Cancel Credit Cards Prior To Death

[Perry]

Cancel Credit Cards Prior To Death

Make a note, now!

Be sure and cancel your credit cards before you die! This is
so priceless and so easy to see happening – "customer
service" being what it is today!

A lady died some months back and the Credit Card
Company billed her in February for their annual service
charges on her credit card. In March, the Credit Card
Company added late payment fees and interest on the
monthly statement. The balance had been $0.00, but was
now somewhere around $26.00. A family member phoned
the Credit Card Company.

Family Member: (after preliminaries)
'I am calling to tell you that she died in January.'

Credit Card Company Call Centre Representative:
'The account was never closed and the late fees and charges
still apply.'

Family Member:
'Well, maybe you should turn it over to your collections
department?'

Credit Card Company Call Centre Representative:
'Since it is two months past due, that would've already
happened.'

Family Member:
So what will they do when they find out she is dead?'

Credit Card Company Call Centre Representative:
'Either report her account to the frauds division or report her
to the credit defaulters bureau. Maybe both.'

Family Member:
'Do you think God will be mad at her?'

Credit Card Company Call Centre Representative:
'I beg your pardon?'

Family Member:
'Did you not get what I was just telling you . . . The part
about her being dead?'

Credit Card Company Call Centre Representative:
'Sir, you'll have to speak to my supervisor.'

(Supervisor comes on the phone)

Family Member: (after preliminaries)
'I'm calling to tell you that she died in January.'

Credit Card Company Call Centre Supervisor:
'The account was never closed and the late fees and charges
still apply.'

Family Member:
'You mean that you want to collect from her estate?'

Credit Card Company Call Centre Supervisor:
(Stammering slightly) 'Are you her lawyer?'

Family Member:
'No, I'm her nephew, next-of-kin and an executor of her
estate.'

(Family member gives supervisor lawyer contact details)

Credit Card Company Call Centre Supervisor:
'Could you fax us a certificate of death?'

Family Member:
'Sure.'

(Supervisor gives freefax number and certificate of death is
sent, immediately. Then . . . )

Credit Card Company Call Centre Supervisor:
'I'm sorry, but our system just isn't set up to manage death. I
don't know what more I can do to help.'

Family Member:
'Well, if you can figure it out, great! If not, you could just
keep billing her. I don't think she will care.'

Credit Card Company Call Centre Supervisor:
'Well, the late fees and charges do still apply and it could
have an adverse impact on her credit rating.'

Family Member:
'Huh? Well, would you like her new billing address?'

Credit Card Company Call Centre Supervisor:
'That might help.'

Family Member:
'Rosewood Memorial Cemetery, 1249 Centurion Rd,
Uptown, Any Country. Plot Number 1049.'

Credit Card Company Call Centre Supervisor:
'Sir! That's a cemetery!'

Family Member:
'Well, what the *** do you do with dead people on
your planet?'

[Monid]

You laugh now, but this actually happened to me with my first wife, Kerry who had cystic fibrosis.

When she died I had to go to Winz with her brother to cancel her disability benefit. I explained why we were there and the lady at the desk gave me a change of circumstances for her to fill out...

I said, "um she is dead, that sort of precludes form filling."

She responded that the form had to be filled out by the person whose circumstances had changed...

I rather patiently explained that the dead aren't known for their propensity to fill in forms. Eventually I got to talk to her supervisor who after seeing Kerry's death certificate agreed that we could fill out the change of circumstances form on her behalf.

This at least got the benefit canceled, but we were still given a copy of the form to take away for her to sign by the helpful lady on the desk!

Cheers
David

[whitt]

This reflects on the type of staff we employ.

Often it is a hard choice as an business owner whom to employ.

Those with ability for the job at hand or those with commonsense and good customer service?

We have moved towards employing the latter lately.
Customer service is the face of a business and very hard to teach, whilst teaching someone how to carry out a task is much easier.

The examples mentioned in above posts clearly back my theory. Thanks