An American company has been targeting the Maritimes with an interest-rate negotiation service it charges hundreds of dollars for, when the service is free from your bank, warns the Better Business Bureau.

Mutual Consolidated Savings has been calling consumers in the Maritimes offering to negotiate a lower credit card interest rate with their banks. They take a credit card number and apply a $700 charge, when consumers could easily call and negotiate the interest rate themselves.

"This has been going on probably about a year. We get inundated with calls about this issue, then it stops for a while and starts again," said Jill Atkinson, director of communications for the Better Business Bureau in Halifax.

"It's enough of a concern that we've issued this press release a few times."

Atkinson said complaint calls about the company have increased recently, because it is taking advantage of the current economic crisis.