I was appalled to see the ridiculous terms of the card; it had a $250 line of credit with fees before even using the card of $178.00.  I telephoned First Premier Bank to tell them I did not want the card, but their telephone menu has no option to talk to a CSR to tell them about this sort of a problem.

I did not activate the card and I cut it up.  I did notice that the sticker on the card did not have a message saying I needed to activate the card, which I found very odd.  On February 27, I received a bill from First Premier Bank for $178.

I called the 800 telephone number and after many tries found a way in so I could talk to an actual human being to tell them I wanted the account closed.

I spoke with Sue in South Dakota and she insisted that I had applied for the credit card, despite my telling her that this was not the case.  I then sent First Premier Bank written notification that I want the account closed.

In my letter, I complained about the following:  (1.) despite the fact that I did not want or activate the card, I received a bill.  In fact, it appeared to me that anyone could have gotten the card in the mail (I have an unlocked rural mailbox) and begun using the card without activation, since there was no "activate this card" message on the sticker.  (2.) There is no way to contact First Premier Bank through their website; they have no "contact us" or "email" on anywhere on their site.  (3.) Unlike any other credit card, there is no "speak to a customer representative" option on First Premier Bank's telephone menu.

In my letter, I told First Premier Bank that I expect written notification from them that they have received my letter and have closed my account.

I sent my letter by certified mail.

I also sent my complaint to the FTC and FDIC as well as other consumer watch and consumer complaint sites.

Richard Higgins, rhhiggins@aol.com