Bank One, "Carter Franke", and Customer-centric service policies

A reader of real life debt: the weblog wrote in with this story:

I got an invitation from Carter Franke to get a credit card and since i had to pay off a balance i applied for their credit card with a balance transfer. The next day I found out my wife had paid off the account so I called to cancel the balance transfer. I was told this was indeed impossible and the system could not be accessed or changed. So I said ok cancel my application...No that is impossible also. So I asked what if it was a phony application or identity theft..then could they cancel it. Yes it could be cancelled but only by the credit reporting agency calling in. I..the customer have no say in it once i apply.

I spoke to the Oklahoma and Orlando offices and both times after getting to supervisors they both gave me the same reply..absolutely nothing can be done. Well it cost me almost 47000.00 but i paid them off completely, closed all my accounts with bank one and will never do business with a company that cant provide service to their patrons..i guess im funny about that service stuff..

This sounds like a pretty odd customer service policy, but what I don't understand is why it cost you $47k: If you had the entire amount paid off, then why couldn't you just immediately turn around and pay off the consolidation loan with the loan check itself, then just incur one interest cycle?

Nonetheless, it highlights the importance of communication between couples about finances, and, of course, particularly highlights the lack of flexibility when you work with large financial institutions like Bank One. Always read the small print, always go in with your eyes open to potential pitfalls for offers that inevitably sound too good to be true, and always try to ask what happens if the unlikely or improbable occurs, like having your wife suddenly pay off the debts with a windfall.