My Capital One credit card's online account management service includes a customer service feature called, "Send us a Secure Message" that sounded like the perfect way to communicate with the credit card company before traveling to Uruguay and Argentina.

While it isn't required, I have run into issues in the past with credit cards when traveling overseas without providing prior notice. Better safe than sorry, I figure.

So, I found the appropriate area of the site:

And shot them a quick note. I was in an out a fraction of the time it would have taken me to get in touch with a human on the phone. Why waste my time, Capital One's phone bill, and a Capital One employee's time communicating such a simple message?

So, I left on my trip and while I was gone, I received the following response telling me that I had to call to tell them what I just told them in my message:

Huh?

Notice that the bottom of the message contains my message to them. Considering that this was sent through a secure message center on their site, they had my credit card number, dates, and destination of travel right there.

Isn't a secure online message more secure than a phone call?

Isn't forwarding me message back to me in a normal email less secure than how I sent the same message to them in the first place?

Doesn't Capital One have the ability to forward messages like this to a different department if necessary?

Capital One: What's in your wallet?