I had a good customer service experience

So...I went online to schedule a Citi card payment the other day. First thing I noticed? My due date was 7 days earlier than it has been for the last few months.

Okay...my bad. I should have looked at the statement when I received it. I would have known.

But...how often does a credit card company just change your due date like that. My first thought was, "Hey! What a great way to ensure that I violate my terms so that you can raise my incredibly low interest rate."

Well...though I was hesitant, I called customer service. You see...the last time I called, I spent an inordinate amount of time on the call, because 1) my first customer service rep did not know the answer to my questions and he was not even understanding me and, of course, I was not understanding him. English clearly not his first language. Then, 2) after insisting that I speak with a manager, I spoke with a "Customer Account Manager." Not really a manager, but at least someone who took ownership...of course, the ownership she took was to such an extreme that she refused to transfer me to anyone else. She couldn't answer my question, either, except to read to me what I already knew. I have a Upromise card which pays me to use it and applies a percentage of every purchase to my SallieMae student loan. I received a letter saying that Upromise selected a different bank to be the "card" people. I had a few questions...nobody could answer them. 30 minutes on this call which was full of frustration, bad communication, and no satisfaction. My questions were never really answered.

Anyway...

I called customer service about the due date change. I expressed my concern that I would be penalized with not only a late fee, but an interest rate increase for being late with my payment.

Joe American very quickly and efficiently handled my concerns. He asked if I could hold a moment. I did. He returned and explained that since I'd been paying my account balance in full and early, that the system defaulted to a shorter grace period and an earlier due date. He went on to say that many customers doing the same thing have routinely asked that grace periods and due dates be changed in this way, so the Citi account system was programmed to "just change it" when certain account paying behavior is detected.

He also informed me that he suppressed the late fee, extended my grace period back to what it was, and adjusted my account to the former due date.

Very efficient. Very pleasant. Very friendly and kind this Joe American. Less than 5 minutes. That is good customer service.