It’s like the OP doesn’t even realize that ALL big companies mess up from time to time. Take computers, for example–read only the negative reviews, and you would be ready to swear that no computer company has ever built a properly-working computer in the history of the world.
I’ve had Capital One for something like 12 or 13 years, and I have NEVER had any issues.
Cap One took over a big account I had with ING, so I’m associated with them by default. Haven’t had any trouble yet… the website works pretty good for me to check on the account and move duckets around.
Actually I do realize that. I also realize that the difference between the good and the bad ones is how you deal with situations like this. Obviously, a computer flagged the account. Who knows why. But even a cursory look by a human at past payments should have been more than enough evidence to determine there was nothing odd about the payment, and the car should have been able to clear the account right then. But nope, we gad to wait on the line for my bank to verify I was the owner of the account that paid the bill.
This. I’ve have one business or another screw up (generally in minor ways) from time to time. The real tell is how the company handles it. Do they deny and stonewall and hedge and fudge and make lame excuses? Or do they fix it promptly and get it right?
I used to take my car to a dealership shop for maintenance. They occasionally screwed up, mostly in minor ways. Every time I took my car back there to complain, the maintenance manager immediately took my car in, no questions asked, put it first in line, and got it fixed right with no further hassle. So that is what I like to see in any company I deal with.
I used to get credit card offers from Capital One all the time, back in the day when banks deluged people with credit card offers. It was clear from their offers that they specialized in providing credit cards to customers with bad or no credit history. Their plans all had annual charges and exorbitant interest rates, late fees, and other shit like that.
But I don’t think that’ their only business model. I think they have other account plans for other classes of customers.
You may never know who you are really doing business with. Like all big businesses, banks buy and sell their various sub-businesses like kids trading baseball cards. I had a HSBC credit card for years and never knew it was really a Capital One card until I got a notice one day that HSBC was buying back their HSBC card division from Capital One. In all that time, I never had a problem with the account. It was clearly not a “bad credit customer” kind of account.
There was a period of time when my business manager would periodically switch my credit cards because of a “great offer”.
I knew people who had great fund with 0% balance transfers/credit advances back in the day.
Take an advance on card 1, invest the money (they were pretty good at picking winners). Transfer the advance at 0% to card 2 for 90-180-whatever days. Sure as the sun rises they would have another 0% offer before the first one expired, and would move the money there. Eventually they would cash out the investment and pay off the advance.
I get credit card offers all the time in the mail.