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Unethical and Customer Service Is a Joke!
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

I was charged by Target for a return payment fee ($28.00) and called into Target Customer Service who said the payment was withdrawn from an old bank account. I let them know that the account it was withdrawn from had been closed almost a year and I had made subsequent payments on my Target credit card multiple times from the correct/active bank account. They could not tell me why the payment was drawn from my old bank account.

The Supervisor I spoke with asked that I log into my account to delete the old bank account - when I logged in and told her it was already removed, she told me that they had removed it already for me. I asked how I could be refunded the return payment fee and she said that it could only be removed if it was a processing error on their end. They were not able to tell me why this didn't constitute as a processing error or why it had been withdrawn from an old account. Since they were not able to refund the return payment fee, I elected to cancel my credit card immediately.

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"How a $1.15 error cost one Target store over $8000 a year in sales?"
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA -- A difference without distinction! That's what you'll run into if you ever have a problem with Target's branded charge card. Several weeks ago I received a letter from Target. It stated that my Red Card account had been incorrectly credited approximately $50 due to some unexplained internal error. Fine, except on the next month's statement there was an interest charge of $1.15 for my "borrowing" that $50 while it was showing as a credit in my account.

So now I have to take time out of my busy day to get this cleared up. Not only didn't I want to pay the interest charge, but with so much identity theft going on I wanted a true explanation as to what prompted Red Card to credit my account in the first place and then charge me a fee for it. Here's what I did and what I want to share about Target and the Red Card: (1) The Call Center is way off shore. By that I mean I couldn't cut through the CSR's accent and I don't believe she could understand me… not to mention the static and poor sound quality on the cheap VOIP lines.

(2) After 3 disconnects and over 2 hours I got my $1.15 back. However I felt I was scolded for this being my fault. CSR said if I hadn't requested the original credit this would have never happened and Red Card was doing me a favor by letting me off the hook. Remember, I never requested the credit in the first place and had received a letter of apology from Target alerting me to their error and apologizing for the mistake.

After my scolding, I became even more concerned about identity theft and requested an explanation and details surrounding that mysterious credit. I was told only one person in the universe could answer that question: **. I asked to be transferred to ** and got his voice mail. I left my daytime number and my cell phone number, but ** only called back my daytime number at 7pm and left me a voice mail and a return number to call him back.

In his message he also scolded me for not leaving my home number so he could cross reference my account info before he called. When I returned the call to his direct line, guess what? Back to square one. I got another low-level CSR who wanted to start at the beginning again before transferring me to **. Nonsense. I hung up.

(3) I called my Target store to discuss with manager on duty. She said she would research and get back to me. (4) Three days later no response so I stopped by store. Manager said she had been off on scheduled break and left note for another manager, so nothing had been done. She would get right on it.

(5) Later Manager notifies me Target Red Card is a different company from Target Retail and there is nothing they can do to help me find out what happened. They cannot even request a person with authority at Red Card contact me. Not the same company??? Wait a minute. They're the same company to me. What are they doing to distinguish themselves as different entities? The Target cashiers are the ones who pushed the card on me every time I checked out, they have their name & logo on the card, and the call center answers phone as Target. Surely Red Card adds a little something to Target's bottom line.

Not believing what I was hearing I crafted the following email and sent to admin@Target.com, customerservice@Target.com, webmaster@Target.com and a few other email addresses I guessed at.

"How can a $1.15 error cost one Target store over $8000 a year in sales?"

$8000 is approx how much my household spent at our local Target pharmacy last year. That doesn't include the tens of thousands we've spent on RX over the past several years. Nor does it include all the toys, bicycles, groceries, home goods, cleaning supplies, toiletries, etc. we've purchased. Every bit of that business is about to depart forever... all because of a buck and some change. Your store manager says she is helpless to resolve my issue. Call me if you're interested in discussing retaining my business or even if you're just curious. Or you can simply wait until I share my experience on the internet.

END OF LETTER

I can't say I was too surprised but the Next Day I heard from **. I had to call her back so the number was good. She told me she was not in customer service but actually in the corporate office. But ** only repeated what the manager had told me. Credit Card and Target are separate entities. If I wanted answers I was on my own. I requested that she have someone from Red Card call me since I did not want to start with a low-level CSR again. Nope. Please call that same number (you've already spent hours getting the run around on).

You would think even if Red Card was another company, Mr. (Just google Target CEO) ** or his board might have some clout to push Red Card to contact me. But ** and CEO Bob decided to stand their ground without escalating my issue. So me, my cash and my insurance walked with our $8000 of business.

So beware. Don't sign up for or use the Red Card. When this unknown Credit Card company makes an error on your statement, or if you suspect identity theft, you are on your own. You are at the mercy of some offshore CSR whose Americanized name will be Mary or Eric but will barely speak or understand English.

I guess $8000 wouldn't mean much to CEO who Forbes reported made $39.63 million last year. But ask the part-time pharm tech how many hours she'll be cut back due to the loss of revenue at her pharmacy (She told me her hours were based on # of scripts filled. Our 10 RX per month would be tough to replace and she expected to be cut back). I wonder how many retailers would chomp at the bit to acquire an $8000/yr account. Not Target. They are having a record year. The board will be too busy deciding how many bonuses to pay themselves and how much more they can charge their employees for those official red shirts they're required to wear.

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Customer Service
By -

I did a balance transfer from my Target Visa to my Bank of America Visa. I did this for two reasons first the interest rate on my Bank of America Visa was lower and second I was planning to make a purchase that I planned on paying off by the end of the payment cycle. Which would have allowed me to borrow the money interest free. However Bank of America made a mistake and paid off the transfer balance twice. I caught it while the second payment was still pending and when I called Bank of America's customers service they assured me that the second one would drop off.

Of course it didn't, when I checked a couple of days later the second charge had gone through putting me over my credit limit. I was told that I would have to contact Target and request that they reverse the balance transfer. Which I did right away, Target said that they could not reverse the transfer but would send me a check for the total of the transfer. I ask them if the purchase that I had made the day before would affect the amount of the check that I received since I had just made a purchase. I was told "no" since they saw the double payment and they would request the check that day which was March 14, 2008.

They also told me that I should received the check within 10 to 14 days. On March 24, 2008 I called to tell them I had not received the check yet. At that time I found out that the change of address that I had put in (via internet) had not taken effect and that the check which I was told was sent out on March 14, 2008 would probably reach me by the end of the week. But if I didn't get it by March 28, 2008 to call.

On March 28, 2008 when I checked my mail I got my statement which had been forwarded from my old address and hadn't closed out until March 17, 2008 ,but still no check. When I called them the first customer service representative again told me that the check had been sent out on March 14, 2008 for the full amount of the second balance transfer which had been made in error.

When I questioned her about my balance being zero and not the amount I had charged, she claimed to look into it a little more and stated that the check had gone out on March 14, 2008 for the difference between the balance transfer and the purchase that I had made. At this time I told her I wanted to close my account.

She then transferred me to someone who I suppose was her supervisor. The supervisor main concern was did I really want to close my account. She almost immediately went into the what great benefits the Target credit card offers. When I tried to explain the situation to her, her condescending response was that I made a purchase. I told her that I was aware that I made a purchase but that when I called on March 14, 2008 I was told that they understood the problem that my purchase would not affect the check they were to send me for the balance transfer.

I then told her that I was told that I should have received my check (no matter the amount) within 10 to 14 days. She then told me that's right but how could I expect the check already it was only sent out on March 27, 2008. After repeatedly having to tell her that I was told that the check had been sent out on the March 14, 2008; she finally checked and admitted that she did see the request for the check on March 14, 2008 and the call back on March 24, 2008.

Needless to say that I have closed my Visa account with Target. More than losing a credit card customer though, they have lost a customer in me period. I used to work for Target and am well aware of how this company stresses its superior customer service. Not only was this lady condescending but argumentative. It has to be one of the worst customer service experiences that I have had in quite a while.

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Payment rip off
By -

OK so I signed up for a credit card with target back in early December and bought 98.00 worth of merch. Well late January rolls around and still no bill! So I call them and they said "your bill isn't due till feb 8 and we have the address wrong in our system." My address is 601 they had 610... so they sent me a bill and I didn't get it till after the due date so they called me to see about making a payment over the phone and they'd waive the late fees, so I said "sure why not..." Gave them my checking info and made a payment over the phone for 40.00 meaning my balance would be 58.00 since the late fee was waived due to their stupidity on entering the address wrong...

Two weeks pass and I get another bill saying I had a late fee and a nsf fee... I called them and they said "our mistake we didn't enter your checking acct info correctly but we will waive it if you give a payment over the phone again"... I said "no go ahead and waive it but I will make the payment in store with cash today," They agreed... March comes around another bill... I decided OK what the hell I'll give payment over the phone another try, mind you I am a very busy person so I can't always make it into the store to make a payment... so I paid 40.00 and that would bring my total after interest to around 10.00... that was on March the 8th...

The next day March the 9th I signed up to access my acct online so I could start paying my bill online... and guess what I saw a 25.00 late fee for Feb and a 20.00 nsf fee for Feb... and a 25.00 late fee and 20.00 nsf fee for March.. wtf I thought so I called the 800 number on the back of the card and asked for a manager who by that was was extremely rude!!!! And what do you know the ck acct number was once again entered wrong but she is trying to tell me that is my fault and that I purposely gave it to them wrong and that they don't make errors more than once.

I said "apparently you do because you did with my address and again with my ck acct" and while she admitted that the service agent just copied my info from Feb for the March payment instead of making the correction she said that doesn't matter because I provided the wrong info the first time (Feb) which I insist I didn't I gave it to them correctly their employees just can't copy numbers down correctly... And no they wouldn't waive any of the fees so now my bill is nearly 200.00 in fees and only 10.00 in charged merch.

So I advise everyone to either not get involved and get a target card or never make payment over the phone because obviously they have a bunch of idiots working at the call centers...

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Red Card Late Fees
By -

As usual upon checkout I received the same old, "Would you like to apply for..." Normally I just politely say "no," but this time I got the hook. "You will get 5% off this purchase and all future purchases when you use your "Red Card." I knew my credit was still good, so I filled out the application and approved immediately. Saved almost $5! I was a happy camper!! Got my first bill in the mail and went online and set up online payment and paid entire balance. Just got an email today saying I could see my statement. Statement! I didn't owe Target anything, or so I thought.

First time I tried to sign on, my password was rejected. I then had to go through the "forgot user name" process and type my card info in only to find I had it right in the first place. When I finally got to my online account I saw that I had a $26.16 balance. How could that be? I paid the entire balance as soon as I got it? I went to "View statements" and see a charge for "Fees Charged" $25 and "Interest Charged" $1.16.

WHAT? I called customer service immediately and after wading through the menu got a hold of an American customer service representative I say this for the benefit of previous posts that refer to "**" reps. I asked why I was charged a "Late Fee" when I paid my bill as soon as I got it. The polite representative said the payment was received one day late. I told him the bill was sent out late. He offered to refund $13 and make the balance $12.

I said, "No way, I want to cancel this card right now and I'll NEVER shop at Target again." I was not as polite as the representative. He said he would see what he could do. He came back and said Target would waive late fee and interest. Interest on a late fee! Can you imagine that?

I will from now on use my Red Card and receive the 5% discount and immediately pay the bill online making sure of course that there is not a pre-existing balance and my payment is not credited to the previous month so the onerous Red Card will have the opportunity to charge me the dreaded Late Charge plus Interest. Read the other reviews of people who paid too early. I can't believe this company.

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Lawsuit
By -

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA -- For being a customer friendly store the credit card division is not. Being sued for nonpayment on a credit card. I contacted them about my situation. Went to a non profit Debt management program to help me with my credit card bills. Target sent my account to a Law firm for collection. They called. Asked all kinds of questions that I should never of answered. I found that out after the fact. They demanded payment. Unreasonable payments. I told them that I couldn't make such payments. That's why I went to DMP. They told me that they don't work with DMp.

If I didn't pay they would sue me and put a lien on my house which I told them too much information about my personal finances. They think I have a lot of equity in my house so they are going that route. I have tried twice to get a equity loan. Turned down twice. They wanted proof of that. Not an easy firm to deal but I guess no firm is when they are hired to get your money. I have gone to court. The Judge was very nice. He gave me another 30 days to try to work something out. Sent them a proposal to pay a smaller amount in a lump sum to get them out of my life. Have not heard a thing.

I called them right after my court appearance to try to negotiate with them. They told me I had too much equity in my house. They won't budge. I will never have another credit card in my lifetime. They are such a trap. They are like loan sharks after your money when you fall on hard times. Just want to let people beware of Target National Bank. If you have trouble paying that account you might see yourself in Court. One thing that I have learned is not let those guy intimidate you. They are doing their job like they are trained to do. The system needs to change. We are not criminals.

Court is not where these cases need to be and taking up the judge's time to handle real criminals. I was making every attempt to pay this bill. I did not abandon it like some people do and I am treated like this. It is appalling. They need to rethink the way they go about this process. Please rethink in letting your customers to use DMP in this hard economic times.

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Target VISA lost a great customer
By -

I have had a Target VISA for 3 years now. I used it frequently, usually averaging about $2200/month, which I paid off every month in full. Imagine my surprise when I went to use the card to pay for dinner and it was declined. As soon as I got to the car, I called the customer service line to see what the problem was. I was told that because my minimum payment of $25 had not been received 3 days prior, the card had been put on hold. I explained that I use my bank bill pay to pay my bills and it was possible the check was delayed somewhere in the mail. Sorry, I was told, this was an automated procedure they had no control over.

I asked the CS rep to look at my payment history to verify I always paid in full and on time, which he did (with the exception of one late payment in three years). I explained how mortified and embarrassed I was to have my credit card declined and I could not believe that my card was being frozen because my payment was 3 days late. I asked why I hadn't been notified with at least a courtesy phone call of this incredibly strict policy. He stated I was called earlier that day--I asked him to confirm the phone number and time. Turns out I was called 20 minutes earlier on my home machine (no message was left on our machine).

I was so outraged and disappointed with this terrible policy, that I asked to cancel my account on the spot. At first the CS rep tried to charge me the $15 fee (to pay via check over the phone), but his supervisor stepped in and waived the fee, late fee and finance fees. The supervisor was very courteous and understanding and said he has been experiencing more than a few of these situation--he claimed he had brought it up to his manager, but to no avail.

Even though I pay in full every month, I will not take the chance that my card will be frozen/declined if my payment is delayed/lost in the mail. Target VISA needs to rethink their policy. They have just lost a once-loyal card holder, with a near-perfect credit score. I would caution other cardholders to reconsider. The reason I signed up for this card in the first place was because of the 10% coupons. Honestly, it's not worth it to me after this terrible experience. I would rather pay full price and use my United VISA instead.

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Target Credit Card Will Get Ya! They SUCK!!!
By -

Please Boycott Target, they are arrogant SOB's. They have the reputation of a nice neat and clean store that is better than Walmart and others, but that is as far as it goes. If you have to deal with them on anything the customer service is just awful. The corporate office has their people standing firm when it comes to anything in the customer's favor. It doesn't matter if you have been a loyal customer, when you need something or help they suddenly change their tone. I have been a loyal credit card customer of theirs for 3 years. I began with a 9.9% rate, used it when I needed to and all was well.

They even get you to believe they are doing you a favor by offering 5% more off if you use the card. What they don't tell you is sooner or later they are going to up the rate to 20.24%, even though I have always paid on time and most of the time more than the minimum due. Tonight I was going through my credit and doing a makeover as people have told me it is what I should do. EVERY CREDITOR I called helped me out and lowered the rates in some way. When I called TARGET, nothing!!! Plain and simple, she told me very rudely that there was nothing they could do for me and that the only thing in the system was a 9.9% for 6 months.

I am one of the victims of downsizing and have kept up quite well and always paid my bills. Now that things are getting tight I now need THEIR help. Like I said everyone did except TARGET. I said to the lady that I was trying to keep from having to NOT pay something and have enough for everyone to get something towards my debt.

She said "I'm sorry, there is nothing we can do". I then said "so you would rather get nothing than help me at all". Again "sorry sir, there is nothing we can do for you". So, they will get nothing when I am out of money. I assure you and her superiors that this is true. I am surprised they are in business with customer service like this. TARGET SUCKS!!!

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Credit card policy stupidity
By -

I applied for and was issued a Target Visa several years ago after being talked into getting a card by the Target cashier to save 10% on a purchase. I was given a $6500 credit limit. This is actually a low limit compared to my other credit cards because I am fortunate enough to be able to pay my balances each month and make a good income from my full time job. Recently I started using the Target Visa again after they instituted the 5% savings and also added a substantial grocery section to my local Target in Montgomeryville, PA. I have only used the card twice recently and when I went to pay for my groceries today, my card was declined twice.

The cashier apologized but said that there is nothing that they can do locally. I therefore paid for the groceries with my debit card and left. I called Target credit card services when I got home and was told that since I had not used my card in a while, the limit had been reduced from $6500 to $200. I asked to have it reinstated to $6500 and was told that could not be done until the account got reviewed over several months of usage.

I asked if they could just run a credit report with my social security number to check my payment history on other cards and other things to aid them in increasing the credit limit but they said that Target does not work with credit reporting agencies that way. Well, it is going to be hard to use the Target Visa card very often for my groceries with just a $200 limit as I usually spend at least $100 each week with the inclusion of cleaning products, toiletries and pet food. Oh well, it is Target's loss.

As soon as I get the bill in about a week, I am going to pay off the Target Visa and cancel the card altogether. I might start shopping someplace else out of principle. The only complication is that I own Target stock - which makes this situation even more ludicrous.

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Target has lost their way
By -

As a customer since 2001 I was astonished today when I decided to take you up on your shopping offer and save 10% when using my Target to make a purchase. I checked my account balance and found that my available credit had been reduced recently which given the current state of the economy is completely understandable as you are likely minimizing risk. Rather than $300 of available credit I expected you had reduced my available credit in the last few weeks to just $100. Again, understandable given these uncertain times.

So I took some cash and my card with $100 of available credit according to your update just a few days ago and went to my favorite Target location here in Seal Beach to do some Christmas shopping in an effort to take advantage of the 10% offer YOU SENT TO ME in the mail recently.

When I arrived at check out after an hour and a half spent shopping at your establishment I was told by the very nice cashier that unfortunately the purchase had been declined. I reduced the level of my purchase to under $40 and was again told it would not go through. Unbelievable. How was this possible? When I got home I checked over my account online and found that you had reduced the available credit not once but twice and all without notification. I believe that this is exactly what Congress and the people in our great nation are so confused and upset about. A lack of common courtesy and no business acumen whatsoever.

While I know that it is important for businesses to manage risk but question why you would waste valuable resources including the cost of mailing and the loss of the paper and time necessary to complete the mailing of this "Special Offer" that YOU* sent to me.

I run a mid size company and am from time to time astonished that companies like Target continue to flourish in difficult times given the lack of customer service example I have just provided. Perhaps times are changing. Please understand that as I circulate this to my friend Jack Popejoy at KFWB and other local radio, television and web based Consumer Reports sites along with Ed Royce (Congressman from our district who has taken a particular interest in credit card company's behavior recently.)

It is my hope that this letter of correspondence receives something other than a canned response from your system. But be assured that all correspondence will be placed on some very high profile sites around the net beginning with this letter and then adding to the string as you reply. The next move is yours.

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Target Credit Cards Rating:
Star Empty star Empty star Empty star Empty star
1.2 out of 5, based on 9 ratings and
59 reviews & complaints.
Contact Information:
Target
1000 Nicollet Mall - P.O. Box 1392
Minneapolis, MN 55403
888-304-4000 (ph)
612-304-6073 (fax)
www.target.com
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