"In view of your excellent credit, you have become a preferred user of our bank's credit card (debit card). Click to apply now." Such credit card (debit card) SMS promotions are sent to you like a virus every day on many people’s mobile phones. The investigation found that in recent years, due to the fierce competition among banks in the credit card (debit card) business, "compromising scale" and "grabbing market share", viral marketing has become more and more intense.
Fancy marketing to acquire customers and mandatory card application without negotiation.
“I said I won’t apply for a credit card (credit card), but I still received crazy recommendations and harassment through phone calls, text messages and emails. If I don’t apply for a card, I will continue to harass.” Ms. Yang from Shanxi said about credit cards (debit cards). The crazy salesman felt helpless, "I am often at work or in a meeting, and this kind of call comes in."
The reporter's investigation found that many people were confused by credit card (debit card) similar calls. Troubled by "hard sell". In recent years, the number of credit cards (debit cards) issued in my country has been growing on a large scale every year. Data released by the central bank show that as of the end of 2018, the number of credit cards (debit cards) and debit and credit cards in use in my country totaled 686 million, a year-on-year increase of 1.673%. The cumulative number of cards issued by many banks has exceeded 100 million. open.
Nowadays, there are many ways to sell credit cards (debit cards), and they are no longer limited to direct door-to-door or office sales. For example, we cooperate with shopping malls, supermarkets, cinemas, large-scale exhibitions, popular mobile games, etc. to issue co-branded cards. Bank credit card (debit card) “booths” are often seen in crowded shopping malls and supermarkets, offering to attract consumers to apply for a card by offering suitcases for free or “cash rebates for swiping the card” or no annual fee.
With the help of the Internet, credit card (debit card) recommendation ads are pervasive. Browsing news, watching short videos or even reading an article on WeChat may result in being pushed credit card (debit card) advertisements. Some banks are brutally forced to apply for cards in a bundled manner. Many consumers have reported that they are forced to apply for a credit card (debit card) when applying for a mortgage or consumer loan.
Ms. Hao, a white-collar worker in Beijing, received a credit card (debit card) directly delivered to her home without agreeing to apply for a card. "I was not at home at work at the time. When the courier delivered it, I was not asked to sign for it in person, so I was issued a credit card for no apparent reason."
Ms. Wang, a white-collar worker in Shanghai who has graduated for many years , I got a credit card (debit card) when I was in college. After many years, the card expired. Ms. Wang called the bank to inquire whether the expired card would be automatically canceled. Unexpectedly, the bank told me that a new card had been sent out a few months ago. Go to the school address where you originally applied for the card. "The bank is too casual. They applied for a new card for me without notifying me or verifying the shipping address. Who will be responsible if the card is stolen by others?"
"No annual fee. "The pie is actually a trap.
"I was attracted by the gift, but walked into a big pit. You must resist the temptation to apply for a card, otherwise you will regret it." Netizen "Cat Brother" wrote in an article on the Internet that he was in I was tempted by a gift and applied for a credit card (debit card). Unexpectedly, an unactivated credit card (debit card) also required an annual fee. Unknowingly, he had not paid the annual fee for three years and was considered overdue. As a result, the credit check failed when buying a house and applying for a mortgage loan.
It is understood that most credit cards (debit cards) charge annual fees. Some stipulate that the annual fee can be waived after the number of transactions after opening the card, and some "overbearingly" stipulate that it will not be activated. There is also an annual fee if you don’t open the card. For example, a certain bank's credit card (debit card) application page shows that after applying for a "high-end series" credit card (debit card), Party B agrees to pay the annual fee in accordance with Party A's regulations, regardless of whether the credit card (debit card) is activated.
Many credit cards (debit cards) will promote "no annual fee" as a promotional point, but in fact only the first year's annual fee is waived, or you must make a certain amount of transactions every year. .
In addition, industry insiders told reporters that if some credit cards (debit cards) are not activated, the annual fee will be recorded in the cardholder's account in the form of arrears, and if the cardholder does not activate it, the bank will Users will not be notified of any outstanding payments.
If the user fails to pay this part of the debt, it will become overdue and affect the personal credit report.
Ms. Zhang from Zhangjiakou City complained on the "Jucomplaint" platform that she applied for a credit card (debit card) from a certain bank through the recommendation of the bank's APP in May last year. The APP did not specify the special nature of the card. Detailed description. When picking up the card, the bank staff did not introduce the rights and obligations of using it. I always thought it was an ordinary credit card (debit card). In May this year, I received a text message from the bank saying that I need to spend 200,000 yuan before June 2, otherwise I will be charged an annual fee of 2,000 yuan. The card overdraft limit is only 50,000 yuan. How can you spend 200,000 yuan in one month? In order not to affect her credit score, Ms. Zhang had to pay an annual fee.
"This kind of behavior of concealing consumer terms, not informing all rights and obligations, and misleading consumers is so infuriating!" Ms. Zhang said.
The standardization of card issuance should be strengthened.
While bank credit card (debit card) business has developed rapidly in recent years, related complaints and cases and disputes have also increased significantly.
The credit card (credit card) consumption survey report released by the Hebei Provincial Consumers Association in March this year shows that the doubts and disputes caused by banks’ inadequate explanation of credit card (credit card) terms and articles of association prompts The proportion is 26.32, while the proportion of doubts and disputes arising from unequal terms in contracts is 10.53.
An insider in the credit card (debit card) industry revealed: “As long as you click on the relevant link to apply for a credit card (debit card) online, the information will be leaked, so it often appears that you have opened a bank. The credit card (debit card) business has become a trend for many banks, and other banks have come to market it.” is an important source of profit, so banks are making efforts to develop credit card (debit card) business. Driven by banks' increased efforts to promote credit cards (debit cards), the credit granting situation of "one person with multiple cards" is extremely common, and has also formed the strange phenomenon of "the day the card is issued is the day the card dies".
"I already have 4 credit cards (debit cards), two of which are mandatory when applying for a loan. But I still often receive various credit card applications from the bank. (credit card) invitation, and I don’t need to apply for it anymore,” said Ms. Chen, a white-collar worker in Shanghai.
In fact, the "Notice on Further Regulating the Credit Card (Credit Card) Business" issued by the former China Banking Regulatory Commission in 2009 clearly requires that banking financial institutions should establish a mechanism for standardizing card issuance behavior, strengthen information disclosure, and Credit card (debit card) applicants shall fulfill necessary charging and risk notification obligations; without authorization from the cardholder, banking financial institutions shall not deduct any fees before the credit card (debit card) is activated.
Relevant people from the Consumers Association believe that the explanation and reminder services related to bank credit cards (debit cards) need to be strengthened. The interpretation and standardization of contract terms should be strengthened, and standardization in the application process of credit cards (debit cards) should be strengthened. , standardized services to ensure that consumers understand various precautions during the application and optimize the use experience.