Late payment? Into the stocks with you, sinner! [View All]

Has anyone else noticed how insurance agencies, credit card companies and mortgage lenders are growing less and less tolerant of late payments? I sent in my car insurance payment (Arbella Insurance) a couple of days late last month because I'd been out of town. Yesterday I came home to find a notice that they were going to cancel the policy unless I paid up, with an extra $15.00 late fee. No nice "Did you forget to mail your check?" letter. No stern "your payment is late, please send." Nope, instead it was a whiny, "We're canceling your policy immediately unless you fork over the cash" announcement. What a petty bunch of assholes. You expect this kind of crap when you're six months late on your bill, but a couple of days after the payment is due they pull this?

I ran into a similar situation recently with a credit card I had with Providian bank - I filled out the paperwork to transfer the balance to a different card with a better percentage rate. I didn't mail them my monthly payment as I expected the balance to be transferred so I could close the account. Unfortuantely, the transfer took too long so at 12:01 am on day after the payment due date these bloodsuckers at Providian slammed me for a $35 late fee. Disgusting.

Not only that, I refinanced my mortgage last summer and amidst all the documentation I signed there was a statement which basically said they'll start foreclosure if I'm a few weeks late on payment. Lose your job and they'll swoop down and take the house, licking their chops and slobbering.

Boy, am I sick of these big business pieces of shit strutting about squeaking threats and hauling in fees left and right for any infraction they can spot. The sharks are madly circling us consumers in our puny little liferafts, eager for any drop of blood in the water. These companies will air commercials talking about how they're you're friend or neighbor or some other bullshit, but the second you cross the line with them they'll now come after you full throttle and suck the life out of you. one would think when the economy is down they'd show a little more reserve, but it's just the other way around - they're making a killing with the Gestapo tactics.

Thanks, Republicans, for pushing an agenda which gives agencies like this the right to do whatever they please, whenever they please, feeding off us sheep like vampires plucking victims in an Anne Rice novel. Why don't we just bring back stocks and debtors' prisons while we're at it?