I had a similar experience with them - nearly identical to yours.
Needless to say, after a horribly unprofessional encounter with a rep on their end I have decided to send a letter with all of my details to them, the store that first offered me the card (in hopes that they will begin using a different card for their sales), to NYC local news agencies and newspapers, as well as the NY State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. I figure that, coupled with all the complaints I see on the web...will generate some change at this arm of GE. I never got the feeling this arm was a legitimate business, it feels like a scam. Clearly there are policies and procedures in place for customers who pay their entire balance in advance of the interest rate kicking in(...in other words, GE wouldn't make any money)
Sadly enough...after several months of persistence (yes I said months!), I reached a manager who eliminated all of the frivolous fees and phantom return check fees - and she did it in 2 minutes. Guess it was luck of the draw.
As a result of this. I have sold ALL of my GE stock...and will never buy GE products again. For a solid business and brand, they cannot afford to keep this arm of the business. Sell it GE, sell it :)
