In J.D. Power’s annual ranking of credit card companies, Capital One has historically lagged behind the pack. In fact, Capital One came in second to last amongst major credit card issuers in 2008 (and 2007), garnering two out of a possible five stars in every category (see 2008 J.D. Power Rankings for complete details).
As part of the research process for Smart Balance Transfers, I personally test many credit card issuers by applying online for one of their credit cards. Generally, these tests go well. Such was not the case with Capital One. In fact, my test of Capital One’s customer service turned into an aggravating three week process. Today, after yet another frustrating encounter with Capital One’s customer service department, I put my “No Hassle” card in the shredder. Below is a step by step recounting of my Capital One customer service experience:
1.) Applying Online: The online application process was the only easy part of getting a Capital One credit card. From start to finish, the credit card application took about five minutes.
2.) Activating the Card: About ten days after applying, my card arrived in the mail. I called up the activation number and had my first experience with Capital One’s customer service department. It was not a good one. Customer service, as far as I understand it, exists to serve and assist customers. At Capital One, confusion and aggravation seems to be the M.O. The representative I spoke with sounded like she was talking through a broken walkie talkie. I couldn’t understand her and repeatedly had to ask her to repeat what she had just said. Apparently, her phone line wasn’t very clear as well. I had to repeat myself, well, repeatedly.
There were two big problems with this customer service experience. First, the telephone connection was horrible. More importantly, however, the representative, clearly located in an overseas call center, spoke poor English and understood English even less. A call that should have taken three minutes took close to ten.
Ultimately, I activated my card, but got off the phone frustrated. At this point, Capital One was about to fail my, “Mom test.” The “Mom test” is pretty straightforward. If I think a credit card company provides competent customer service that my Mom would have no issues with, they pass. If I think a credit card company would confuse, complicate, or frustrate my Mom, they fail. Capital One was on the brink.
3.) Using the Card: I made a small purchase online after activating my Capital One card. Fortunately, I did not leave the house with only this card in my wallet or try to use it soon after, because a week later I got a letter in the mail stating that my card was on hold due to potentially fraudulent activity. The letter stated that I needed to send in a copy of my driver’s license, social security card and a utility bill.
Annoyed, I spent the better part of an hour trying to locate my social security card. Ultimately, I gave up and called them. Again, customer service sounded like they were on the other end of a cup with a string attached. And again, when I could hear the customer service agent, I couldn’t really understand her English. This call to Capital One customer service lasted about ten minutes, involved two agents who spoke poor English, and ultimately ended up with my issue resolved. However, had I needed to use my card, I would have been unable to for close to ten days.
The communication issues, coupled with the fact that activating my card ultimately took three weeks, has led me, like J.D. Power, to give Capital One a big thumbs down on customer satisfaction. Not only would I not recommend this credit card company to my mother, I wouldn’t even recommend it to a third cousin I didn’t particularly like.
If you have had similar experiences (or positive ones), please take a moment to share your thoughts by posting a comment. Your feedback helps Smart Balance Transfers provide consumers like you with the information they need to avoid credit card hassles (pun intended!)
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March 22nd, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Haha i just had the same exact experience five days ago. The line connection was poor, i felt like i was talking to a bunch of immigrants and they asked me for my social card, utility bill, and bank statement. They will not let me cancel until i provide these documents. I will try to clise my account via equifax .
March 23rd, 2009 at 11:08 am
Mike,
Unfortunately, you will have to deal with Capital One if you want to close your account. The credit bureaus will not do this. If you choose to do this, you will probably have to comply with their documentation requirements. However, I was actually told by a representative there to ask for a US representitive. I suggest you do the same, not only because it will be easier to understand the person, but also because it helps keep jobs in the US!
One thing to consider before closing an account is the effect this may have on your credit score. Closing accounts decreases your available credit and can have a negative impact on your credit score. Sometimes, it can have a big negative effect. If you are not being charged an annual fee, you may be better off keeping your account open, from a credit score perspective.
March 23rd, 2009 at 11:13 pm
my credit score is pristine and I am not in the market for a mortgage. I pay my vehicle purchase in cash and have a %50K credit limit with no balance. So I am fine with that.
March 24th, 2009 at 9:27 am
Mike,
You are definitely in a much different position than a lot of people I hear from these days. However, even though you don’t plan on needing a loan, etc, in the near future, you may want to reconsider closing this account, as the high credit limit and 0% credit utilization may be the main reason your score is so high.
When you get into the excellent credit range, it is very easy to slip into just good credit and much more difficult to get back into excellent. For example, closing the Capital One account may cause a 20 point drop in your credit report, which would be difficult to get back.
You can use a free credit monitoring service to get an estimate of how closing the account will affect your credit scores. There are a number of them listed in our free credit report section. With one of these tools, you can find out how closing the account will change your score and cancel the service before racking up any fees. It may be worthwhile, just to be sure you are doing the right thing.
June 10th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
I, had one payment to go, to pay off my Capital One Auto loan–they told me to mail them a check for the last pymnt. because they would not take it out of my checking, as they had every month for the last four years by electronic transfer. Well, guess what? they not only, cashed my check, I mailed, but they also took it out of my checking acc. It has been almost a month, and i still have not seen my refund. Customer Service is being handled by a Co. in India– they tell me they are working on the problem. In the future I’m going to look for a USA, CO. if there’s any left.
December 18th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
I purchased a car, and in fact, the nightmare began from get go. Needless to say my car was totalled, the loan was for 17,000.00 I had already paid 6,000.00, the insurance paid 13800.00 and gap paid another 8880.00 not to mention the warranty check was sent to Capital one. Can you believe they are still saying I owe them 2200.00? Oct. 12, 09 after numerous calls to them, they apologized and said yes account was paid in full. However, yesterday, I receive another call, different collection agency informing me that I owe 1600.00, however they would settle account for 500.00. What is up with them. BE SMART AVOID CAPITOL ONR AUTO FINANCE
March 24th, 2010 at 3:00 pm
Wow, I just had my second horrendous experience with Capital One. Okay, first I want to make it perfectly clear that I only got this card to rebuild my credit. Not because I really expected them to be a good company.
Here’s what happened: First I received the card in mid-February but didn’t activate until around March 3. I got my first bill last week and was shocked to find a past due charge. WHAAAT?? How could it be past due when it hasn’t even been activated 30 days?
They tell me that a bill was sent out in February (please note that this was BEFORE I even actually activated or even decided to keep the card). I never even received this bill.
So I call and ask about it, the first person I talked to was somewhat helpful. While she did take the past due charge out, she also “blackmailed” (in a way) me into making my first payment which wasn’t even due until April 12, but gotta give her kudos for being as helpful as she was.
Anyway I started thinking about that first bill I never got (hey good one, she told me “It may have been lost in the mail, I got a good chuckle out of that). But I digress, on the second call I got someone who couldn’t speak much english. All I wanted to know what “how can you bill something and then add a late charge before the card was ever activated. Wow, he really blew it then, “The charge has been reverse for you so there is no further need for this conversation.” I said, “Except for the fact that I want to know why, in fact I have a right to know the why” (don’t know if did or not but what the heck right?) He got so crappy with me that I was flabberghasted. He actually said, “Lady we fixed problem, no need us to explain anyting”.
That is my problem in a nutshell. Taken ar
So, he didn’t nd got
March 25th, 2010 at 9:05 am
Dee, or should I say Lady as your rep did, I have to say that, despite the hassle-and the absurdity of the charges-they at least remedied the problem. A lot of other banks aren’t as agreeable.
Nonetheless, they really do have horrible customer service reps. I really wish all the credit card companies would bring these jobs back. I realize people do it for a few dollars an hour there, but our country needs jobs. The credit card companies could pay people minimum wage and no benefits and I think customers would be happier and the economy would benefit.
September 16th, 2010 at 7:57 pm
So my dad finally wanted to go and get himself a credit card for whenever he has emergencys and don’t have enough cash on him so we decided he should get a Capital one card.
When it was time to activate the card, we called customer service and that was when everything started going downhill. Well, my father doesn’t speak fluent english, given that he does understand the basic but doesn’t know enough to start/hold a conversation. So when the agent told us that he needed to go and answer a few questions in order to activate the card, and I told her that since he doesn’t speak english and won’t be able to answer can I put him on speaker and help him translate. Well, apparently I can’t do that and he needs to answer it himself, so I asked if she can help us get a translator for him. And she said…No. Wait what? So I was asked her how can we activate the card if he doesn’t speak english and she won’t provide a translator on their end and that’s when she said she’d get her manager.
Her manager then asked me to hold so she can check their company’s policy on this matter, and when she came back she told me the same exact thing the other agent told me with no answer to my question of ‘What do we do then?’ And when she finally answers me she told me to ask my father to write them a letter to them to activate it and I can’t translate it for him, it needs to be his own words. What the hell? If someone can’t speak a language how does one expect them to know how to write a letter?
So I was fed up with this and decided to just cancel the card, and once again they told me that we needed my father to speak to him in order to cancel it, and if he can’t then mail them a letter. What? Didn’t we JUST go through this? By this time I was beyond frustrated so I asked the manager, do they always do this to customers who can’t speak english? Are all their customers always english speakers? The manager then replied me with this answer ‘Well at this point all you can do is….Well, I’m sorry this is as far as I can help you with on this matter’. Well that was stupid. How does that in the slightest sense answer my questions and how was any of that information helpful to me?
After she said that I was just about ready to go off on her so I decide to just say thanks and hang up. This was the first experience I had with Capital One and its surely the last. Apparently Capital Ones iron rule is that if one doesn’t speak english, they aren’t welcomed to use their company’s credit card. So now we’re just planning to keep the card and just leave it unactivated because we can’t activate it nor cancel it.
This whole thing just left me dumbfounded, I mean now a days no matter what major company you call, their is always either a language option or you can request a translator. I have never come across a company where the the choices are English or nothing. They usually try to find ways around that but in Capital Ones case its just ‘Sorry, we can’t help you in this matter’. Absolutely ridiculous.
September 17th, 2010 at 8:16 am
Wow. Its ironic that customer service agents that barely speak English can’t help someone who doesn’t fully speak English. I think it may be worth a shot to try again or, if possible, activate it online. If you call again, use speakerphone and prompt your father on the steps. This seems extremely absurd and as bad as credit card customer service can be, I think you may have gotten some bad reps.