If your favorite restaurant dismissed its longtime chef, hired surly waiters, and raised its prices, you would probably stop eating there. That's the beauty of the free-market system: Dissatisfied customers can vote with their feet.
But many consumers who have been treated badly by their credit card companies feel they don't have that option. That's because closing a credit card account, while emotionally satisfying, could hurt your credit score. That, in turn, could raise the cost of getting a mortgage, car loan or even a new credit card.
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