To continue the discussion regarding, What to do when a spouse has died. It becomes very challenging.
I called one of my husband's store credit card customer service rep to report his passing and was told "thanks for letting us know of your husband's passing, you should not receive any more correspondence from this point on."
The following month I received a bill from this store and was confused when it stated that I needed to pay the full amount by the deadline or incur a late charge. So, I called and spoke to the customer service rep and explained the situation (had the previous rep's name, date of call and what he had told me). This rep told me that I was given incorrect information and that I would need to mail my husband's death certificate (for proof) and that then I would be all set. He gave me the corporate office address and I mailed it the next day.
I felt relief until the following month I received another statement stating that this was the final bill and that it needed to be paid in full by the due date or incur a late fee. Again, I got on the phone with the customer service rep (I had asked for the manager this time). He explained that as far as he was concerned, the account was "closed" and that I may get a call from a collection agency who will try to collect when their company has closed the account. He recommended I wait to see if they try to communicate with another mailing or further instructions.
It's been a few months now and I haven't heard a thing. My recommendation is to document everything, everyone has a different story and it can be confusing. Hang in there! You'll get thruough this too!
