It Doesn’t Hurt to Ask

Recently, I got busy with work and forgot to pay my Discover card. They have great online access but somehow I locked myself out and it took me a few days to get it all sorted out. The result was that I got hit with a $39 late fee.

By all accounts, I deserved the late fee. But I also know that most companies will waive it to keep a customer happy. I figured it was worth the 3 minutes to write an email through the online customer service feature. I hate phone prompts and waiting.

Well one day later, I got my response back:

“Thank you for your message about the charges appearing on your Discover Card Account. I can certainly understand your concern with the fees that were assessed. Because you are a valued Cardmember, I will be happy to issue a credit for the Late Fee in the amount of $39.00.”

In case you were wondering, this is the Discover Open Road Card. I have good credit and I have never been late with Discover. I also want to praise them for not throwing me into penalty pricing. I don’t carry a balance but I would have been annoyed if they raise my rate, ’cause I was 4 days late.

Just goes to show that not all credit card companies are evil and by just asking, things can get resolved.