't be taken advantage of. This is not a case of only a handful of people being robbed by this company, this is THOUSANDS of people. Read the reports online, I'm not making this up. If we expose this company for who they are and especially to the media, and once people know who they are, WE as consumers have the power to stop them, but only if you fight.

I do thank you for reading this post and I thank everyone in advance for any support. Please, I do not wish to be emailed by people who will only say "just pay them" that's not what this is about. Keep your advice to yourself. If you tell people to "just pay your bills" you must not have it that hard, so how about sharing a little dough with the rest of us? Keep those things to yourself. Mistakes happen, accidents happen, and unfortunately people get in debt. You're not alone. But fessing up to those mistakes and fighting back can make a difference. This company cannot ignore everyone and together as consumers, we can make a difference.

Please join in the new Members Against Predatory Lending & Extortions (MAPLE). I am asking for only those consumers who have been taken advantage or feel they have been taken advantage of by this Credit One Bank company. You're not alone .. help yourself, and help others now.

Thanks for listening, please email me for any updates and questions on MAPLE.

Matthew Decker