I Will Teach You To Be Rich: No guilt, no excuses - just a 6-week programme that works

by Ramit Sethi

Nobody’s perfect. Despite my warnings, I understand that accidents happen and you might miss a payment at some point. When this happens, I use my Asian heritage to beat the companies by negotiating with them, and you can, too: YOU: Hi, I noticed I missed a payment, and I wanted to confirm that this won’t affect my credit score. CREDIT CARD REP: Let me check on that. No, the late fee will be applied, but it won’t affect your credit score. (Note: if you pay within a few days of your missed bill, it usually won’t be reported to the credit agencies. But ask to be sure.) YOU: Thank you! I’m really happy to hear that. Now, about that fee . . . I understand I was late, but I’d like to have it waived. CREDIT CARD REP: Why? YOU: It was a mistake. It won’t happen again, so I’d like to have the fee removed. (Note: always end your sentence with strength. Don’t say: “Can you remove this?” Say: “I’d like to have this removed.”) At this point, you have a better than 50% chance of getting the fee credited to your account. But just in case you get an especially tough rep, try this. CREDIT CARD REP: I’m very sorry, but we can’t refund that fee. I can try to get you our latest blah blah marketing pitch blah blah... YOU: I’m sorry, but I’ve been a customer for four years and I’d hate for this one fee to drive me away from your service. What can you do to remove the late fee? CREDIT CARD REP: Hmm... Let me check on that... Yes, I was able to remove the fee this time. It’s been credited to your...