Schwartz.osbunorth@xerox.com (04/06/90)
Re: pre-approved cards I also called the 800 number to apply for "The Card" and I was told that I was pre-approved. I asked for further details about the pre-approval policy, and I was told it had very little to do with your financial situation or your AT&T Long Distance usage history. I was informed that these cards were pre-approved for customers who are witty and good-looking. [Moderator's Note: Then why wasn't I approved immediatly? :) PT]
luther@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu> (04/10/90)
wmartin@stl-06sima.army.mil (Will Martin) writes: > I have ... a good >credit rating, as far as I know [does getting continually pestered >with "pre-approved" solicitations for various gold cards prove that?]. Nope, sorry, not in the least ... I also get constantly pestered with "pre-approved" solicitations for just about every card I've ever heard of and a lot I haven't. Often, I get these within days of letters from the same company telling me to pay my past bill or they'll turn me over to their collection agency. Seems many of these companies do all their mailing at about the same time, and don't have a whole lot of correspondence between their various databases. I know, something similar is mentioned in Douglas Adam's _Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency_ but these things happen in real life, too. pat
de@cs.rochester.edu (Dave Esan) (04/13/90)
In article <5757@accuvax.nwu.edu> PMW1@psuvm.psu.edu (Peter Weiss) writes: X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 215, Message 2 of 12 >I just applied for the above credit card. They wanted to know the >number of years at my current residence/job, address of home/job, my >bank name, my approx. salary, my mother's maiden name, how I heard >about the 800 number. I too applied for the card. They wanted my social security number. From too much reading of Misc.consumers I decided that it wasn't required for them to know that. If they were reporting interest paid to me they would have legitimate claim, but they don't give me money, I pay interest to them (if I am late with a payment). So I told them that I wouldn't give it to them. Well, Jim-Bob Good-Ole-Boy, who could barely read the prepared script, got real bent out of shape. He sent me off to his supervisor (a man whose voice gave the mental image of Ron Ziegler, Nixon's press secretary) who told me that VISA and MasterCard had given ATT permission to ask for SS numbers. I replied that requiring the number was a violation of federal law. He said everything was confidential. I replied that only the IRS and interest paying institutions required my SS number, and repeated the federal law statement. He again ignored me and told me that they would not tell anyone, that it was okay, he was aware of this problem. They decided to mail me an application. Six days later I am still waiting for that mail. Sure would like that card. Sure would like supervisors with some brains. --> David Esan {rutgers, ames, harvard}!rochester!moscom!de