Thread: More and new Discover idiocracy.....

I really am not trolling for things to complain about with Discover. But they just seem to do things so very inconsistent with common sense, good business practice, customers reaction or the way other and more successful cards operate.

So here is the story. I have a Discover card that gets used infrequently and is the back of the wallet. Little reason to close the account, but also little reason to use it as my primary card; credit limits much lower than other cards, absurd operating policies, past failures to promptly correct their own mistakes.

Well I was planning a road trip and decided to let all my card issuers know that I would be traveling to avoid any authorization issue. Travel was domestic. The easiest and most efficent way to do this in my judgment is online through each issuers website.

Now with all issuers you have a password and then challenge questions when they feel its needed. Discover too. And almost all financial institutions loudly scream that they will never ask for. Most strongly state that you shouldn't give personal information out.

So no problems or issues at all in advising Citi, Chase, Amex ( who says you don't need to advise them), Bank of America. BUT, I get to Discover and they want mothers maiden name, and social even after I have gotten into the account.

Sorry guys; I undertsand the importance of fraud control but that just sounds way too much like the exact info that "phishing" scams want and is not supposed to be asked for online. If Discover does not trust its own passwod and challenge protection, the question I have is why ? And how are we supposed to tell the difference between the good guys and bad guys whenthe good guys are asking bad guy type questions in exact ways that we are all being told not to do?

Does Discover think about the consumer reaction to anything besides new customer marketing and usage stimulation ?

So I end up advising them on the phone - the only card this was needed to do this way.

Whats the saying.."It Pays To Discover" or should it be "Its Painful to Discover".

Maybe Peggy needs needs to focus on reality.

In my experience I have never had better customer service than from Discover. You say you utilize the account infrequently and that you were going to call them to advise that you would be traveling outside of your area. There have been a rise in counterfeiting cards and a lot of times the fraudsters will call the victims' credit card companies to advise of travel plans to thwart their fraud departments from shutting down the account. Fraudsters can even "spoof" your home telephone number so that it looks like you are actually calling from the home telephone number.

I had a similar situation happen with my AT&T Universal card several years ago. I rarely use the account and only keep it open for its age. I had called in and verified the home telephone, SSN and even the password. The rep wanted to know the business number as well. I admit I yelled at her for that because I verified everything else and I point blank told her that I don't remember the business phone that I had in 1999.

Anyway, I would rather the rep clearly protect my account and identity by inconveniencing me with security questions. If they make you this angry, why not close the account?

I have never had a problem with Discover. I usually call them before I travel. I only use the the web site to check balances and pay the bill.

Discover is one of the few cards that have listened when I requested one or more of the following:
1. Stop sending me convenience checks.
2. Stop sending me up sale material.
3. Stop calling me for up sale.

They are good to go in my book.

The $3000 annual spend needed to reach 1% rewards on Discover is just silly. I don't think any other card does that.

well Iroquois, the reason you might be having trouble is that Discover isn't as widely accepted as American express. But you also have to remember that Discover doesn't have any annual fees, while most American Express cards have annual fees.

You also have to charge a lot on American express cards to get back certain rewards like cash back and gift cards. on Discover the caps are low compared to other credit card companies, but then again Discover isn't as widely accepted as other credit cards.

I've had my Discover since 1998. I canceled my chase Oct 2010. I started out with First Card back in 1995, then in 2001 Bank One took over after First Card went out of business. In 2005-2006 around there Chase took over. All put my membership date on my cards until 2010 when Chase sent me the Freedom, they took it off. After writing a 3 page letter they didn't put my date on the card so I canceled.

Iroquois, does Chase sound like a professional company? How about compared to Discover? I think Discover is better than Chase.

When a customer wants dispute a charge on there Discover card, Discover listens to both sides and gives the merchant the same chance as the card member. American express only listens to the card member, doesn't even give the merchant a chance.

Discover is a great card.

Originally Posted by DavidNY

The $3000 annual spend needed to reach 1% rewards on Discover is just silly. I don't think any other card does that.

Until earlier this year the Amex Blue Cash had a $6500 tier to cross before getting more higher % back. Depending on your spending habits the older Blue Cash is still a better card even with that tier.

If you do not like Discover then do not go with them. I cannot think of one place that only takes Discover and no other type of CC. Just because it is the "perfect card" for someone does not mean it is the perfect card for everyone. A coworker and I have talked credit cards at length. We each have about the same number of CC and even the same type. Our spending habits dictate which card we like most. It is not about which one is better, it is about which one is better for your style of spending.

Originally Posted by sticf

Until earlier this year the Amex Blue Cash had a $6500 tier to cross before getting more higher % back. Depending on your spending habits the older Blue Cash is still a better card even with that tier.

If you do not like Discover then do not go with them. I cannot think of one place that only takes Discover and no other type of CC. Just because it is the "perfect card" for someone does not mean it is the perfect card for everyone. A coworker and I have talked credit cards at length. We each have about the same number of CC and even the same type. Our spending habits dictate which card we like most. It is not about which one is better, it is about which one is better for your style of spending.

Exactly. And remember that Discover is the one that all the other cash back cards copied to begin with. I love my Discover but I use my Citibank Dividend more because it has better cash back.

Discover operates in a competitive environment. From my experience and from the majority of those I've spoken to, Discover's spending limit is less than other issuers, and while Discover may smile on the phone with a positive attitude they have trouble resolving customer service issues. In fact look at Discover's Better Business Bureau rankings.

The company's credit operations function is both disjointed and non coordinated with the customer service function

With acceptability less than MC or Visa, Discover is simply a card for the back of the wallet.

But the Peggy commercials are certainly entertaining (even if they do nothing to promote usage or acceptance of the card).

We all have competitive choices and Discover has its place. Discover and American Express have also been from my view the most skittish and inconsistent in dealing with the economic challenges of the past few years.

At present, in my opinion, Discover is not a product to be depended upon

I'm very sorry you feel it's for the back of your wallet.

IMHO Discover has great customer service. I have heard people complain about the credit lines here; however, very rarely do these people use their Discover Card. Discover likes to see usage. If you use your account, they will give healthy automatic credit line increases. There are much better cash reward cards out there (that use Visa or MasterCard thus having a greater acceptance rate) but Discover's service is virtually unmatched.

To each his own and as I've said, I don't use mine as much (usually only use it during the 5% on gas and groceries) as I did when I first opened it since my Citibank Dividend and Chase Freedom offer better cash returns. But I really think that Discover gets a bad rap from people who expect huge limits right off the bat or after sockdrawering their card.