Credit card holders angry, but helpless

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Wahyu, an employee with a foreign finance company, shared his bitter experience with a credit card issued by a local private bank.

He smelled something funny when his credit card bill reached Rp 10 million (about US$1,050) earlier this year.

"I usually spend between Rp 5 to Rp 7 million a month as I use my credit card to pay utility bills, the internet provider as well as for monthly shopping or other expenses," said Wahyu, who had never collected his receipts when he used his credit card for shopping or other purposes.

Realizing that he had no evidence to prove his allegation that the bank was quite obviously embezzling his money, Wahyu stayed silent. But, since then, he has collected "a bag of receipts" and never fails to collect one after using the card.

In February, the receipts revealed that he only spent Rp 5.8 million while his credit card bill reached Rp 11 million.

He went to the bank and filed a complaint, which was completed with copies of the evidence. The bank promised to investigate his case. But, two months later, Wahyu was informed that there was no fraud involving his credit card.

"They suggested that it might have been used to purchase something over the Internet, which I strongly denied as I have never done that. I asked them to look into other reasons, but they did nothing," he said.

Wahyu closed his account after he paid his obligation to the bank. He then decided to use his other credit card, which is from a proper foreign bank.

"I did not report the local bank to the police as it would have taken more time and cost me more money (in police bribes to get them to do anything). I need a credit card, but in fact, I feel powerless if I am confronted with a such case," he said, while adding that he had never been overcharged by the foreign bank.

Another person, Mrs. Sunarto -- not her real name -- complained about the aggressive sales pitches for credit cards after his son, a 21-year-old university student who has yet to get a job, filled in an application and got one without her permission.

"How could they issue a credit card to my son, who has no job? How did they think he was going to pay for it?" she said.

Mrs. Sunarto said that her son got the credit card, which was issued by a foreign bank, while he was shopping at a mall.

"They supposedly examine their would-be clients' financial background or something, I thought," she lamented.

Mrs. Sunarto, who has one credit card, found out about her son's credit card after two men, said to be representing the bank, came to the house to collect her son's debt.

As she insisted that the bank should not have issued a credit card to her son, the men threatened to report the boy to the police.

"So, of course I paid up Rp 2.5 million they wanted. It had not been paid for over six months. I did not want any trouble," she said, adding that she would not give her son any "pocket money" for six months as a form of punishment.

The various problems of credit card usage in this country also has a fallout effect on some non-holders.

Mrs. Makruf, a 70-year-old landlady, was threatened by debt collectors recently.

Last month, several men -- wearing black attire with metal accessories -- banged on the door of her house at midnight to collect the debt of her son-in-law, who had moved out of the house a year earlier.

When her housemaid told them that, the men began using vile, swear words and continued to bang on the door, demanding that she give them his new address.

One of the tenants of her house later threatened to call the police if the men did not stop leave. So they eventually left after that. Before leaving, they left a letter from the bank and damaged a potted plant outside the house.

The next day, the landlady called the bank to protest about the midnight disturbance -- and a series of telephone threats from debt collectors claiming to represent the bank before the incident.

The bank, however, did not respond to her protests.

"I have nothing to do with my son-in-law's debt. He is a grown man. Why should I be humiliated?" complained the widow.