Kokua Line
Kokua Line
Because of the state payroll lag, I wanted to change the closing date of my MasterCard charge. I found out that my billing cycle was shortened from 25 to 20 days. I was told it's because I pay off my charges monthly. Is that ethical? Can I request that I be put back on the 25-day billing cycle? Credit card firms must
send notice of changesThe Truth in Lending Act is quite complicated, but as far as the state consumer protector can see, there is no prohibition against shortening the billing cycle.
However, there are requirements for changing any aspect of your credit contract, said Jo Ann Uchida, executive director of the state Office of Consumer Protection.
You should have received specific notices of any changes to billing or major modifications to your contract, she said. Ask for documents that alerted you to the shortened cycle.
If you did not receive such notices, file a complaint with her office. Call 587-3222.
As a good customer, you have a right to ask to be put back on the old cycle. But Uchida noted a trend among credit card companies to try to recoup the costs of maintaining the accounts of people, like you, who pay off their credit card charges every month.
Such card holders receive the benefits of a having a credit card, perhaps paying no annual fees, receiving airline mileage bonuses, etc., but the company is "not making any money off these people in interest payments," she said.
Shortening the billing cycle may be one way to break even, while Uchida said there also has been talk about different interest rates.
"It really does go back to quickly reading those little pieces of paper that come in your billing statements," she said.
On June 3, I was driving down the H-1 at 10 minutes to 2 p.m. and saw a police blue-and-white vehicle with its blue flashers on. The car was zig-zagging like a snake from one side of the highway to the other side, so no one could go fast or slow or go past him. Is this a new tactic to make people slow down, or was he on some kind of prescription medication? It was very strange. He went back and forth for about three-four miles, then finally he stopped doing it, and everybody went the way they were going originally. More details are needed before officials can respond, said Honolulu Police Department spokeswoman Michelle Yu. If you can provide them, call HPD or Kokua Line. In the future, try to at least get the license number of the vehicle, Yu said.
To all the motorists who take the Halawa/Stadium exit to bypass the afternoon rush-hour traffic Ewa-bound on Moanalua Freeway. Then they make an illegal left turn at the traffic light to get back on the freeway, blatantly ignoring two "NO LEFT TURN" signs. This creates a terrible backlog for people in the Aiea, Halawa and industrial area trying to get on the freeway to travel west-bound. It's very frustrating for law-abiding citizens to have to deal with these inconsiderate drivers. Hopefully, your haste to save two minutes of travel time will cost you a healthy traffic citation and delay your commute even more. Oh, yeah: The state Highways Division and HPD have been notified. -- KCYG Auwe
To whoever turned in a black wallet with all contents intact at the Waikiki Shell on May 1. I was truly amazed and grateful that this kind, honest person in a crowd of thousands picked it up and turned it in. Mahalo also to the city auditoriums staff for promptly notifying me that it was safe and sound. You turned a potentially disastrous experience into a truly gratifying one. -- No name Mahalo
Need help with problems? Call Kokua Line at 525-8686,
fax 525-6711, or write to P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
Email to kokualine@starbulletin.com
