I received a credit and great customer service (long)
After reading this thread, I had some trepidation about calling DC and asking for a retention bonus. In fact I put it off for a few months as the annual charge was back in October.
What's more, I have a Carte Blanche card, so my annual fee is $300, not $95, and I have never heard any reports on this forum of any retention bonus for CB holders.
I figured I would just call and ask them to cancel and hope they would refund at least a portion of my annual fee. I had even reduced my spend on the card to near zero in the last month.
Anyway, I called the other day to dispute a charge -- couldn't be easier -- and then asked to be transferred to Retention.
I was connected to a very pleasant rep, who listened carefully when I pointed out:
- Although I pay for a CB card, I really don't use its uplevel features of golf course access and concierge service.
- I would like to downgrade my card to a regular DC, but to do so requires I CANCEL the CB card and completely re-apply for the DC card. A big pain.
- I have witnessed the reduction in benefits, two of which have been particularly inconvenient: the loss of the 60-day billing cycle, and the loss of UA as a Rewards partner. Had they kept the 60-day cycle, I would be charging corporate expenses, which on my corp Amex card, often reaches $15-20,000 a month. (Both corp Amex and Diners Club cards have 60-day or so payment cycles.)
While he was listening it was obvious he was reviewing my account history and spend.
He then thanked me for being a DC customer for 10 years, and said he would waive the entire $300 as a token of appreciation of my business.
He and I chatted a bit more about my opinion that Citicorp has missed a great opportunity with DC and the MasterCard lockup, and some of the things they could do to truly differentiate DC in the market. He was very knowledgeable about the product, and while he never criticized Citicorp or the DC product, he was certainly empathetic. It was obvious he had heard similar concerns from other customers.
So, I am a (semi-satisfied) DC customer for another year. Their customer service remains superior and accessible. I just wish their management would be more enlightened, and make changes to the card that could make it the #1 card for business travelers.