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	Complaint: PROVIDIAN FINANCIAL STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY. I NEVER SIGNED ANY CONTRACT WITH PROVIDIAN, RATHER, I HAD A BRAVO CARD YEARS AGO - WHICH HAD A VERY LOW INTEREST RATE. I HAD SOMEWHAT OF A DISPUTE WITH BRAVO AND PROVIDIAN ALLEGEDLY BOUGHT BRAVO. I TOLD PROVIDIAN THAT THE ACCOUNT WAS IN DISPUTE AND SIGNED NOTHING WITH PROVIDIAN. I MADE IT VERY CLEAR THAT I HAD NOT INTENTIONS OF PAYING PROVIDIAN BECAUSE I BELIEVED I OWED BRAVO NOTHING. PROVIDIAN THREATENED TO SUE FOUR - FIVE YEARS AGO, BUT DID NOT DO SO. I CHALLENGED THE CREDIT REPORT INFORMATION, BUT WITH NO LUCK. I SENT LETTERS TO PROVIDIAN ASKING FOR PROOF THAT IT HAD A RIGHT TO COLLECT DEBTS OWED TO BRAVO, BUT PROVIDIAN DID NOT SEND ME ANYTHING. FURTHERMORE, PROVIDIAN JACKED UP THE INTEREST RATE, WHICH WAS ABOUT 9%, TO A WHOPPING 19.99% TO WHICH I NEVER AGREED. RECENTLY, I REALLY NEEDED TO GET THIS RESOLVED SO FILED NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS WITH VARIOUS AGENCIES, AND EVEN HIRED AN ATTORNEY, AND PROVIDIAN FINALLY SENT ME PROOF IT HAD RIGHT! TO COLLECT, BUT NO PROOF OF ITS RIGHT TO CHANGE THE INTEREST RATE OR THAT I REALLY OWED BRAVO ANYTHING. PROVIDIAN SUED, FRAUDULENTLY OBTAINED A DEFAULT JUDGMENT AGAINST ME BY NOT SENDING ME NOTICE(I AM A LAW CLERK IN COLLECTION LAW!). I ATTEMPTED TO WORK OUT A SETTLEMENT WITH PROVIDIAN, BUT PROVIDIAN WAS UNREASONABLE. I WAS ABLE TO GET THEM TO AGREE TO 50% OF THE ALLEGED BALANCE, BUT THEY INSISTED ON GETTING IT WITHIN 60 DAYS AND I NEEDED 90, SO THERE WAS NO DEAL - EVEN PROVIDIAN'S OWN ATTORNEY ADMITTED THAT IT WAS BEING UNREASONABLE. SO, I FILED A MOTION TO SET ASIDE THE JUDGMENT, BUT PROVIDIAN'S ATTORNEY INDICATED THAT PROVIDIAN WOULD NOT CHALLENGE THE MOTION. THIS ACTUALLY MAKES PERFECT SENSE BECAUSE ILLINOIS JUDGMENT INTEREST RATE IS ONLY 9% SIMPLE (NO INTEREST ON INTEREST AFTER THE JUDGMENT) AND PROVIDIAN WAS PREVIOUSLY CHARGING ME 19.99% COMPOUND. IN OTHER WORDS, IF I SUCCEED ON MY MOTION, THEN PROVIDIAN WILL START CHARGING ME ITS NEARLY USURIOUS INTEREST RATE A! GAIN - SO I WILL PROBABLY JUST NOT PURSUE THE MOTION AND LET PROVIDAN HAVE ITS UNCOLLECTIBLE JUDGMENT THAT IT OBTAINED THROUGH FRAUD AND OTHER DISHONEST MEANS. AS AN ARMENIAN, I URGE MY FELLOW ARMENIANS TO STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY. I LIVE IN ILLINOIS, BUT PROVIDIAN DOES A LOT OF BUSINESS IN CALIFORNIA - WHERE MANY ARMENIANS LIVE - I URGE THE ARMENIANS IN CALIFORNIA AND ELSEWHERE TO NOT DO ANY BUSINESS WHATSOEVER WITH PROVIDIAN. IN FACT, I URGE EVERYONE EVERYWHERE TO AVOID THIS GOD-FORSAKEN, EVIL, DISHONEST COMPANY.

	Complaint: My daughter is behind on her payments with Providian Credit. Although she acknowledges it, they continue to call her up and verbally abuse her. She has been in tears more than once because of their abusive and threatening behavior. Even when she asked to speak to a manager, he was the equally abusive. I understand the need to have "collection specialists." I also understand that people need to pay their bills, and on time. But under no circumstances should a bill collector threaten someone, and tell them that they will never get a job because of poor credit. They should not call anyone names. It sounds like a bunch of underpaid flunkies that are getting a feeling of power by harrassing people who have fallen on hard times.

	Rob A New Jersey EmailAddress: modelcarcrazy@aol.com Complaint: Providian has a wonderful accounting system, whereby it takes them 10 - 12 days to process your payment, although it only takes two business days for the check to reach them and only another three days for it to clear my bank (Ihave the cancelled check to verify this). I received a late charge from my first payment two years ago due to this and they insist it takes 10 business days. I definitely caught them in a large lie, as I have the documentation. I am paying online, pending receipt of my tax refund to close the account due to the fact that my most recent problem is now I am waiting for a replacement card that I should have got months ago after my old card expired and no matter how many phone calls I make, they just take my info & tell me 7 - 10 business days unless I want to pay them $ 9.95 for their screw ups... (I made 3 calls to get a replacement card & now I just reported it stolen). Stay away from Providian, Stay Far away!!!!

	PK Complaint: My Providian account was transferred to Aspire. I never activated the Aspire Visa card. I owed a little over $1,000.00. There was a $35.00 late fee and a $35.00 over limit fee charged when I didn't make the payment. I've just paid the account down to $80.00. On my most recent bill, I was billed a $35.00 late charge on 3/23 and a $35.00 over limit fee on 3/24. I mailed several other payment for different companies the same time I mailed the Aspire payment. All the other companies received the payments I mailed on 3/24 except for Aspire who claims the payment was received on 3/25. I tried to dispute the $35.00 over limit charge with several customer service reps. It was very frustrating dealing with the reps because they are in India and at times they were difficult to understand nor did they understand the questions I asked of them. I told the reps I thought that Aspire had received my payment on 3/24 but had held it until 3/25 to collect the $35.00 over ! limit fee. One of the reps told me that if a payment is received before 3:40p.m. the payment is posted as received that day; if the payment is received after 3:40p.m. the payment is posted as received the next day. I filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission stating that I believed Aspire held my payment for a day to collect the $35.00 over limit fee and gave the information about the how I was told they post payments. Anyone reading this might want to make sure that Aspire is posting their payments in a timely manner.

	AB Complaint: Stay away from Providian! Their customer service-if you can call it that-is the worst I have ever experienced. Their employees are rude, inconsiderate, and incapable of handling the simplest of problems. Don't even think about requesting to speak to any supervisors as they are more incompetent and ill-mannered than the customer service reps.

	Emily EmailAddress: eapelliz9279@yahoo.com Complaint: I had a problem with Providian sending me my bills. I pay my bills as they are received, and thats it, if I don't get a bill...I cannot pay it. Providian sent me a bill every other month for the past 2 months. So then I got a past due amount on my account. So I called took care of it sent in payment. I got married in June so it was hectic and realized when I got back from my honeymoon that I never received a bill in May, so then the week after I got another bill, again with a past due on it. The day after I received the bill, I received a collection phone call early Saturday morning. I advised the collector that the night I received the bill I did a balance transfer with one of my other credit cards. I told him the account would be paid in full. He said ok you're sending the $70? No, I told him again, and he still didn't understand, so I stated I was going to call back and speak to someone that listened to what I was saying and hung up. I called back and spoke to so! meone else. I also requested to close the account now that I was so fed up with these people, so when I was asked why I was closing the acct I told them because I had only received a bill every other month!!! It didn't even seem to phase the collector. I want to know how I can make sure their mistakes don't end up on my credit report. Please contact me if anyone knows what I should do. Do Not USE PROVIDIAN!!!!

	Mr. D Complaint: Providian offers good rate on balance transfer, says nothing about a transfer fee, charges you $50 per balance transfer, THEN when asked to show me the offer that contains the information about the transfer fee, they do nothing, send nothing even after several requests. Still unresolved. BEWARE.

	Anonymous Complaint: I received a Providian credit card with a $500 credit limit but had to pay the $500 to receive the card. I used the card for about 2 years, paying the balance in full every month. After about 2 years I started getting phone calls from Providian saying I was in excellent standing and they wanted me to join a travel club that would allow me saving during trips and other things such as auto insurance. It would also increase my credit limit another $500. By joining this club the $500 increase would be added to the balance on my card and I would make monthly payments to pay it off. I told them I did not want to join the travel club as I was not in a financial position to have a $500 debt on my credit card. They continued to call me, sometimes 2 times a day. This calling continued for a couple months. One time they called and woke me up around 6:30 in the morning asking again if I wanted to join this travel club and in a weak moment I told them if they had brochures! or something I could read to send it to me. The next time I received my bill the $500 increase was on my statement along with the monthly fee for paying it off. I called Providian and told them I didn't want the increase. They told me it was too late to cancel and would not take it off. I stopped using the card and refused to pay the $500. That $500 is now $2,300 all from late fees and interest. I have tried many times to resolve this matter with Providian but they will not cooperate. I have told this story to their customer service many, many times. I did call Providian and canceled the card and got them to stop the late fees from being added. I thought I was finally getting this matter under control, but "in true credit card company behavior" Providian sold the account to Attention LLC and now all fees and interest has started up again and so has the phone calls. I do not know of any other avenues to take with this matter as talking with them only gets me shuffled f! rom one operator to another with nothing being resolved.

	Sharon oliver 303 upper main lot#38 Fairfield, ME 04937 207-453-7619 ollieoliver2002@yahoo.com Complaint: On June 21,2004 ; at my place of work ; R.H.Dolley Alzheimer Home in Winslow,Maine; I was contacted ; by phone ; by a representative of Providian credit card company;about a debt that I owe. He was very abusive on the phone and I told him that I was at work and to please call me at home and he got very angry and called me names.I hung up on him and he called right back and started in on me again.I asked him his name and he said "I gave it to you once, are you that incompetant?"And he wouldn`t give it to me. I asked him what he wanted to do and he just kept mouthing off at me. I asked him two more times "What do you want?" and he kept degrading me so I told him "I`m at work call me at home and gave him my home phone number.and he kept hollering so I hung up on him again and he called right back ; hollering at me calling me a "home shopping network shopper" I said "excuse me" and he said "You probably are ; you seem like the type" He also said "Did you say you work with alzheimer people?" "Well, it`s a good thing they have alzheimers; being the incompetant person you are." He also said "Why are you working part-time are you too stupid to get a real job?"I told him do not call here again and hung up on him.He said other things too numerous to mention , but i have them written down. On July 9,2004 this same person called my home and started in the same way again ; I got so upset my boyfriend took the phone and he started in on him too. He gave his name as ; Eric Lessard of Schreiber and Associates. My boyfriend tried to talk to him , but he just kept mouthing off at him and wouldn`t listen calmly , so he hung up on him and he called right back and started in again so my boyfriend asked him if he minded if he taped the conversation and he said no you can`t and hung up on him. This whole thing has me so upset that i have had to go back on my meds for panic attacks. I don`t know what to do. I don`t have an address or a telephone number to reach this company to make arrangements to pay or anything . He wouldn`t give me any information. I offered to pay $20.00 a month ; more if I can and he laughed at me and said no. I`m scared and confused ; I don`t know what to do ; please help me. Thank You , Sharon Oliver

	Otto26 EmailAddress: dmodet@cs.com Complaint: Yes I am on the credit protection/dept cancellation insurance for Providian I am a disabiled person now while I was on the insurance with them and now I am on SSI and SS and no matter what i send into them they will not except it, they will not cancel my debt Providian always comes up with so many lame excuses not to do so. Has anyone out there have the same problem with this credit card company? Please e-mail me to let me know thank you...what can I do?..

	Anonymous Complaint: Providian Bank has no Customer Service they are rude and are not willing to even right a mistake they made. My payment was one day late and I have been paying for it ever since. I will get them paid off as quickly as possible because I can't wait to tell them how to and how they can stick their credit cards up their ass. I tell every one who comes up to the counter where I work and all my friends Providian Sucks and I want to be a part of a class action suit against them Jackie

	Susan Tennessee Complaint: I have been a good Customer for over 6 years with Providian Bank. I have a Platnium Visa care. Over the last 6 years they have rewarded my good credit by increasing my limits offering lower interest rates for balance transfers, etc. However in March, 2004 I was 5 days late on my payment, was charged a $39. late fee (which I did not dispute) and 4 months later my interest rate was increased to 29.99%. I talked to them and asked them to review my payment history over the last 6 years an they had to go back to 2001 to find anything else. They said I was not eligible for any incentive programs and would not lower my interest rate. Needless to say all payments have been made on time with most paying higher than the minimum due and they still said NO they could not lower the rate. They had no way of lowering interest rates. Of course they have a way of Increasing the rates. They agreed that I have been a Very Good customer and would like to keep my business. I told them they lost it and I would file complaints anywhere I could find. DO NOT OPEN UP A PROVIDIAN VISA ACCOUNT THEY WILL RIP YOU OFF!!!!!

	Mark EmailAddress: markyyyy@aol.com Complaint: Ok, I think this tops all... My 78 year old mother (Providian customer)is dying in convalescent care. I provided a phone for her bed side so she could have the comfort of family nearby anytime she needs it. Well you guessed it a collection agent representing Providian got ahold of her number at the hospital & called her this morning. She was late on her Providian Bill It had been a good morning up until then. (she was in pain but knew who & where she was & was not in delirium as is often the case) She told him where she was & her condition & asked him to please not call again. His reply..."well your not dead yet, so I can call you anytime I want" She gave him my phone number (big mistake!)after several crying phone calls I assured her it wasn't something she needed to worry about & would change her number to an unlisted one. Then came my call from the devil... Round 1... he said I was responsible for her bill because I had helped her write out some of her payments from her checking account over the past year. (she is almost blind & incapable of signing her name). I told him I was not a signer on her charge account, had no power of attorney & had nothing to do with it. I have been "helping out" financialy for years but can't handle her $6,900 credit card balance! Round 2...Then came the theats of law suits, attorney fees & the charge I was somehow guilty of fraud. (I've never used nor benefitted from anything charged on her credit card.) Round 3... (and final) I was a lousy son & how ashamed my dying mother must be of me. After all, my paying her bill was the right thing to do, whether I legally owed it or not! OK I did lose it pretty good. I'm not proud of my language or the names I called him but it is the devil where talking about here. These people don't care if your dying, (by the way she has death & disability coverage on the balance of her card but she was disabled at the time the card was issued & much to their dissapointment she is not quite dead yet.) These people don't care if you OWE THE MONEY OR NOT - I should give them the phone number of my sister, I don't like her very much & apparently any relative will do. By the way who would give a blind ,disabled, broke, unemployed 70 something year old with a bankruptsy on her credit report 6 years ago a credit card with a $7,000 credit line? who? Do I win the trophy?

	V. Young 410 Star BLVD Madison, TN 37115 Complaint: For two months in a row, Providian/Aspire card services have had problems with their online payment page. It does not load, or it can't be found by the web. I always pay online because I discovered long ago that Providian is rather slow at processing mailed payments. So slow in fact that payments mailed weeks in advance of a due date will still be processed so that you are charged a late fee. Now online payment services "mysteriously" go down at the end of the last two months in a row so you are forced to pay a 15 dollar phone payment fee, and possibly be charged a late fee. The automated introduction adds insult to this injury by announcing no fees for online payments for the holiday season. The customer service is done somewhere in India, making them completely oblivious and apathetic to any problem that might exist with online payments. They just tell you to take your 15 dollar fee or don't pay at all. I want to pay my bill, but I am absolutely displeas! ed and dissatisfied with Providian. I now lament the day I acquired this card. It is a cancer in my bones. Card holders beware.

	Anonymous Complaint: Just a word of caution about Providian.I first got my card from them in 2000. I was then charged an annual fee due to a screw up on my credit report. A doctor's office had mistakenly turned over an account to collection that had been already paid by my insurance. I sent in the annual fee before getting the card as well as a deposit so as not to have to pay interest on it. My starting credit line was $559.00 Providian has a bad habit of screwing up their own records. My address got changed by one digit so for 2 months so I did not receive a bill. We had a fill-in mailman who didn't know me. I incurred late charges. On the third month the bill was received then I noticed the error. It took 5+ calls(about 2hrs on phone) to finally get this taken care of. I now have a limit of $5000.00+. In Sep.2001 a grace period was added to my terms. From then until Dec.2003(2yrs.), I only had to pay interest on three occasions(3/27mos). One of which I had a balance of $10.00cr an! d had to pay .13 interest. My card had to be replaced due to it being stolen then, afterwards I get charged interest every month. From Jan 2004 until Aug 2004 I have been charged interest. I would send in my payments according to the balance due before date due and would be charged interest. One month I even received a bill for $0.07 if not paid then I would incur a $39.00 late payment fee. I contact Providian only to be told that I do not have a grace period,that my Providian card does not offer a grace period. Providian was my first card to get, I guess it will also be the first one to get rid of.

	lou lermore 215 rolling street birch creek Iowa Phone: 254-813-6781 EmailAddress: lerskipfret.org Complaint: My wife and I both received our own individual personalized prividian card about 10 months ago. Because the interest was reasonably low we used them a lot. My wife always paid both account payments with one check specifying on each of our billing payment brochure how much went to each account. She has always made copies of each payment receipt and also the check before sending them and also entering them in our computerized records. All of a sudden they claimed I had not made a payment in November on my account. My wife immediately called them and informed them we certainly had and let them know we had copies of all transactions payment vouchers sent to them and informed them that we always sent one check for both accounts. Of course they disputed that but requested copies of what she had and also a copy of the cancelled check. We sent all of them. They acknowledged all the copies as to what my wife had done but would not accept the fact that they had credited it wrong and would not change it. They told my wife that is was over thirty days since it had occured and they could not do anything to change it nor would they because of policy. Well, my wife decided it was not worth it to fight with them and made an over the phone payment of 10 times the amount they requested. December billing came and they had raised my interest rate to 31.85 percent!! My wife called again and they refused to talk to her about her husband's credit card account..So, I called them and ask them why they had raised my rate so rediculously high and they stated because I had a bad payment record on my credit..That puzzled me greatly. So, I got a credit report on myself and there was no record whatsoever on any company that I had credit with. I knew there was nothing because we make it a point to pay before or on time with everything! But, I want everyone to know there was one company who reported that I had been late with a payment and guess who that company was! Providian! Providian! Providian..... As far as we are concerned if they keep up these kind of sleezy tricks and lies, consumers will not have to worry about getting big fancy offers from them...And what can we do about it...How many people have the money to hire a high priced lawyer to fight them over this...The way the laws are, they know they can get away with it!!!!we are paying both accounts off in full at the end of this billing cycle even though my wife's account is at 8.5....business account...

	Jeffery Guthrie Complaint: I opened an account with providian. The account started out at 19% and now is 29%. Once I told them I wanted my account closed, the jacked the percentage rate higher. I sent them a $128 dollar payment and only $62 got applied. I can't afford to even pay them off. They even raised my limit when I got close to paying it off, so this makes it even more difficult. I don't mind paying for services that I have had but I really am getting ripped off. What makes it worse, is I went to Iraq for everyone in this country about a year ago, which caused me to be late a few times (couldn't make payment in another country). These people couldn't even cut me some slack. I would really like to go to the main office and xxxx xxx xxxxx xxxxx xx because they are the real enemy (Americans ripping off other Americans).

	MrPkUSA LasVegas EmailAddress: mrpkusa@hotmail.com Complaint: My experiences with Providian seem to mirror many of the postings here. Providian sent a mailer wuth a "0%" transfer option to entice cardholders to switch balances to their cards. I move approximately $4,000 to a "Providian Platinum Select" card that showed 0% for 12 months and a 9.9% interst rate on new purchases. All went well for 6 months when I attempted to payoff the balance ($2,500). After mailing a check to pay the balance in full, Irecived a phone call from a Providian rep who requsted that I submit either a cashiers check or Western Union a payment. I told him that they have accepted my checks in the past why now do you require Certifed funds? his answer was that as a "new" customer their guidelines state that only Certified funds will do. I asked about my 6 prior payments and he had no response why they accepted them but that I "WOULD BE ADVISED TO GO TO WESTERN UNION NOW" as my due date is tomorrow. I told him to contact my bank to verify funds, then deposit the check and close my account immediately. He told me he would do no such ! thing until I paid my account in "Legal Funds". I told him if he didn't want to deposit it then he could use it as a suppository as I will return his card(in several pieces) and post it today. Some 30 days later I received a dunning call informing me that my account was grossly overdue and "what are you prepared to do today?). I explained the dilemna and the fact that I retuned their catd only to be called a deadbeat, slacker and more. I offered to purchase an airline ticket to my home city so I may meet this fool face to face. He declined to accept my offer, as originally he thought I offered a ticket to Bangladore. He went on to tell me that no check had been received in his office as my files is updated at every contact.When I requested a copy he promptly hung up. I have since hired an attorney to go after these assh*s and I will accept nothing less than 100% vindication and restoration of m credit score. They report a delinquency every month and have trashed my score. ! PS they finally cashed my check over 75 days after they informed me that they couldn't accept it for payment. The amounts they report to the Credit Bureaus is retroactive interest and monthly late and "overlimit" fees. I'm waiting for my lawsuit filed 6 months ago to reach the docket. They have offered to clear their files but they say that they have no control over the reporting practices of the credit bureaus. I find this answer to be total horsest as they are the ones who reprted the data in the first place. My advice is A) NEVER NEVER NEVER accept a Providian card B)Shred all credit card offers from Providian C) If you are unclear as to what to do about Providian reread A & B.

	Anonymous EmailAddress: paulacoome@yahoo.com Complaint: On Tuesday, 02/08/05 I received four (4) calls from this collection agency. The first call was from phone # 952-xxxxxxx and a woman with a name starting with "L" said she was with Providian Bank and was calling to collect on a debt. I advised I was making payments and she indicated they hadn't received a payment since 01/17/05. I advised I would continue to make my payments and asked that she not call me again. She said she needed a payment arrangement by phone and wanted post-dated checks. I advised I was not comfortable with that option and to please stop calling. She started getting abusive with me so I hung up the phone on her. The same representative immediately called me right back from the dame phone # of 952-xxxxxxx (I have the numers on my caller id.) This makes call # 2. She threatened to sue if I did not make arrangements with her and she would mark my account as a refusal to pay. I told her that made no sense since her records show I have b! een making regular pmts to Providian. I asked her again to stop calling and hung up on her a 2nd time. In the afternoon I got a call from it was a strong voice message from Allied Interstate they had a very important message for me and that I must call back right away. I did not call back since I had talked to their representative 2 times that day. Finally about 6 pm or so I got my 4th call from Allied Interstate phn # 888-xxxxxxx with the same message I was to call them immediately. I thougnt enough is enough and called. I spoke to a Marvin and advised him 4 calls in 1 day was excessive and furthermore I thought it was against the law to harass someone in this way. Marvin said they have a right to call as many times as they want to get a payment arrangement. I told him I was paying and I didn't want anymore calls at home or at work from their collection agency. All the calls were coming to my cell number of 605 xxxxxxx. He said I would have to send! something in writing. Regardless, this is harassment. Calling over & over again in 1 day. I want to make a formal complaint against this company. I went to the MN Attorney General's web site and saw this company has a lawsuit against them. I am not surprised.

	pissed off Complaint: WE RECENTLY GOT AN OFFER FROM ANOTHER CREDIT CARD FOR A LOW BALANCE TRANSFERE OF AROUND 3%. WE USED IT TO TRANSFERE THE HIGH INTEREST RATED PROVIDIAN CARD.AT THIS POINT PROVIDIAN DECIDED TO CHECK OUR CREDIT WHICH IN TURN HURTS OUR RATING.BEWARE OF PROVIDIAN WHEN DOING BALANCE TRANSFERES.BEWARE OF PROVIDIAN WHEN DOING BALANCE TRANSFERES.BEWARE OF PROVIDIAN WHEN DOING BALANCE TRANSFERES.......PASS IT ON LOUDLY....

	Cathy Brill 711 Brazeau Avenue 54153 Phone: 920-834-2150 EmailAddress: whatshot@cybrzn.com Complaint: Every day for the last couple of months I have been getting phone calls from a company that calls themselfs Providien Van Rue Master or visa credit card. They keep asking me for my SS number middle name etc so they can up date my card. I keep telling them I do not have a providien card. They said someone is using my name and they have to verify the information. I told them I will not give them any information over the phone. They said they will keep calling me until I do. I told them I was on the no call list. They don't care. They call me at work and they call me at home. How can I get them to stop besides changing my phone numbers? Have you had any more complaints like this on this Providien Van Rue. I am not sure if Van Rue is spelled right. Thank You

	Alexis Burns-Crowner 2225 Sigel Street Philadelphia, PA 19145 Phone: 215-687-1048 Complaint: I am writing in response to my account. I have a complaint that no one has contacted me regarding my account. My account has been put in so many collection agency's hand, yet I'm not contacted from your company, so who to send the payment to? I've been sending it to California, which was the address the located on my credit report. I requested a balance on a quarterly basis, but no response from Providian. I'm sending you my home address and I'm requesting a balance and payoff amount. I would like to take care of this bill as soon as possible. Please use my home mailing address. Do not call me because of past experiences with your representatives. Thank you for your time in this matter. Alexis Crowner

	Midwest Farmer PO Box 61 Halltown, MO 65664 Complaint: I recently received a very good balance transfer offer from (Progressive Farmer) this is a respected name in the farm community. I sent in the form by mail. I have no card, no paper work, or account number & have received no bill. Now Prividian is calling for money. As soon as I get some legit paper work I will pay this Company off. I wonder how much they will try to rip me in the process. They have too many complaints and lawsuits against them on this web site. IT LOOKS LIKE THEY ARE USING FALSE NAMES TO SUCKER PEOPLE IN. PLEASE WRITE TO MY PO BOX IF YOU HAVE INSIGHT ON THIS.

	surpassmountains Complaint: DON'T SIGN UP FOR PROVIDIAN CREDIT CARD. I had a PROVIDIAN CREDIT CARD . the representative customers are rude, and the interests of this credit card is high. Also, I paid my balance at full, and my bank did a mistake keeping my check for paying the credit card on hold , I was charged for providian not only the return fees, but also more interests and other fees. Nevertheless my bank sent a letter to providian stating that this was a mistake of the bank, still providian continue charging me. I tried to contact them by web banking and pay again, but they disable any transaction. I called the customer representative and he told me he couldnt pull the information. By the time I got a hold of them I had 196 dollars more on fees, plus they told me that paying by phone has an extra cost of 9 dollars. They are violating the law by not correcting the mistakes. I paid at full and cancelled that PROVIDIAN Credit card. Don't try this PROVIDIAN CREDIT CARD, the service is bad! , they have many tricks to make you pay more , the interests are very high and I think that these kind of manuevers of Providian credit card, hurt your finances a big deal.

	RR California Email Address: rfyig@yahoo.com Complaint: I tell you beware of this Prividian Visa and its frivolous affilitates. A Capital Management Sevices, INC sent me a letter with a my last name and wrong first name and my address trying to collect on a delinquent debt. This people are their headhunters and are fishing for their person. If I would be more gullible I might have ended paying just out of fear of this companies, but NO, I called back and found that their SS# was different. They claim that their current creditor is ARROW Financial Services LLC. I just hope other people are careful of them. Take Care and cut them cards. Thanks.

	Suzanne Long Beach, CA Complaint: Providian is sleazy, slimy, with the morals of a snake, and the pond scum who work for them are the absolute bottom of the barrel sleaziest. This company must be one of the ones outsourcing their collection calls to prisoners. The only thing easy about them is getting that first card. After that, they will take you to the cleaners with little (or no) provocation. Rude, nasty, you name it. I second everything I've read here. They even harrassed a dying woman - how low is that? Scumbags. In my opinion, Providian and Citibank are neck in neck in the race to the bottom. After being harrassed by their pirahnas for a year, I paid off the card, and wouldn't you know it; the "pre-approved offers" keep rolling on in!

	Anonymous Complaint_against: providian credit card company Complaint: My husband has a credit card with providian. What i am complaining about is i (the wife) am being harassed. They call for him, and i say he is not here. Then, they ask for the spouse (me). They start telling me how much his bill is and asking me to pay it. I have told them at least 20 times that i am not going to agree to pay that bill. Then, they get smart talking. I would like to file a harrassment complaint. Why do they keep harassing me? I don't have any credit cards at all. Once i tell them my husband isn't here, and take a message, that should be the end of it for me, at least.

	BORN LOSER Complaint against PROVIDIAN Complaint: I HAD A CHARGE PUT ON MY CREDIT CARD BY HPSHOPPING.COM FOR 482.98 SOMEONE PURCHASED A COMPUTER MONITOR. NOT MAILED TO MY ADDRESS. I FILLED OUT PROVIDIAN ERROR IN BILLING AND MAILED IT TO THEM. I CALLED HP SHOPPING AND INFORMED THEM OF MY PROBLEM THEY WERE MORE HELPFUL THAN PROVIDIAN.I FILLED OUT A POLICE REPORTWITH THE LOCAL SHERIFF. ALL I CAN GET IS FORM LETTERS AND NO HELP OR RESULTS.THEY ACT LIKE I DO NOT MATTER AS LONG AS THEY RECIEVE THEIR MONTHLY PAYMENT. NO AMOUNT OF CONACT ACHIEVES ANY RESULTS.

	Anonymous Kentucky Complaint_against: Providian Visa - rates Complaint: by getting all 3 of my credit reports, I found out just how poorly Providian treats their honest, ontime paying consumers! I have been with them since 1998, always pay over the min. due, payments always paid on time- and all 3 credit reports showed the same. I called Providian and I wanted to know why I was getting hit with 29.99% APR - that is down right crazy! After I sternly argued and then demanded to be transfered to management, I was told that my last "periodically review for lower rate offers" was done in JUNE 2003 ??? hello it's freaking 2005!!! What were they doing for 2 years? I went off, told them that I was not satified with their explination nor services, they had negelected my account for two years, and that they would be hearing from my attonery. I also requested a letter of explanitnion to be mailed to my home. GUESS WHAT... not even 2 mins. after speaking to the customer service rep. my cell phone rang...Providian - Corp. offices. I went thru the same arguments and again stated my frustrations. A few mins. later my rate was lowered! It wasn't much but, I was tired of fighting with them. The went to 23.996 %. Every little bit counts. I don't understand why it took 3 people and my blood pressure to go thru the roof before they auctually did something to assit me. good luck getting real "customer service" out of anyone there!

	lloyd west tennessee 38024 EmailAddress: lloyd49@cableone.net Complaint_against: providian Complaint: I had a credit card company called Providian which was maxed out.I paid it off and closed the account on May 2005.I was given a verification number.Shortly after that I got a bill from them for $8.20.I called and and was transferred to a lady who spoke broken english.She told me that the $8.20 was just a balance so I paid it.Today,July 29,2005,I got another bill for $8.20.How do you get these predators off your back? I am at the end of my patience with this fly-by-night company.If anyone has a solution please E mail me at lloyd49@cableone.net.Thanks, Lloyd.

	Anonymous Complaint_against: Providian Complaint: Opened account with Providian in Nov. 2001 for $3,000.00 credit line with 25% interest rate. (Was I stupid or what?) Six months or so later I called Providian and asked for a decrease in rate and it was lowered to 14.99%. I was late on a paymnent, by a day, due to a holiday several months later. My interst rate shot back up to 25% so I called and asked them why. I was told because I was late on a payment. I said, "by one day,!?" and "I've always paid on time before?" By that time I had already maxed out my card. I said if your going to raised my rate up because I missed a payment by one day due to a holiday and I'm admitting I messed up and you're not willing to give me a break, (because I told them if I did it again I would be willing to accept a rate increase) then I need to close this account. They said fine. So I closed the account and I have made my payment every month ON TIME and that's been approimately four years ago. I've called customer service serveral times over the past year asking for a decrease in my interst rate. I have been rudely turned down everytime. Their reasons: We review our customer accounts regularly and based upon your account performance and credit history, we may offer upgrade such as lower APRs. If you are eligible for any upgrades to your account, we will contact you. At this time, we do not have any upgrades available for your account. In conducting our review, we evaluate several factors including timely payment history with us and your other creditors, no returned checks, staying within your credit limit(s), and the continued use of the account. If your account qualifies for an upgrade, we will notify you either through an offer in the mail or on your monthly statement. We do not give rate decreases by request of customer. If your account does not qualify for an upgrade, it will continue to be reviewed periodically. However, this is not a guarantee. Following the above guidelines will improve your chances of having your account upgraded. Your account is closed therefore we can't touch it. I received my invoice in the mail for July and they have increased my interest rate to 26.99%! I called them up and I asked them to work something out with me so I could get this account paid off as I have been paying $80.00 a month for the past four years. They refused. I asked them how can they raise my interest rate if they can't touch my account?! I said, "So you are saying you are refusing to try and work something out with me?" She said, "That's what I'm saying."

	novelator Outside of Great Falls, Montana Complaint_against: Providian Financial Complaint: I have been an on-time paying customer of Providian National Bank/Visa for over seven years now. I recently noticed that my latest interest rate is now at 27.59% (for this billing cycle, or so the statement claims), up from 24.65%. Somehow this 27.59% interest rate is going to translate to a 25.24% interest rate annually. How, I'm not quite sure, since in order for that to happen, that would mean they would have to charge a lower corresponding interest rate for at least a couple of months (maybe we ought to be doing our math) but even so, this is usury, pure and simple. Like a dummy, I called their customer service line. I said I would like to inquire about lowering my interest rate. The rep stated (per her scripting, I'm sure, since I'm a customer service rep myself and know a script when I hear it, no matter how well it's delivered) that Providian does not lower interest rates at the customer's request, but that my account is reviewed "regularly" and when I qualify for a lower interest rate, they will let me know. Uh-huh. I asked to speak to a supervisor, got an American out of Dallas instead of a foreigner offshore, and she proceeded to tell me exactly the same thing, almost verbatim, so I asked for a definition of "regularly". She immediately changed that to "periodically". I asked for a definition of that vague and evasive term. She said she didn't know, then stated she couldn't transfer me to her supervisor as there was no one above her. Obviously not satisfied with this, I called back and started up the food chain again, this time reaching a purported supervisor, a CSR (customer service rep) who, after I badgered her, gave me a toll free number to their corporate offices. (Here is what I was given, for what help it might be: 1-800, Monday-Friday, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Pacific time. Providian Financial is headquartered in San Francisco, although my statement says that my card is issued by Providian National Bank, Tilton, New Hampshire. I believe they have been bought by Washington Mutual but I am still early in my research phase so this may not be at all accurate.) I have yet to try the aforementioned number, but will next Monday. No, I don't expect any resolution there, but still I'm willing to try. Repeatedly throughout this ordeal, I was advised to write to the PO Box in Dallas, but after my experiences on the phone, I have since determined this would simply be a waste of m! y time and postage. I know I will receive the same vague and evasive answers, only in writing, which as we all know, takes far longer. Well designed fraud, huh? During conversations with six of their reps today, I was told at one point that while they review my account "regularly", I did not qualify for any "offers", implying there are and/or were offers of some sort, just that I don't qualify. Whatever "offers" means. My FICO score is over 700. I asked for the qualification criteria, again, to no avail. I asked if the interest rate they were charging me now was some kind of default APR, thinking it might be a mistake on their part. No, I was told, this is just the regular rate for your account. Again, this is usury, blatant in-your-face robbery, and I find it odd they don't start raising your rate, which is tied to the Prime Lending Rate supposedly, until you have a balance that's fairly difficult for you to pay off in one fell swoop. Probably have some kind of software that alerts them to this. Ah, but I digress...or maybe not. The last rep I spoke with, a gentleman named Rochelle, ext. 2508, told me that my account is "reviewed" every four to six months, but that in seven years there'd been no offers of any kind--none. In seven years. Despite the fact other reps I'd spoken to previously had intimated there had been offers, just that I didn't qualify. Well, which is it? I have already filed a complaint online with the FDIC. I will be calling the OCC on Monday to file a similar complaint as well (here is that toll-free number: 1-800-). I urge all of you to do the same. I may be contacting my senators and congressmen for assistance in this matter in the near future. Not that I'm in any desperate financial straits, not that I can't make the payments, just that I can't stand liars, or being victimized in such an overt manner. If anyone out there is contemplating a class-action lawsuit against Providian for their exorbitant and usurous rates, please spread the word far and wide--the cost of the attorneys necessary to initiate the suit will be quite low as I have no doubt from reading and posting on other complaint portals such as this that there will be more than enough complainants to bring start-up costs down to a minimum, until there is a judgement against them. This kind of rip-off should be against the law, if it isn't already. Perhaps this is another step we can and should take--calling on our legislative representatives for a law setting limits on credit card interest rates, especially for those of us with average to good credit scores. Give those suckers in Washington something to do that might actually benefit their constituents, who are you, me, and anyone else victimized by this bank and so many others like it. Providian makes me sick. Believe me, I will have this card paid off in the next year, and then I'll close the account. The real irony in all this is that I also have an eBay mastercard issued by the same company which carries an interest rate a full ten points lower than the Visa to which I have referred. If I were Visa corp, I'd come down on these people in order to preserve my business and reputation. As it stands now, I don't ever want to carry or use another Visa again. And yes, the Mastercard issued by Providian will be paid off in due time and then cut up as well. You're better off establishing or re-establishing your credit by starting locally, say with a home-town furniture or appliance store, charging something small and paying it off, then repeating this while moving on up the credit chain to Sears, etc, and beyond. Believe me, the offers will roll in then. We shouldn't have to settle for treatment this poor, or usury this blatant, or deceptions like this. Everything should be spelled out in black and white, terms defined to the nth degree with none of this evasive wording, as if there is something to hide. Makes you wonder just what they do have to hide, doesn't it? Perhaps there is some way we can force a full disclosure, maybe a whistle-blower or ten will come forward to enlighten us and the rest of the nation. The only reason I started with Providian in the first place was because I went through a bankruptcy over 13 years ago and they were the first to offer me a credit card. I wish I hadn't done it now. Don't make the same mistake--stay away from these thieves. I would've already filed a complaint with Visa Corp itself, but nowhere on their website could I find a place to do so. Seems Visa doesn't care either, or they wouldn't allow such unconscionable sharks to shelter under their auspices. Nor would they continue to allow slime like Providian to besmirch their corporate name or image. Maybe we should all stop using Visa--period. They might sit up and take notice then.

	LOST VA. Complaint_against: PROVIDIAN / PLATIUM / VISA : SST CARD SYSTEMS Complaint: ON 8/8/2005 I RECEIVED A STATEMENT IN THE MAIL TODAY FROM A SST CARD SYSTEMS WITH A BALANCE AND INTEREST RATE OF 21.99%. I CALLED THIS COMPANY, BECAUSE I HAVE HAD NO PRIOR DEALINGS WITH THEM. UPON TALKING TO A SERVICE REP ABOUT THE ACCOUNT AND THAT THE ACCOUNT NUMBER MATCHED NOTHING I HAD WITH ANY CREDIT CARD COMPANY. SHE HESITATED A BIT AND ASKED HAD I GOTTEN A LETTER FROM PROVIDIAN, I REPLYED "NO" THEN SHE STATED THAT MY ACCOUNT HAD BEEN SOLD TO SST CARD SYSTEMS AND THAT I SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED TO THE EFFECT. THIS IS MY COMPLAINT,I HAVE BEEN A CUSTOMER OF PROVIDIAN FOR MANY YEARS AND ALWAYS PAID MY BILL ON TIME AND FOR THEM TO SELL MY ACCOUNT AND UP(DOUBLE)THE INTEREST RATE IS A HELL OF A THANKS FOR MY BUSINESS OVER THE PAST YEARS. I THINK IT IS ABOUT TIME THAT OUR CONGRESSMEN AND SENATORS GOT OFF THEIR DUFF AND DID SOMETHING ABOUT THESE DISHONEST CREDIT CARD COMPANYS AND THE WAY THEY TREAT THEIR CUSTOMERS. I AM ONLY ONE CUSTOMER AND WHAT DIFFERENCE CAN I MA! KE? YES, WE AS CUSTOMERS NEED CHANGE AND WE NEED IT NOW!

	Anonymous Complaint_against: Providian Complaint: Recieve the monthly statemant on the day it's due. I am charged a late fee every month. I can pay by phone or internet for a fee. This has been going on for almost a year!

	Anonymous EmailAddress: saba2r@aol.com Complaint_against: Providian Complaint: It's certainly been eye opening reading all these posts about Providian. A few years back I paid my account with them to a collection agency called Risk Management. I'm now being contacted by a company called Javitch for THE SAME BILL. What gives?

	Zia U. Hasan 1701 Fairfax Dr. Mansfield, TX 76063 Phone: (972) 342-7673 EmailAddress: ziarealtor@yahoo.com Complaint_against: Provedian Complaint: I am sick and tired of the behavior of this company. I paid them online. I mailed them the proof of the payment which was on time. They received it online from my Bank. But some stupid idiot at Providian kept on showing late payments on my credit report. I kept on writing to Providian. They even acknowledged the error, but they did not remove the wrong entries from my account. I think, we the consumers should file a huge class action suite against this fraudulent company and demand a complete shut down of this organization in the interest of the general public. I have enough evidence to prove that some companies make more money by ruining people's credit. These companies have an unwritten understanding with each other of keep on creating and putting negative information about people in their credit files and keep on robbing the innocent consumer with a higher interest rate. I think that Providian is playing a leading role in this scam. I thinking of starting an organization which will be called "Society of Consumers against monopolies." its short name will be "SCAM". The primary objective of this organization will be to expose the "organized criminal activities" of the companies like Providian.

	Eugene Detroit EmailAddress: eermike5@aol.com Complaint_against: Providian Credit Card Complaint: I entered a program that was to assist me to get control of my Providian accout. I discussed the matter with a customer service person. Payments were suspose to be set up for them to draft my bank account. It was also arranged that the draft would take place after a certain date of the month. The day after the due date I noticed that my bank account had not been drafted. I emailed them and advised that the account had not been drafted. I also asked for a persons name whom I could contact because from past experience when you get the "on call" service person they have no power to do anything other than tell you to make a payment!!! Several days after the email was sent asking why my bank account had not been drafted I received an email stating the information was sent to another department and I would receive information in a few days. Few more days past. I received an alert from a posting to my credit report, Providian had reported my account was late and over the credit limit!!!! I sent a letter to the Providian customer service and to the credit bureau and to this date I have not heard from either. I may have made a mistake by not sending it REGISTER MAIL!!! But sending something to a post office box, WHO IS THERE TO SIGN FOR IT???????? Also, I received an email from the customer service asking me to send them proof of the drafting from my bank account arrangements!!!!

	Anonymous Complaint_against: Providian Washington Mutual Complaint: Providian was recently bought out by Washington Mutual these two banks are a good match neither one cares about keeping their customers happy. Washington Mutual was the bank that sued a group of disabled and elderly people and caused some of them to lose their homes. These people are the scum of the credit card industry. They try to milk me for overlimit and other fees every chance they get. They give people small credit limits and then make a killing charging them fees. I am now being charge a $4.00 a month fee plus, they charged me an overlimit fee when that $4.00 fee pushed my account over the limit. SCUM like this needs to be put out of business.

	S.Trussel Complaint_against: Providian Financial Complaint: My Providian card was sold to SST, without my consent and I've been recieving bills after bills with a 29.9% interest and late charges of $39.00. Providian sold my billing information, my personal information, and my life WITHOUT my permission to some dump of a company who won't even answer their telephone. REFUSE service or business with Providian.

	Unhappy Providian Customer P.O. Box 786 Lake Oswego Oregon Phone: 866-275-9249 EmailAddress: or2hi@yahoo.com Complaint_against: Providian Providian Credit Card - uses practices that will negatively affect your FICO!! Many Providian credit card holders are having their credit limits lowered after making large payoff payments. There are hundreds and maybe thousands of Providian customer who are having their credit limits lowered to as low as $250 from orginal $2000-$5000 limits which lowers their FICO by lowering their available credit as related to their balances. FICO scores are directly effected by the amount of debt a consumer has in relation to the amount of credit available; therefore, if the original ration was $200 debt to $4000 available and then reduces to $200 to $250 that consumer has lost $3750 in credit that would have had a positive affect on their FICO scores. SHAME ON PROVIDIAN. WE RECOMMEND A TOTAL BOYCOTT OF ALL PROVIDIAN BANK PRODUCTS. Thank you!

	HKP Complaint_against: Providian Complaint: How does 30 % interest sound if you miss a payment with any card, not just with Providian!!!! It is true!!!!!

	sandy mcclain 5017735537 EmailAddress: arkybarkypups@direcway.com Complaint_against: providian/washington mutual Complaint: i've had an account with providian for 6 years now, have been late numerous times paying the monthly bill(mostly oversight on my part) but always, i mean always, paid way over the min amount due. i recently made a $2000 payment on my account--(balance was $5634.??) i went online to make sure payment posted, and noticed they had decreased my credit limit. it went from $5980 to $4438. which by the way, turns out to be only ??$75 more than my balance!! i was very pissed!!! so i called to find out what was going on, and the lady on the phone tells me that because i had been late my line was decreased. supposedly sent me a letter in the mail, can i call back after i recieve the letter// hell no!well, i told her that if they did not give back my original limit, then i would have to close the account. to which she replied "are you sure you want to do this??" absolutely!!! i cannot believe this has happened, after all the years i've spent trying to build my credit, and th! is is what i get?? no thanks! i'll stick to my amex platinum, if i can pay for it in 30 days, i really don't need it!!!

	Michael Kohn PO BOX 142212 Austin, Texas 78714 Phone: 926-3000 EmailAddress: info@kohnenterprises.com Complaint_against: Washington Mutual Card Services / Providian Complaint: I was issued a credit card with a balance transfer promotion of 3.9% interest rate, and the banker/broker stated I was granted the rate and transferred the funds to the new account. Subsequently, I looked at my first statement and I was being charged 9.49% interest, and they have refused to change my rate. Very unethical practice.

	Gamma Tiger EmailAddress: gammatiger@yahoo.com Complaint_against: Providian Financial Complaint: An update, just so you people know Providian Credit Cards some how became Get Smart Credit Cards. I had to go to Court the other day due to Providian hounding my mother. The judge that was hearing our case, I think was in bed with the Lawyer who was suing my mother and me, as I had heard that the judge was "Friends" with the opposing attorney's Law Firm. However, here are some things to keep in mind the Better business has Providian Financial as having an unsatisfactory record since 2001, but I suspect it might have been longer. The reasons they site for this rating is as follows: These complaints concerned: 1. Customer Service Issues BBB Definition: Service Issues - Claims of alleged delay in completing service, failure to provide promised service, inferior quality of provided service, or damaged merchandise as a result of delivery service. BBB Definition: Customer Service Issues - Claims alleging unsatisfactory customer service, including personnel's failure to provide assistance in a timely manner, failure to address or respond to customer dissatisfaction, unavailability for customer support, and/or inappropriate behavior or attitude exhibited by company staff. 5 Billing or Collection Issues BBB Definition: Billing or Collection Issues - Claim alleging billing errors, unauthorized charges, or questionable collection practices. Something else people should know now this varies from state to state but check your states Statue of Limitation, in New Hampshire a Credit Card Company has only three years in which you can bring legal action against someone for an open revolving account, after that this is nothing they can do. People, the best thing you can do is to keep telling friends and neighbors not to do business with Providian and if they have Cards with Providian to cancel then right away and to keep filing complaints with the Better Business Bureau, against Providian.

	M. McCarney Delaware County Pennsylvania EmailAddress: mccarney4@yahoo.com Complaint_against: Providian Bank/Select Complaint: Just as many of the people on this site, I am having problems with this bank. I have 2 judgements against me on my credit report from them which I did not know about until now. I did have a credit card with them about 10 years ago, but had long since paid it off. One of the judgements is for another account with them that I never opened. These 2 judgements are totalling $20,000. I wish I was notified when this was happening so that I could defend it. Now I cannot even find them as a buisness entity anywhere. It is like they don't exist. Has anyone had any luck with a phone number or an address? I would appreciate any help.

	Jennifer Texas Complaint_against: Providian Complaint: I had a Providian card for about a year with about $500.00 charged to it. One time during the end of that year I was late on my payment by a few days and I started recieving several harrassing calls from them. They also charged me a late fee along with an overlimit fee and increased my interest rate. I was so upset that the very next month I payed them off completely and shut off the account. I have told all my friends and family not to do business with them and now I'm telling that to everyone that reads this posting.

	Scott WI EmailAddress: elvisthekingy2k@msn.com Complaint_against: Providian SST Inc. Complaint: My Providian credit card account was recently sold to Columbia Bank and Trust. They have transfered servicing my account to something called SST, Systems and Services Technologies. Since then I only recieve a statement about every other month. I was told, "You know that bill is due!" They have made accessing my account online next to imposible and whe I do get on the payment must be made two days ahead of the due date or there is a fee. The people on their phones are very rude if you call them and heaven forbid your payment is late when you didn't receive a statement. They will call you every night till late hours even though if you call them with a problem they are already closed for the night. I have been filling complaints against them at federal banking sites but I'd like to know if there is one especially for that purpose.

	Amy Covington St. Paul, MN EmailAddress: amycovington@gmail.com Complaint_against: SST CARD SERVICES (FOR PROVIDIAN CARD) Complaint: I wanted to share my experience with SST CARD SERVICES, who are now handling sold Providian Visa card accounts. It's a familiar story at first, unexpectedly and without notice my Providian card was sold to SST and my interest rate bumped up to 29.999%. I contacted them within the allotted time to keep my previous interest rate by law, but they did not honor it of course. I was determined to pay off this account quickly, which I was on the road to fulfilling. I was always on time, in fact I paid ahead. My mininum payment was $15 and I would pay $200-300. Then, all of a suddent I began getting collection letters stating things like they were going to suspend my account. I went online and everything looked normal, my account showed in good standing. I had all of my email confirmations from SST CONFIRMING my ON TIME payments each month. In one month I made TWO payments even. I had statements from them listing my account as current. But I kept getting collection letter! s. I called numerous times and was told it was a mistake in their system. I always offered to pay over the phone to make sure everything was okay. At this point my balance was only around $100. Three months into continuing to get letters my online access was disabled and they notified my that my balance was nearly $300 due to LATE FEES. I sent them to a check to make sure it didn't affect my credit ... TOO LATE. They reported me as OVER 90 days late on my account. My credit score has dropped 200 points! I am unable to get a new car or refinance my home. I complained to the BBB and these crazy people sent numerous letters to the BBB and to me stating that I paid late and they would not clear my name--even after I sent (TWICE) and FAXED my confirmations of payment, etc. I have now hired a lawyer to get this off of my credit report. These people need to be sued in a big way and put out of business. Shame on them for messing with people's lives? Where are our politicians? How ca! n credit card companies be allowed to ruin people's lives with innaccurate information and get away with it? It's wrong and it needs to be stopped. For anyone else dealing with this horrible company, there are many more of us out there. You are not alone.

	Jennifer WI Complaint_against: Providian (now changing to WAMU) Complaint: Sure- the 0% APR for 12 months is a great way to pay off another credit card. However, Providian (soon to be WAMU) just so happens to neglect telling you that ALL of their #800 customer service centers are farmed out to INDIA. I have called (4)times now, to request a very simple "lowering of my credit limit". The first 3 phone calls were frustrating...the Indian reps. speak VERY broken english, and one of them couldn't even understand that I wanted to change my credit line from $3500 to $1000. She kept saying "you want more credit line". What a complete bunch of dumb asses. The 4th call was made today. Same request- me wanting to lower my line of credit. This time, I was told by another Indian that the call center was extremely busy, and unable to transfer my call to the USA to complete my request. (apparently you need to talk to 2 freaking departments to simply lower a damn line of credit). Funny- getting the card was at an American call center, and took literall! y 3 minutes. I have since reported their lack of ability to act upon my request as a banking consumer, and filed complaints with the State of Wisconsin, and also a Federal agency. State of Wisconsin replied within 5 hours of my complaint email advising me that they will forward my complaint directly to Washington Mutual/Providian. As of now, my line of credit hasn't changed, because I was told I had to call back again TOMORROW. Is this illegal? Anyone know? I thought your open lines of credit affected your credit scoring. Every post on this site speaks all anyone needs to know about Providian. Never apply for their Indian supported credit cards, you'll never even get "slightly" helpful customer service help. If you do have one now- do everything you can to dump these bastard asses. I myself will ALWAYS from here on out, when opening ANY new accounts make sure I first ask where their #800 customer service numbers call to. I am an American, and prefer to have someone who speak! s my own language be able to assist me. PROVIDIAN SUCKS!!!
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	MARTY SMITH GEORGIA EmailAddress: dustmart7@yahoo.com Complaint_against: PROVIDIAN FINANCIAL Complaint: This is an awful card. Even if you are a good cardholder, they treat you like crap. They have no customer service skills whatsoever and their Reps aren't even knowledgeable about anything. Plus, the card does not allow cardholders to request a credit line increase. What kind of a card is this? They tell you that it is up to the Marketing Department that you have no way of contacting. Stay away from Providian. I should have suspected they were a bad card since they have been sued for predatory practices by Connecticut cardholders.
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	Lara MA Complaint_against: Providian Complaint: Nobody should do any type of business with Providian. One of my closest friends went on SSDI (disability) after a stroke. He then moved in with us after a disastrous roommate situation and after having lived with his father who was dying around the time he was living with him. The forwarding of his mail somehow got delayed. Providian called him while he was visiting his family. He agreed to a payment plan of $300/month. One of his checks cleared and the timing of his second electronic transaction caused the payment to them to bounce. They gave him one hour to pay them or they said they would raise the amount owed by another $300/month and have him arrested for larceny. He only owed them $600 plus penalties total.