Leslie, over on Smoke Rings And Coffee Stains, wrote a piece about the New Privacy Invasions Thanks To Experian.
“I have fired the first shot in my private war against the credit card companies with their non-stop assault of direct mailing credit card offers… I have responded to four credit card companies, in their postage paid envelopes, filling the envelop with the shreds of their request forms as well as any other contents in the original offer… I am hitting them right where it matters… I generating an expense (they pay the postage). I need help to defeat these giant companies… Unfortunately, alone, I am the proverbial Miguel de Cervante’s, Don Quixote, jousting at windmills. I need an army of Sancho Panzas to assist me in my quest to beat out these modern day money changers… They’re forcing us to take time to read, destroy, and dispose of this junk mail… Our time is money, so let’s make them pay… Return those credit card offers filling the envelops with junk mail… Besides, it feels good to mail out a letter that costs nothing.â€
Are any of you fighting these credit card companies? And how? I do like that idea of sending BACK the credit card offers packed with extra stuff inside as a way to stick it to them, and on their own dime.
But, fortunately, (or unfortunately, however you choose to see this) I do not have any credit cards. Thanks to a lot of bad behavior, and really poor choices (back when I was much much younger) I couldn’t even get a prepaid credit card if I tried. I don’t get mail order offers, and I don’t have to worry about privacy issues. I guess I am lucky, its one less thing to deal with. I would hate to feel like my two friends above.
Seriously, if anyone ever stole my identity, they would be the ones that ended up feeling ripped off.
Hey I’m going to try sending the shreds today! 🙂 Good idea 🙂 btw, since whoever steals your identity will not likely to get a loan, maybe you can sell your identity to illegal immigrants… see they will then pay taxes, 401k, medicare and all kinds of stuff on your behalf, and wowla, immediately you will have multiple streams of income going into your retirement and medicare 🙂
Credit card debt is THE worst financial situation to be in, and the easiest one to fall into.
RMH: Yeay! Join the revolution! (and what a good idea, maybe I should sell my identity, it would be worth a whole lot more!…) 🙂
—
HollyGL: I know dood. I know. That’s why we have to shut.them.down!
This made me laugh. I also hate them, and am in the same situation as you. Perhaps I should take Mother Hen’s advice…
I hated (when I qualified for them) the practice of charging you interest that puts you over the limit, then charging you for being over the limit, then upping your percentage rate, and finally charging you a late fee when you can’t afford to pay them. And of course they won’t negotiate until you haven’t paid them for about a year, then whatever company they sold the debt to is ready to make a deal. Of course, by then, your credit is shot. Yes, I am bitter. 🙂
That’s a great idea! I am actually looking forward to my next mailing…hehe
they know better than to send one of those things to me,,, they would never give me the card,, and if they did i would never pay them,,,,,,so i guess i have already done my damage!!!!!
I’m sure my husband would like to see me shred my actual credit card and send it back from whence it came…
Like you, Paisley, I have done my damage…
God help the poor character who steals my identity.
It will turn around and bite them!
xx
There are a lot of cards that offer $100 gift cards for signing up.
As long as there are no monthly fees, sign up, buy something small (pack of gum), pay it off and cancel it. If you’re good, you can cancel the card before your gift card even makes it through the mail. We’ve done this 6 times so for over the last 2 years.
Take that credit card companies.
Credit cards are bad. we pay cash for practically everything. We do have one credit card in my husbands wallet that we have incase of some giant emergency.
I-HATE-CREDIT CARDS! Don’t have any, don’t want them, my credit is shot anyway from an economic meltdown I had 2 years ago. I fought back when I had them and even shook them down on interest. But it wasn’t enough. They screw you and jack up the rates for no reason. Even if you pay on time. TOTAL SCAM!!! I don’t miss them but remember, they need you more than you need them.