Credit card -- Fees or interest -- Complaint #7845631
Complaint Overview
Complaint ID: 7845631
Company: Atlanticus Services Corporation
Product: Credit card
Sub-Product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Fees or interest
Sub-Issue: Problem with fees
State: Ohio
ZIP Code: 44121
Date Received: 2023-11-13T12:00:00-05:00
Date Sent to Company: 2023-11-13T12:00:00-05:00
Company Response: Closed with monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Submitted Via: Web
Consumer Narrative
I applied for an Aspire Credit Card, which was promoted as having no annual or monthly fee. After about 12 months of use of the card, Aspire apparently changed its fee structure and started charging me a $ XXXX fee, which I did not notice until today. I carried a balance on the card until paying it off in full earlier this fall, so did not notice the extra $ XXXX in charges. Aspire invited me several times to sign up for XXXX of statements and notices, but I prefer paper notices, so I never opted-in to XXXX Despite this, XXXX apparently never notified me in writing of its new fee structure. I asked when they mailed me notice of the new fee, and they told me I was sent an " email notice '' in early 2023, But if such an email was sent, I never saw it. I recieve hundreds of emails a day, so if such an email was sent, I did not see it. As such, I have apparently been charged $ XXXX for at least XXXX months, without notice to me or my consent to such charges. I would like to be refunded for any of these charges that were placed on my card. In a phone call with customer service, I was told that the $ XXXX maintenance fee is " automatically added '' after the card account is open for a year. I do not recall any disclosure of this escalating fee structure. When I called to cancel my account, the first XXXX customer service representatives told me that a request to cancel my account would take " 45 days '' or " XXXX business days '' to process, and that the $ XXXX fee would be deducted during that time. Only after I identified myself as an attorney did the customer service rep ( the XXXX one I spoke with ) agree to cancel my account more quickly, and to remove the existing {$10.00} balance ( XXXX monthly maintenance fees ). This undisclosed increase in fees and XXXX cancellation period seems extremely sneaky to me, and since XXXXspire markets itself as a " credit recovery '' credit card, I suspect Aspire is deliberately taking advantage of unwary consumers. I signed up for the Aspire card because I recently exited a personal bankruptcy, and Aspire was the only " XXXX XXXX XXXX credit card that did not charge monthly or annual fees. Secretly charging a monthly fee added after XXXX XXXX feels like a bait and switch deliberatly structured to mislead consumers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Complaint #7845631 about?
Complaint #7845631 was filed against Atlanticus Services Corporation regarding Credit card specifically about Fees or interest. It was received by the CFPB on 2023-11-13T12:00:00-05:00.
How did Atlanticus Services Corporation respond to this complaint?
The company responded with: "Closed with monetary relief". The response was timely.
What is the risk level of this complaint?
See the risk assessment section for details on this complaint's risk profile.
How do I file a similar complaint?
You can file a complaint with the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/complaint. Select the appropriate product category (Credit card) and describe your issue in detail.
Can I see other complaints against Atlanticus Services Corporation?
Yes, visit the Atlanticus Services Corporation company profile at readthecomplaint.com/company/atlanticus-services-corporation to see all complaints, risk scores, and analysis.
Disclaimer
This analysis is AI-generated based on publicly available CFPB complaint data. It does not constitute financial or legal advice.