On Tuesday, Costco (COST) made a big switch, replacing the American Express Costco card with Costco Visa Anywhere card. American Express had been the warehouse club’s card partner for 16 years, and so far, some customers aren’t impressed by its replacement.
According to Business Insider, new Visa card issuer Citi hasn’t sent out all the new cards yet, leaving Costco customers stuck in a kind of limbo (although it’s been pointed out that some cash back cards with bonus earnings on warehouse club purchases might be a better deal right now anyway). What’s more, even some customers who did get their new Costco Visas haven’t been able to activate them, Business Insider said, quoting customers who labeled the operation a “fail” and a “huge unorganized mistake.”
Read: How American Express Is Getting Killed by MasterCard and Visa—in One Chart
The new cards were supposed to be sent out in May, but nearly a month later — and two days after the switch was supposed to be implemented — complaints are still pouring into Costco’s Facebook page about the new Citi Visa cards. Costco members complain about wait times of an hour or more, and ineffective customer service representatives who couldn’t help them out even when they finally did get through. The frustration has some members threatening to pull the plug on their memberships, and criticizing Citi and the new partnership.
