Consumer complaint received 2015-04-28
Company: FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF OMAHA
State: OH
Product: Credit card
Issue: Billing disputes

Complaint:
I paid my credit card via the issuers website on the day it was due. I received a letter from them XXXX week later stating that my bank had indicated that the information submitted was incorrect and I was charged a {$20.00} late fee. I immediately called the credit card company and was told that the late fee could not be removed because I inputted an incorrect checking account number. I realized, after I had hung up, that my checking account information was saved on the credit card 's website and I could not have inputted it incorrectly because it was already there. All I did was enter the payment date and amount. I then called my bank ( there was no information regarding this transaction on my bank website ) and was told that the reason the payment was rejected was because the " 0 '' was omitted from the beginning of my checking account number when it was sent to them for payment. I called the credit card company back and spoke to someone in Credit Card Accounting. I was told that my checking account information was incorrect ; therefore, my payment was late and the fee was assessed. I tried to explain that I do not work for the credit card company or the bank and my checking account information was saved to " their '' website. How could I have entered the information incorrectly? She told me she would remove my checking account information ( and did so immediately ) from my account and I would have to re-enter it so I could make the payment again. I was then transferred to the credit department to see if they would waive the {$20.00} late fee. The person I spoke to was very rude and actually hung up on me. He told me that there was no payment account information associated with my account. When I tried to explain that was because the woman I spoke to before him had removed it he accused me of trying to blame her for my late payment. I said, " I 'm not blaming her for my late payment. I 'm telling you that is why there is no checking account information associated with my account. Because she just removed it. '' Not long after that was when he hung up on me. I called back and spoke to someone else and explained the same thing to him. How could this be my fault when all I did was enter the amount and payment date? He put me on hold to " speak to his supervisor '' and came back and said that his supervisor refused to waive the late fee and that I should make my payment. I asked if I could make the original {$50.00} payment or if I had to make the new {$57.00} payment they were now asking for. He stated that I could make the original {$50.00} payment but that if the remaining {$7.00} was not paid by XXXX XXXX, XX/XX/2015 that my account would, again, be late. I told him that I was not looking to get out of making any payments and that the XXXX payment would be made just like XXXX, XXXX and every other payments had been. That 's when I got a little heated and told him that that is how big banks make their money ... by screwing the little people who have no recourse. He actually told me that I should contact my bank again because even if the " XXXX '' had been omitted from the account number they still should have put the payment through. Unbelievable! 

How can I be charged a late fee for a mistake that I did n't make? I understand that this is all done electronically now but, is there not someone at the credit card company whose job it is to enter this information? Accounts receivable, maybe? 

This is no longer about a {$20.00} late fee on a {$50.00} payment, but the principle of the matter. Everyone at the credit card company that I spoke with insisted that I omitted the beginning XXXX from my account. I asked each XXXX of them that if that were the case how did they get paid in XXXX ( and every previous month ) without a problem? I 'm still waiting for an answer. I believe it 's more of a " the XXXX at the beginning of an account do n't mean anything '' mentality on the credit card company 's part.

Company public response: Company believes complaint is the result of an isolated error
Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief