Beware of Summit Racing Equip/ GE Capital Bank offers of free interest

[WIDESIDE72]

Back in December 2012 I purchased a hooker dual exhaust system, mufflers and a few other things in order to meet the $250 minimum to qualify for the 0% interest for six months.

My wife pays the bills but today I got the statement and decided to open it to check out how much I still owed. There are no other purchases on the account, and it shows that I had been charged $13 in interest in 2013. I called Summit Racing and they said I would have to call GE Capital. I called GE and they said there was nothing they could do. They showed two purchases, one for $199, one for $79.

I called Summit Racing again and spoke to a different, obviously more knowledgeable rep and she showed that the $199 exhaust system was back ordered when I ordered it, so it showed up as two purchases. She said she would combine them so that the interest wouldn't apply.

She called back a few minutes later and said that GE told her that the promotional offer at the time was for $299 or more, not $250. (This was not the case, but I have no recourse, as I didn't hang on to the flyer they sent me.)

Be wary of companies that do business this way. I have purchased a lot of items from Summit, and this is the first time that they have pulled this scam, but I won't be buing from them on credit any more, if at all.

I was already privy to the practice of companies offering promotional APR's like this, then half way through saying that they got my payment one day late, and charging the interest from day one, but this is a new one.