Barclaycard making me chew holes through my own teeth

[ford prefect]

I had problems with barclay card last year. I live in London and went to visit my grandmother in machester in early December. To cut a long story short it turned out that my grandmother was renting a tv, costing her £20 a month, so off I went to comet and bought her a £350 TV and did a little xmas shopping while I was there. Next day I went to fill up my car and my barclay card was declined.

Apparently spending around £800ish all told in manchester on my card counted as suspicious activity on the account and a new card had to be issued. Needless to say I don't use barclay card anymore, simply because they punished me for getting my dear old nan a christmas present.

 

[Lazarus]

not just barcclay card.

bought a new car (paid deposit on my "switch" card of £2000) and was accepted.

on the way home, stopped to buy a chinese for £32 and it was declined!!!!!!!!!!11

 

[Ch3tan]

I'd rather have them checking up and stopping transactions outside of my normal spending than blindly accepting everything. I have had a fraud attempt spotted by barclaycard because they do check.

 

[throdgrain]

When you spend a bigger amount of money than normal, say on a car or something, you often have to get it authorised. When the transaction is auth'd the bloke on the phone often says to the salesman "give mr. XXX this number, ask him to ring this number before using the card again". Its a kind of extra security device. Often though the salesman cba, and then sometimes you get a decline.

I know this from me bike shop days, not from Barclaycard.

 

[Lazarus]

tbh - i would have preferred if they had declined the £2000 and not the £32

 

[DaGaffer]

I had my Maestro card put on hold by the fraud dept. five times while I was traveling, despite giving HSBC my itinerary. They always managed to stop it at absolutely the most inconvenient time as well. On the one hand its good that they're on the case, but it really irritated me that they'd stop my card first, then phone me, rather than the other way around. After the third such fuckup at least they gave me free international banking as an apology, which saved me a packet in the end.

 

[Trem]

Obviously I blame throd

 

[throdgrain]

Its my bloody fault thats why

 

[Wazzerphuk]

What happened to the bike shop throd?

 

[throdgrain]

I got redundant about a year ago mate

 

[Wazzerphuk]

Gah, sorry to hear that - hope it hasn't caused you too much grief :< Must have missed it with my absences.

 

[Trem]

Throd....in a room......full of foreigners......he facking lavs it!

 

[Wazzerphuk]

I'm suprised he hasn't shot them all so far

 

[throdgrain]

So am I Its a bit of a revalation working with foreigners, not to mention gays and god know what else.


Women even!

I mean, where will it end ?






























In me getting the sack, thats where

 

[Lazarus]

in the sack with the gays?

 

[Chilly]

ho ho ho

 

[Damini]

Formal letter writers... help please?

I am writing to tell you that I am utterly appalled at the level of service I have recently received.

23rd of August - I was rung by Barclaycard, asking for a payment on my credit card. At first I asked if I was able to pay online instead, and was told that this would take too long to process and I would receive a fine. This late fee was said to be £18 (which is incorrect, and I believe to have been an exaggeration in order to get me to pay over the phone). I asked for details to confirm that I was indeed speaking to Barclaycard, and when I was certain, made a payment over the phone for £40. This was processed while I was on the line.

When I was on holiday in Greece (sept 8th), I receive numerous messages from home demanding I phone Barclaycard immediately. I do so, and am told that my account is in arrears. They claim to have no record of the payment I made, and insist that I must have given my details out to a fraudulent third party, despite my protests otherwise. From Greece, I then have to contact my Natwest account, who confirm no money was taken, and I am forced to cancel my card in case I have handed over my bank details to a fraudulent call. I spend an indecent amount of time on the phone to your call centres, only to go round in circles, due in part (I loathe to say) because the level of English spoken at your foreign call centres means that diverging from the accepted script causes confusion. The outcome is that I am stranded in Greece with no cash, and a towering phone bill, and still no resolution.

Upon returning to England I phone Barclaycard several times, only to have the same language barriers prevent me from gaining any clarification on the situation. I send you an e-mail outlining my issues, and am told to register on your official website. I do this, and am waiting a formal response to my issue when I get phoned today by Barclaycard demanding immediate payment or else I will have my credit rating marred, and have the bailiffs sent over. This woman, from England, looks on the system and can immediately see the phone call placed to me on the 23rd of August, and the fact that the payment details were taken but never processed. However, despite the fact she is able to reimburse the late fee of £12, payment is still demanded from me or else my credit rating would still be affected, and legal proceedings would take place. Begrudgingly, I pay, despite my every instinct demanding that I refuse, because I do not want my financial future ruined by your error.

The end situation is that I have had my credit limit reduced, my holiday ruined, my phone bill is going to be disgusting due to the umpteen calls I had to place from Greece to you and my other bank, and I have discovered your level of customer service to be at best inept. This whole process has caused me undue amounts of stress, and I expect to be reimbursed for all the phone calls I have made and the distress you have caused.

I have been banking with you my whole life, and got a credit card with you as soon as I was old enough to do so, and I am disgusted with the way this situation has been handled.

 

[Tom]

You need to break down all the costs involved for them so they can reimburse you, and you also need to suggest suitable compensation over and above those costs.

And you should also inform them that if these costs are not met by Barclays within the next 2 weeks, you will file a claim in the small claims court.

 

[Damini]

I don't think I'll know my costs until I get my next phone bill.

 

[GReaper]

Delay it until then. The damage has already been done and situation is sorted for the time being.

 

[Damini]

£27.24 on the phone. Pah. Bastewards.

Do you think that letter will do as it stands if I include the amount of the calls, or does it need dressing up at all?

 

[Tom]

Keep it short and sweet.

 

[Lazarus]

as Tom say - provide them with what you will accept as compensation or you will pursue legal alternatives.

you also might want to include additional "proof" such as a scan of your phone bill (masking off irrelevant calls)

 

[Damini]

Well, I'm on the scent now, and won't give up. Got the details for the head of customer service, and am harrassing his secretary. I'm having a shitty day, and I have decided (kind spirit that I am) to ruin other people's days until I'm happier.

 

[Scouse]

Like the letter. Short and sweet is right. Harass away FTW!

I've heard a good tactic is to write directly to the CEO of the company if you want good results. It'd be interesting to see what happens either way...


Oh, and Throd, PM 4 thee...

 

[Damini]

Update - Barclaycard gave me £35 compensation.











And RAPED my credit rating anyway. Yes, I now have a black mark against my name, and have been declined for a new credit card (I was planning to do a 0% balance transfer and get the hell away from evil Barclays).

Is there anything I can do? Today I also got told that when we bought the house we were in, our solictors were negligent in not warning us about the short lease, and that it will probably cost us £11k to extend. Add this to the fact with a shit credit rating our mortgage plans are probably shot to shit as well, and I am having a really awful day. Think snot, tears, puffy eyes and an over whelming urge to disembowel people.

Advice please. Or chocolate.

 

[Lazarus]

Improve your credit rating | This is Money

 

[Lazarus]

oh - and read your PMs hunny

 

[Guest]

do not use a credit card..........


snap it up, save up your money to buy things.


get debt free (apart from your mortgage) its the answer.


do not reply on faceless organisations to "do the right thing" when its impossible for them to do so.

 

[Damini]

I haven't actually used my barclaycard to buy anything for years - I have just been paying off the amount on it, in an aim to reach a debt free life. If I had enough money spare to simply pay it off and be free, then I would do it, but since I don't I have been paying it off in slices.