Citi, they don't want me to go

So here I am, with positive balance on my Promerica and Citibank cards, about $100 owed on each of the BAC cards and about $300 owed on HSBC (the /(&%/& charged me their renewal fee just now).

 

The process to cancel my card with Promerica was relatively painless, mostly due to them already having me on a real arranged payment schedule. I asked for a check of the balance in my favor. When I picked it up I request the closing of my account. Today I requested the final closing document. They stated that I could pick up the document Dec 1 2011. One down, three to go.

 

So Citi is next. I paid it all with them. I have balance in my favor in the lempira balance but owed some in the dolar balance. So I went over to their office a couple of weeks ago and told the Customer Service officer that I wanted to close my account, that I wanted a check for my balance rather than using the plastic (because it's damaged on purpose).

 

So here are the steps with the time frame for each.

 

1) Balance transfer from Lps to $ to owe them nothing (3 days)

2) Account unblocking (2 days)

3) Account cancellation (2 days) (only available by phone..WTF??)

4) Check issuing for the the balance in my favor (5 days)

5) Issue final closing document (5 days, can only be requested monday thru wednesday)

 

As I was waiting for someone to assist me, I found a friend of mine waiting too and she was actually doing exactly the same thing. She got a refinance from Banpais, and was cancelling her Citibank card. She had told me of all the hoops she had gone thru to close her Citibank account. However she was recommended to spend the balance in her favor, and she did. She was now wanting to close the account. I wanted to go the other way, close the account first and then get a check for the remaining balance.

 

Today I called to do step 3 and they actually told me they might not give me my balance back. Then they told me they would but I would have to request it at a bank branch as a cash withdrawal with my card. I told her I didn't have a card and she had to talk to her manager. Eventually she said she could close my account but I would have to go to a branch to request my balance. The easy thing would've been to get a new plastic and spend it but I wasn't taking that bait.

 

So now I have to go to Citibank branch on wednesday to request checks for my balance.

 

I wonder how hard it will be to cancel one of my BAC credit cards once I pay the tail that's still remaining (about $100 due to interests).