Dear North Carolina News stations:
I am currently having a problem with Boyles Distinctive Furniture (of Hickory, NC) and their credit card company HSBC Retail Services (HSBC Bank Nevada, N. A of Los Vegas).
Back in Jan-2007, I place a large furniture order with Boyles. I signed up for their 6 month, 0% plan with the lump-sum due on 16-Jul-2007.
Most of the items were delivered to me with no problems. However, when they delivered my new dining room table it was severely damaged and they took it back with them. Two months went by, they claimed they were trying to fix the table; finally they delivered a new table on 16-Jun-2007 (over 5 months after I had placed my order). I let this delay slide as I was fairly well satisfied with the delivery of the other items I had ordered.
I mailed my payment for the lump-sum several days prior to the 16-Jul due date (the remittance address is a P.O. box in California so it would have taken one to two days for my payment to have been received).
On 7-Aug-2007, I received a bill in the mail for $1,729.50 of "Billed Deferred Finance Charges." I called the credit card company and they said that they did not receive my payment until 20-Jul-2007 and therefore the charges were valid. They also said that "as a courtesy" they would waive 75% of these charges if I paid the balance of $432.38 within 10 days. I told them that my payment was mailed prior to the due date and that it's not fair to charge me any finance charges. I also brought up the problem I had with the dining room table. They said they "are just the credit card company" and that I should call the retailer (by the way, my credit card shows only the Boyles name on it). The date stamped on the back of my canceled check is 20-Jul-2007. I have reviewed my cardholder agreement and there is no mention of having to send payment in earlier than the due date.
So then I called Boyles and spoke to their customer service and accounting departments. They said that the finance charges were not their responsibility and that I had to work that out with their credit card company. When I brought up the problems with the dining room table (for which I had received no consideration) they said "that issue was rectified when you accepted delivery of the dining room table on 16-Jun-2007." The Boyles customer service representative was extremely rude; during most of the telephone conversation she was yelling...I told her: "Do not yell at me, lady" -- her reply was "I'm not hollerin' at ya."
I think it is only fair for the $1,729.50 of erroneous finance charges to be reversed. Boyle should also give me some consideration for the long delay in delivering the dining room table; 50% of purchase price would be fair.
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