Partial resolve of Visa problem
Murgi
After the Visa employee didn't call me back as promised I talked to another
person.
I was contesting the withdrawals of two Japanese companies:
Nifty (a monthly NiftyServe charge) of around 200 yen/month and
Dream Cast Internet (ISP)
plus
A newsgroup provider in the USA.
I was told that Visa can't do anything concerning the Japanese companies,
and that I shall sort things out with them myself.
The USA based company will be blocked from getting into my account.
History: After being with this NG provider for over 3 years I started to
have problems last December. It was several times offline until I couldn't
access them anymore in January. I complained to the company several times by
email, but didn't get any response. Finally I received a brazen response
by the guy in charge, saying that the NG service was OK, and that his job
is
not to teach users to set the parameters correctly!
Then I wrote back and asked him for the email and phone number of his
supervisor. On the same day he responded by saying that the
company had terminated my service for "rules violations". My question about
clarification regarding "rule violations" which I should have committed
remained unanswered...
After that I signed up with a new service. The problems is that "IBILL"
takes care of the company's financial matters. They were probably never
told that I am no customer anymore. The best way to make them respond is the
refusal to pay. It worked in the past, and it is amazing ho responsive these
bad eggs become once the money flow stops... but the credit card company
started to use a policy against it's customers. Maybe because I have just an
ordinary credit card and never responded to their Gold and Platinum card
offers. Or is it that they value Japanese companies over insignificant small
time users? I have read about lawsuits in Germany where credit card
companies got fined several times for disadvantaging "lesser clients".
I'd like to quit my credit card now, but I don't know whether there is a
backlash since I need Visa and might have to go through the hassle again
when I applied many years ago. I got mine only because my Japanese wife
applied for her own card.
Any recommendations for "gaijin approved" visa cards? Possibly a free one.
The one I have now is not free.
Sigi
Louise Bremner
> Any recommendations for "gaijin approved" visa cards? Possibly a free one.
> The one I have now is not free.
Saison aren't fussy about approving gaijin.
________________________________________________________________________
Louise Bremner (log at gol dot com)
If you want a reply by e-mail, don't write to my Yahoo address!
Ryan Ginstrom
"Murgi" <srin...@da2.so-net.ne.jp> wrote in message
news:5b4957da95e05da5...@news.secureusenet.com...
> Here is the preliminary resolve concerning my overcharged credit card:
If I were in your shoes, I would probably report the card lost right now,
and ask for a new one. Of course all charges to the old card must be
stopped, and you will inform your various merchants about your new card
details. Then you contact the ones you want to keep paying, and give them
your new info.
Speaking of shit-poor service, I tried to sign up for Internet banking
yesterday. My first warning bells went off when the instructions said an
Internet application would take 10 to 14 days, and a phone application would
take about a week. My US-based account took about 5 minutes, all done
online.
Then when I called the number, I chose the wrong option by mistake -- [2]
Internet Banking instead of [1] UFJ Direct. It turns out the [2] Internet
Banking option is only for giving instructions on how to use Internet
banking service. So the extremely helpful guy at [2] tells me to please call
again and select [1] this time, since a different department is tantou of
applications. Hello??? Ever heard of transferring calls?
So I call up again, and go through the huge rigmarole (made worse because we
still have our Tokai ATM cards, not the new UFJ ones) -- it took about 30
minutes, including having them switch me to a recorded instruction to "press
1 if you understand; press 2 if you need further instructions" and other
such nonsense.
Finally the process is complete, and guess what -- they will now mail me an
application form to fill in and mail back. Modern fucking technology
combined with craptastic Japanese service at its best.
--
Regards,
Ryan Ginstrom
Murgi
> and ask for a new one. Of course all charges to the old card must be
> stopped, and you will inform your various merchants about your new card
> details. Then you contact the ones you want to keep paying, and give them
> your new info.
>
Yes, that's one solution, but now I want to see first what's happening with
the US based company, and what how to get things sorted out with the
Japanese ones.
> Speaking of shit-poor service, I tried to sign up for Internet banking
> yesterday. My first warning bells went off when the instructions said an
> Internet application would take 10 to 14 days, and a phone application
would
> take about a week. My US-based account took about 5 minutes, all done
> online.
Don't tell me...
My wife did it for one month and saved nothing (neither time nor money).
First it didn't work, then it became too complicated for her, and finally
she had to go to the bank anyway to mend several things which went wrong.
Now she is back to pencil and paper, and is happy again.
> Then when I called the number, I chose the wrong option by mistake -- [2]
> Internet Banking instead of [1] UFJ Direct. It turns out the [2] Internet
> Banking option is only for giving instructions on how to use Internet
> banking service. So the extremely helpful guy at [2] tells me to please
call
> again and select [1] this time, since a different department is tantou of
> applications. Hello??? Ever heard of transferring calls?
Yes, Visa does exactly the same. Everything goes smooth until the last
connection is dialed. Depending how many people call the Visa operator at
the same time, it can take 20 calls to get through. Complaint sections are
usually one-(wo)man operations...
Sigi
Ken Yasumoto-Nicolson
wrote:
>I'd like to quit my credit card now, but I don't know whether there is a
>backlash since I need Visa and might have to go through the hassle again
>when I applied many years ago. I got mine only because my Japanese wife
>applied for her own card.
>Any recommendations for "gaijin approved" visa cards? Possibly a free one.
>The one I have now is not free.
The "gaigin don't get credit cards" line is a myth - it's "people with
no credit history don't get CCs". Assuming you've been here a few
years, you should have some sort of CC history, so I imagine just
about anyone would have you...
>Sigi
Ken
Matthew Endo
> > Any recommendations for "gaijin approved" visa cards? Possibly a free one.
> > The one I have now is not free.
>
> Saison aren't fussy about approving gaijin.
Are you kidding? What era are we talking about?
--
Matt
ma...@gol.com
Louise Bremner
John Yamamoto-Wilson
> The "gaigin don't get credit cards" line is a myth - it's "people with
> no credit history don't get CCs".
I don't quite know why, but after a spendthrift carefree 40 years of life I
came to Japan with virtually no savings and never having had a credit card
and got a Saison card within a few months. I think it's my face. I got a
Tobu department store card, too - they offered it to me, I didn't ask - and
recommended it to a friend (French) who got told flatly, "Sorry, no
gaiydzjins".
Matthew Endo
> > > Saison aren't fussy about approving gaijin.
> >
> > Are you kidding? What era are we talking about?
>
> Huh? You mean they've grown fussy about it now?
When I first got mine (over 10 years ago), they were very particular,
even requiring a Japanese guarantor.
--
Matt
ma...@gol.com
Louise Bremner
I see. So you assume that if that was the situation ten years ago, it's
still so now? As it happens, Saison probably changed their conditions
not long after, because I didn't need a Japanese guarantor (I did try to
be clever and do without a guarantor altogether, but the helpful guy who
rang me from Saison said that even Japanese people need one, which does
seem reasonable).
Haluk Skywalker
yazdi news:c2a3jr$1qidcm$1...@ID-169501.news.uni-berlin.de...
Could it be your last name?
Matthew Endo
> I see. So you assume that if that was the situation ten years ago, it's
> still so now? As it happens, Saison probably changed their conditions
> not long after, because I didn't need a Japanese guarantor (I did try to
> be clever and do without a guarantor altogether, but the helpful guy who
> rang me from Saison said that even Japanese people need one, which does
> seem reasonable).
Yep, that's why I was asking. However, as a long term resident of
Japan, you were probably able to get the Saison card with no problem.
Having a permanent resident visa probably helps, too.
The last part, do you mean Saison does not require a guarantor or they
do require a guarantor?
--
Matt
ma...@gol.com
John Yamamoto-Wilson
> > I don't quite know why, but after a spendthrift carefree 40 years
> > of life I came to Japan with virtually no savings and never having
> > had a credit card and got a Saison card within a few months. I
> > think it's my face. I got a Tobu department store card, too -
> > they offered it to me, I didn't ask - and recommended it to a
> > friend (French) who got told flatly, "Sorry, no gaiydzjins".
Haluk Skywalker suggested:
> Could it be your last name?
That's certainly possible. I've also had very little trouble with estate
agents, and was able to take out a mortgage with no difficulty a few years
ago. If it's my family name that's doing the trick, I recommend anyone
marrying a Japanese person to do as I did and combine the surnames!
Louise Bremner
> Louise Bremner <dame_...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > I see. So you assume that if that was the situation ten years ago, it's
> > still so now? As it happens, Saison probably changed their conditions
> > not long after, because I didn't need a Japanese guarantor (I did try to
> > be clever and do without a guarantor altogether, but the helpful guy who
> > rang me from Saison said that even Japanese people need one, which does
> > seem reasonable).
>
> Yep, that's why I was asking. However, as a long term resident of
> Japan, you were probably able to get the Saison card with no problem.
I was still a Specialist in International Whatsits at the time, but I
don't think they even asked about my visa status. I assumed they went on
the length of time I'd had the bank account I put in the application
(which does not imply anything about length of residency, of course,
since I opened the account on my first visit to Japan and returned my
gaigin card on leaving). Granted that the account "proved" I'd been in
Japan for nearly fourteen years at that point, but Sigi's been here
longer than that.
> Having a permanent resident visa probably helps, too.
>
> The last part, do you mean Saison does not require a guarantor or they
> do require a guarantor?
They do, but it doesn't have to be a Japanese person.
Matthew Endo
> > The last part, do you mean Saison does not require a guarantor or they
> > do require a guarantor?
>
> They do, but it doesn't have to be a Japanese person.
Saison card does not require a guarantor for Japanese applicants.
--
Matt
ma...@gol.com