how to build relationships 101

From a marketing standpoint, transportation depots offer visibility to thousands of disillusioned travelers every day.
About two months past, i was flying back to Massachusetts from Miami. Having just finished up an advertising program at the Miami Ad School (Bootcamp for Account Planners), my mind was inundated with marketing concepts, ideas and strategy.
Airports are an interesting place for a hundred different reasons, but what most amazed me that March day, was the credit card displays lining the corridor of the terminals. It's almost like a credit card bazaar, with the merchants offering free offers of tee shirts, fleece blankets and free flights. Each kiosk/booth was staffed by 3-4 energetic salesmen, all wooing passing travelers with their incentives.
Anyways, on my way to the gate, i was sucked in. The little model airplanes (for my cute little nephew, Trent) combined with talk of a free round trip ticket was enough to make me spend two minutes to sign up. As soon as the credit card came in the mail i cut it up and threw it out.

Enough said. Right?

Nope. I get a statement in the mail about a month ago, $39 for the annual "membership fee".
I just threw it out. I thought it was a joke. Who the hell charges a membership fee in this day and age? I thought. Last Friday, I get another statement, saying, i now owe $69 for failure to pay the aforementioned fee.
No way. I called customer service and talked to a "relationship manager" from Juniper Bank.
All i asked was:
"how do you (Juniper Bank and Airtran Airways) expect to build relationships with customers if you charge them a fee for signing up for some ubiquitous credit card? I haven't even used the thing."

I wasn't so much mad for being charged the fee (which was removed), just disappointed in both Airtran Airways and this Juniper Bank. Their respective marketing/PR departments must not really respect their customers if they try to pull the wool over their eyes.