Russian Bank Customer Changes Small Print In Credit Card Agreement, They Sign, He Sues
A Russian man is suing a bank for around $727,000 in compensation after they signed and recognized a document that he had changed for his own benefit.
In 2008, Dimitry Agarkov received an application form for a credit card from Tinkoff Credit Systems, which was similar to the standard Visa, Mastercard, and American Express forms that US citizens read and sign every day.
However, when Agarkov’s form arrived he decided to embark on a plan that could see him become a very rich man indeed. Agarkov decided to put all of his information on the piece of paper, signed it and then sent it back, but he also changed several parts in the small print.
Agarkov, according to Minyanville.com, opted for 0% APR and no fees, before adding that he “is not obliged to pay any fees and charges imposed by bank tariffs.” The Russian then changed the address of the website where he accessed the terms and conditions of his form from www.tcsbank.ru to tcsbank.at.ua.
However, he wasn’t done yet too. Agarkov then added a term in his new contract that would see the bank pay him $91,000 or a cancellation fee of $182,000 every time they broke an agreement or if they opted out of the contract.
Agarkov signed his new contract, sent it to the bank, and they followed suit before sending him a copy as well as a new credit card. Agarkov used the card for two years, until 2010, when his card was terminated because of his failure to pay his balance, and then in 2012 he was sued for $1,363, because he still hadn’t paid the remaining balance, fees, and payment charges. Agarkov was then told to pay the sum of $575 by a court.
However, on August 1, Agarkov launched his own case against Tinkoff Credit Systems, as they hadn’t honored eight clauses in his contract, which entitles him to around $727,000.
Konsultant, the Russian law firm who are representing Agarkov, have stated that the bank have broken the law by trying to terminate his card despite the fact they haven’t paid the sum of money he is entitled to by his unique agreement.
Oleg Tinkov, the head of Tinkoff Credit Systems, has responded to the story via his Twitter account, writing, “With regards to the man from voronezh, our lawyers say that he’ll be awarded not 24 million but a whole 4-year-sentence for fraud.”
