Consumer complaint received 2024-09-22 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Fees or interest — Problem with fees
Company: BMO BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: KS

Complaint narrative:
In XX/XX/XXXX I set up a Debt Management agreement that BMO Bank verbally agreed to at that time. Finally 5 months later, BMO sent the signed agreement. 
I agreed to have the Debt Management company make a monthly payment to BMO on my behalf. In return BMO agreed to waive any late fees and to maintain/not increase the interest rate. In the meantime, since XX/XX/XXXX, the Debt Management company was making the agreed monthly payments on my behalf. and has consistently made the monthly payment to the present time. 
Whereas, BMO has charged a {$39.00} late payment fee every month from XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXXXXXX  ( 21 months ). Additionally, they have raised the APR from 26.24 % from XX/XX/XXXX, when I entered the program. I don't know what I'm being charged now, as BMO will not give me access to monthly statements. 
I have tried to speak with BMO Collection Manager, XXXX XXXX, but she is never available and messages I have left are never returned. 
So I used a law firm to send her a letter asking for a reconciliation of my credit card account, and demand credit for the late fees and excess interest charged. She was given 15 days to respond. That date has long passed with no response. 
For months I was getting daily collection calls, sometimes 5 in a day, from BMO telling my account was past due. I explained numerous times that my account was placed with a Debt Management company, and I should not be getting these calls. The CSR would say, OK, I'll put that note in your account. And the calls would continue. 
Recently, the calls stopped. Then I got a letter from a third party collection company telling me that my account had been placed with them for collection. I wrote to them and explained that my account was being handled by a Debt Management company who was consistently making payments on my behalf in accordance with the agreement that BMO had signed. I asked them to refer my account back to BMO. I have not had a response from them or from BMO. 
In the interim, because BMO sent my account to outside collections, my credit score has dropped so low that I can not get a new credit card or a personal loan. BMO has placed me into financial hardship. 
According to my Debt Management company, I owe more now to BMO than when I entered the program. 
Since BMO Bank has not honored their side of the Debt Management Agreement, I would appreciate any help in bringing BMO into compliance with that agreement, and getting my credit card account reconciled, meaning being credited with all late fees and excess interest charged from XX/XX/XXXX, in addition to doing whatever is necessary to restore my credit score with the three credit bureaus. And how about a big apology for my duress and a lower interest credit card with a {$1000.00} credit line. Not kidding...

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief