Mail-From: local user C410ID20 at 25-Jan-83 16:55:09-EST
Mail-From: local user A310RJ0T at 20-Jan-83 12:12:38-EST
Date: 20 January 1983 1132-EST
From: Robin Jeffries at CMU-CS-A
Subject: Re: Credit Card Services
To: Ivor Durham
Remailed-To: Harry.Bovik at CMU-CS-A
Remailed-From: Ivor.Durham at CMU-CS-A (C410ID20)
Remailed-Date: Tuesday, 25 January 1983 1227-EST

I had a bad experience with Creditgard, the free service that comes with
my AAA Visa card (you get what you pay for).  I called them when my wallet
was stolen, and they failed to notify any of the companies!  It was
sheer luck that I found this out before the cards were used and I was
responsible.  Even my complaint about this was handled incompetently (at
one point, I was told I must have called the wrong number; 15 minutes
later they were able to find a list of the cards I had told them were
stolen).  We are currently using Credit Card Sentinel, which in their
day-to-day procedures seem to be a much more together outfit - we get
regular updates of the information they have for us, etc., but I have
not had any credit card problems since we started, so I can't state
how they behave when you really need them.

Having been through a a stolen wallet, I think that if the service worked
as billed, it would a useful thing to have.  I was much too upset from
the burglary to have ever remembered exactly what credit cards I had, much
less how to contact all the companies.  Had I been away from home, it
would have been a real disaster!  However, an incompetent company may
well be worse than having no service at all.

robin