Screw National Tire & Battery!!!
I found out (through my credit report, no less) that they lowered the limit on my card to $400 (It was double that before).
Naturally, I gave them a call about this.
Their reasoning? "Well, sir, the bank automatically lowered the limit on your card because it hasn't been used since February of 2012. The bank sees it as available bank funds that aren't being used and decided to reallocate it to where it could be put to use."
Me: "Is there a way to get my credit limit back to where it was before?"
Them: "Of course. We can request an increase to your credit limit, but this will entail running your credit report."
Me: "Let me get this straight. The bank made this arbitrary decision to lower my credit limit without informing me, and the only way for me to get that back is to take ANOTHER hit to my credit report in the form of a hard inquiry. Is that correct?"
Them: "Yes, sir, that is correct."
Me: "Okay, this highly irregular. What you are doing is screwing me at every turn."
Them: "How so?"
Me: "Because I am a responsible car owner who takes care of his vehicle and does the proper maintenance, and as such, does not NEED new tires on an annual basis, I am being punished."
Them: "Sir, we are not punishing you-"
Me: "Yes you are. You may not realize that you are, but you are. According to you, there is no choice in the matter. I either have to 1) spend money that I don't NEED to spend just to keep you from lowering my limit in case I do need to spend it, 2) take a hit on my credit report in the form of a hard inquiry to get that limit back up to where it was, or 3) watch as my credit to debt ratio gets worse because you decided to do this. There is no scenario here where I don't get screwed."
Them: "Well, we're sorry sir, but our hands are tied."
Me: "Then you've just lost a customer. This level of customer service, where I cannot know from day to day what my limit is because you can change it without informing me, coupled with the fact that all it's doing is hurting me financially to have this card, tells me that you, as a company, are not interested in your customers at all. Therefore, I want you to cancel my account."