Are you trading with TOS, because I let those expire all the time. They've never given me a hard time about it. I've also been assigned on ITM positions several times without enough cash in the account and still no problem. My account pulls up a -(#######) liquidation value until I have a minute to offset the assignment. If both legs are ITM at expriy the transaction should happen on its own.
in any case, I guess you just found a reason to sell the OTM vertical rather than buy the ITM equivalent.
You are right. I called the Eturd's options specialist line. The guy said I don't need to close out the position if it is DITM. So the Eturd regular CSR gave me the wrong info.
That is the problem going to a non-option type of broker like E-trade. Almost everyone will have no clue how to handle a long call spread ITM at expiration except the one option specialist guy who sits in a corner office somewhere never getting called on lol.