A pleasant chat with a Capital One specialist

• Hi and welcome to Capital One live chat! One of our specialist will be right with you.
• You are now chatting with Thomas.

Thomas: Thank you for visiting Capital One’s website. My name is Thomas, what questions can I answer for you about our online credit card offers?

you: hello, my name is john and im a student looking to get a good "first credit card" to help build credit for my future and to help myself budget and so forth. i have never really had any credit before other than having a water bill in my name. i applied for the journey student card and was denied. why is that?

Thomas: John, just to let you  know,  the  Journey Student Rewards Credit Card is listed under Average credit.

Thomas: For the best chance of being approved for a card,  you should choose the credit level appropriate for your situation.

Thomas: So, we do have Secured credit cards.

Thomas: Because, the Capital One Secured Card is designed to help you take control and build your credit.

Thomas: Many of my customers decide to apply for a secured credit card to begin building credit in their own name.

Thomas: Let me explain the features on the secured credit card and help you with the application process. Is that fine?

you: but how can i be "rebuilding credit" if i have never had credit before?

Thomas: Just to let you know, when compare to other credit cards this card has high approval rate.

you: the secured card? i wouldnt mind applying for it but i really wouldnt like to have to pay an annual fee

Thomas: Yes, the secured credit card.

Thomas: You  know what,  Capital One will periodically review accounts for graduation from secured to unsecured cards.

Thomas: We will proactively evaluate your account based on your payment and credit history.  And Capital One will partner with you every step of your way on the road to credit.

Thomas: So, please maintain your account so that you may get  an upgrading option  on your secured credit card.

Thomas: The membership fee of $29  for this card is competitive and helps to make sure you get the best program we can offer to you(Like Free Credit inform).

you: but why is it that a student needs average credit to apply for a student card? it would make sense for this student card to actually be used by students

you: a person with no credit shouldnt be considered having bad credit

Thomas: Please note that, when processing your application, we consider many different factors, including information from your application and credit bureau reports.

Thomas: Since you are declined for  our Journey rewards card,  you will receive the written notification in the mail stating that why your application was not approved.

you: yes in 7 to 10 days. but if i have never had any line of credit before other than a water account that i payed on time each month, what could the criteria be that negatively impacted my application? could the process that reviewed my application that only took 5 seconds have missed something?

Thomas: In that case, I'll provide you with the number where you can call and discus about your application.

Thomas: You can call us at 1-800-933-5182  to check your application.  I'd request you to please wait for a minimum of 48 hours before calling(From the time you applied for the card).

Thomas: Once you dial the number please press 3 to speak with a representative.

you: ok

Thomas: Please keep your SSN handy while calling our customer relations.

Thomas: You can call us on Monday - Saturday 8:00 am - 10:00 pm EST.

you: is there something you can recommend me to do other than just call a customer service hotline? maybe theres something wrong with my credit that i dont know about? it seems like im just going to get some more pointless answers if i call

Thomas: Generally, to be eligible for an  offer, your annual income must be greater than your annual rent/mortgage payments.

Thomas: However, to know the exact reason, you need to call  our customer relation or please  wait for the written notification.

you: that is what i figured, but with no income other than what my parents give me per semester, i had no choice but to put a lower number than what i thought might get me approved. but there was no area for a better explanation on the form. if i apply again and make up some numbers will i have a better chance of being approved?

Thomas: automatically to  let you  know, the application was process automatically.

Thomas: So, unfortunately, there is No way for me to know whether you will be approved or not until you go through the application process.

Thomas: We need to process your application first. But, in many cases, you can get a response in as little as 60 seconds.

you: if i apply a number of times and get rejected each time, is my credit affected? getting denied for a credit card multiple times in one day would look pretty bad on a credit report wouldnt it?

Thomas: When you apply for a credit card, it will show up on your credit report and could affect your credit score.

Thomas: However, it is standard practice to obtain a credit report to finish processing your application. So if you decide to apply for an account, your personal credit report will be reviewed.

Thomas: Since you've already submitted an application within the last 45 days, we may not approve a second application(For Unsecured credit card).

you: when i applied for this card today, it only took about 5 seconds to deny me, did it look up my credit score during that time? or did it just look at my rent and multiply it by 12 and compare that to my income

Thomas: At Capital One,  if you apply online you'll get a response in as little as 60 seconds. Because it is automated.

you: yes i know that, but im saying what kind of criteria does it evaluate in those short seconds?

Thomas: Your application information  and credit bureau reports will be taken into consideration for approval.

Thomas: Since I do  not have access to your application, I cannot  exactly tell what's wrong  in that.

you: so i am not able to apply for the journey card again for 45 days? can you recommend me a good card for students with no annual fee and apparently "rebuilding" credit status?

Thomas: You will not be able to apply for    any of our  Unsecured credit card in the next 45 days.

you: hmm

Thomas: At this point of time, the only option is to apply for our secured credit card with $29 Annual Fee.

you: great

you: are all the credit card companies like this?

Thomas: We do not have information about other  Financial Institutions.

you: what a shame

Thomas: This chat support is exclusively for Capital One.

Thomas: Is there anything else I can help you with today?

you: i dont think so, i think ive learned everything i need about the process of applying for credit cards with capital one

Thomas: Alright.

• Our chat session has ended. It’s been a pleasure helping you. Please use the Capital One chat service again soon.

hmmmmmm........

News Story- Beat Reporting: Environmental Issues Beat

Students Storm to Carolina Beach for Environmental Sweep

Wilmington, N.C.

 Citizens of Wilmington and Carolina Beach assembled alongside students of UNC-Wilmington and Cape Fear on Sept. 24 at the Carolina Beach Boardwalk to help clean the boardwalk, the accesses and the beach. According to Reese Stipicevic, the Sweep was planned by the campus CLES organization as one of the Seahawk Surge activities that the group puts together each semester. “The main idea behind the Seahawk Surge is to get a group of students together with the community and do whatever we can to help out,” Stipicevic said of the affair. Stipicevic is a student volunteer for the UNC-Wilmington Center for Leadership Education and Services, coordinator for the Carolina Beach Sweep and an active participant in the Cape Fear environmental community. When the idea for an environmentally themed Seahawk Surge was discussed, Stipicevic jumped at the opportunity to take action in coordinating the event centered around a beach cleanup. “I am extremely passionate about the environment, so I wanted take action on this project,” Stipicevic said of her involvement. The group of Wilmington students put this event together in conjunction with the town of Carolina Beach.

On the morning of the beach sweep, the ocean air brought clouds and sprinkling rain to keep the volunteers company during their trash-pick-up. Though, the rain clouds were not enough to dampen the cheery disposition of the volunteers out on the beach, combing for trash like it was buried treasure. The spirits of all were lifted by the unrelenting positivism of the coordinators—and the sound system blasting songs like “Wild Thing” and “Brown Eyed Girl” only helped to set the mood. Karleigh, an employee of the Carolina Beach Parks and Recreation Department, greeted the volunteers with fervor as they arrived, giving directions to the eager workers. The volunteers were instructed to grab an empty garbage bag for the trash and a glove for sanitary purposes. Before they hit the beaches to begin cleaning, each signed their name on the event ledger, putting their email address and their affiliated organization down for records. There were many different organizations present in the main boardwalk area, each representing their group proudly with a prominently displayed tent with their name showing brightly. The Girl Scouts of Cape Fear, the Surf Rider chapter of Cape Fear and UNC-Wilmington, the Red Cross and the Parks and Recreation committee of Carolina Beach were all in attendance, promoting their views on the event, as well as environmental welfare as a whole.

Many of the attendees had questions about where would be the best place to go to do the most good, and Karleigh responded with “It doesn’t matter, just get to the beach and clean!” She would refuse no one when it came to handing out extra credit slips for course credit and community service hours, and no one could pass on to the beach without signing up for the raffle, presented by the town of Carolina Beach.

Residents of all ages from Carolina Beach, UNC-Wilmington, Wrightsville and even a small group from Raleigh were attracted into Carolina Beach to participate in the Beach Sweep. Cindi, from the Parrot Heads service organization in Raleigh, made the drive the night before to aid the Wilmington chapter of the same organization. In response to the environmental aspect of the service project, Cindi said “Oh, yeah, I definitely enjoy this aspect. The beach was not clean enough, so it feels good to contribute to the community in this way.” She said that she would definitely make the trek again from Raleigh to Carolina Beach for another cleanup.

Dawn Harris and Crystal Hill, neighbors living just up the road from the pier say that they have a great stake in the cleanliness of the beach as citizens of Carolina Beach. For Hill, a student of Cape Fear Community College, this Beach Sweep was her first, but according to her, it would surely not be her last. “We live just up the road and we see how dirty it is every day. It’s our responsibility to get out here and cleanup in any way we can,” said Hill. She and her neighbor, Harris, described the types of trash they see on a daily basis, listing off Styrofoam, cardboard and cigarette butts as the most prominent forms of litter scattered about the pier and surrounding areas. “Butts, butts and more butts,” said Harris of her greatest pet peeve on the beach. Other than eradicating the “butt problem,” Harris, who has been on several cleanups before, simply wants to “clean up the earth and make it more livable for the whole town.”

According to the CLES office, there are not any more Seahawk Surges planned for this semester, but there are a few events planned centered around environmental issues, including a lecture series entitled “Be Ocean Minded.” A film and another series of talks by University professors from the geology department will address the concept of the “plastic ocean.” These events will begin on Oct. 15.