Question on credit card charge?

[SOAPPRO]

My wife applied for a Capital One credit card. Got approved, they sent the cards. We never called and activated the cards deciding that we would not use it. They sent a letter saying they would cancel the cards if we did not activate them. We never activated them. We now have a $77.00 bill from them, that has been sent to collection. For what I dont know? If anyone can give me any information as to what I can do it would be appreciated?

[sweeps]

What did Cap One say when you called them? Maybe you were the victim of identity theft? If the $77 bill isn't legitimate but Cap One says it is then you should file a report with the credit reporting agencies and force Cap One to prove it.

[tener]

Originally Posted by Sweepsplayer

What did Cap One say when you called them? Maybe you were the victim of identity theft? If the $77 bill isn't legitimate but Cap One says it is then you should file a report with the credit reporting agencies and force Cap One to prove it.

it can't be credit card fraud because they never activated the card... unless its an inside job, which is a worse situation for cap One.... in any case don't pay that $77, why should you? you never used it.

[poundwise]

It would be necessary to know what that $77 represents before knowing how to advise you to proceed. Are they saying it was a charge made? Or is a annual/membership fee? Or what?

[neatdesign]

Originally Posted by SOAPPRO

If anyone can give me any information as to what I can do it would be appreciated?

Well, my first suggestion would be to CALL THEM. It's difficult to give advice when you aren't able to provide any details.

Since CapOne's automated phone system is a total nightmare, go to gethuman.com to find out the most efficient way to get through to a live person.

My guess is that the account had a membership fee of some kind, most likely an annual fee. The annual membership fee (AMF) is charged on the last day of the first full billing cycle of a new account. Most CapOne membership fees are $39-$59/year. Since you said your balance was $77, the different is probably made up of a past due fee (typically $29) and/or finance charges on the accrued balance (AMF + past due fee).

CapOne WILL cancel accounts due to inactivity. The amount of time the account is inactive before they will cancel it varies. Sometimes they never cancel the account, though.

You said you never activated your cards. Be aware that there is a big difference between a CREDIT CARD and a CREDIT CARD ACCOUNT. They are not interchangeable.

If an AMF is part of an account's terms & conditions, not activating the physical credit card itself has no bearing whatsoever on whether that AMF will be charged to the account. The very act of APPLYING for the account gives CapOne the right to charge the AMF (again, assuming it's part of the terms) because the very act of applying means the applicant automatically agrees to whatever the account's terms are. When the application is approved, the ACCOUNT is open and active -- even if the CARD is not. So it doesn't matter if you didn't activate or use the cards; your account is active and therefore the terms of that account are active.

~ Jenney (former CapOne employee)

[Tree0164]

It sounds like it is an annual membership fee. Check your terms and conditions. I would call and ask them to explain.

Good luck

[instantinfo4you]

I definitely think that this sounds like some kind of annual membership fee. You must go back and read ALL the fine print on the offer you applied for. I almost gurantee you that you will find the reason you were charged hidden in the fine print.