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#259417 by Tim
02 Jun 2009, 21:08
V-Flyer membersSorry for the length of this post, but my blood pressure is rising and I feel a need to vent my anger before my head explodes

Anyway, I've just tried to pay this months bill with my debit card via the VS credit card website (my normal payment method).
Due to it not recognising the final secure code it would not accept the payment.
No problem, I thought, just ring MBNA and pay over the phone.
Anyway to cut a long story short they refuse to accept the full payment. They will take nothing more than the minimum payment, so I would then have to pay interest on any outstanding balance.
The attitude of MBNA was basically tuff luck sir, but it is not our problem.
Anyway I asked to speak to someone else because I just wanted to give them some money and I thought a supervisor would have the authority to accept the full payment.
How wrong I was.
MBNA must have deleted the section on customer service from their training manual.
Anyway no luck so when asked if there was anything else, I said yes, please cancel my card.
I was then put through to a different section.
I hoped the customer service would kick in at this point and I was expecting to be asked why I wished to close the account and then hoped that a way could be sorted out to accept the full payment over the phone. Afterall I have held a VS Amex card since it was introduced and previously had the miles earning VS mastercard.
How wrong I was.. It was pointed out that closing my account could affect my credit rating as my good payment history would not be available for others to check in the future I know they have to say this, but it was put in such a way that it felt like a threat You close your account and you will suffer in the future. Well I dont like being talked to like this so I closed the account.

So with account closed I then asked what happens to the miles earnt on the card, thinking about the last few weeks and the miles that had not landed in my FC account

Smugly, I was told that I would have to spend all my miles earnt on the Amex card within 24hrs or they would be lost.
Surely it only means miles earnt in the past month that had not been credited to my FC account. No was the answer...All miles earnt on the VS card will be lost.
I then asked to speak to a supervisor.. No I was I told.. I am an account manager and there is no one else to talk to. I was told if I am not happy then I should write in.

Ok rant now over and I am feeling a lot calmer.
Really the loss of the Amex card is no big problem; I have other cards which earn various rewards which are most likely worth as much or maybe more than the VS miles, but

A question for you gurus:-
Is the MBNA account manager correct and I will loose all miles that I have previously earnt on my AMEX card (these already sit in my FC account) or is it just a case of losing miles earnt in the previous month that have not been credited into my FC account.
Surely they cannot take back miles already credited to my FC account?
Im not sure of the total, but it will in the tens of thousands, so a lot is at stake
If he correct then Ill be on the phone in the morning booking a reward flight.

Thanks in advance,
Tim.





Topic moved by mod........Nick
#716753 by Nottingham Nick
02 Jun 2009, 21:25
Not my area of legal expertise, but my first impression is that I can't see how they can snatch back points that are already in your FC account.

Hopefully someone with knowledge of consumer / credit law will be able to say if their conduct is legal - it certainly isn't how I would want any business partner of my company to behave.

Nick
#716754 by RichardMannion
02 Jun 2009, 21:29
That sounds like MBNA to me; wouldn't know service if it knocked them out, and complete muppets on every part. Did you get any names, as it sounds like this needs flagging to the person at Virgin that owns the 'relationship' with MBNA?

You won't lose the miles you have already had transferred to your FC account, and I don't think MBNA even have access to your FC account. You will potentially lose on any transactions this month that haven't been transferred yet.
#716755 by Darren Wheeler
02 Jun 2009, 21:30
Sounds like one for the financial ombudsman once you have a deadlock letter. Can't see how they can legally refuse full payment but accept minimum payment knowing it will create interest for them. I would suggest CAB for the card issues.
#716763 by Jacki
02 Jun 2009, 22:06
I hate MBNA with a passion. The problem is you sign up to one card (deliberately not one of theirs) and after a year it gets taken over and you end up with an MBNA card anyway.

I'm with the others, it doesn't seem credible that you lose any miles already in your FC account but it's ridiculous that they should treat you like this for just wanting to pay your bill.[n][n][n]
#716768 by Kraken
02 Jun 2009, 23:19
I've had similar problems with MBNA in the past. I have the VS Amex & also the bmi Mastercard (for when Amex is not accepted)... both are issued by MBNA.

A few months ago, the 'Make Payment' button disappeared off the MBNA website for the best part of a day - the day I needed to maky my full payment. I tried calling MBNA only to hit the same brick walls as the OP (although back then, they did say they could take a payment of up to 500 over the phone, not just the minimum payment). I protested that their stance would see me incur interest & asked if they would waive this - you can guess the answer.

Thankfully, at about 4pm on the day in question the Make Payment button suddenly returned to their website and I was able to pay the full balance online.

All I do now is make put an Outlook calendar entry two days earlier each month, so if the MBNA website is on the blink, I've got time to get the full payment to them by BACS transfer. Not ideal, I know, but better than dealing with their 'Customer disatisfaction representatives'.

James
#716771 by mitchja
02 Jun 2009, 23:52
It's worth point out that MBNA have now speeded up BACS transfers slightly, it can be as quick as 2 days (yeah yeah I know, still too slow) now depending on what day you send the payment via your online banking system.

I hope MBNA will be signing up to the new faster payment system most UK banks are now rolling out where bill payments are made the same day and usually within 2 hours.

I can't also see how closing a credit card account will have any impact what so ever on your credit rating. That just sounds like a scare tactic to me.

MBNA are without any doubt what so ever, at the bottom of the customer service pile especially when they call you and say they are calling from Virgin Atlantic (which they obviously aren't).

Regards
#716772 by PeterStansfield
03 Jun 2009, 00:39
I've had a mixed relationship with MBNA. I took legal action against them via the 'money claim online' service, as they refused to pay out despite Section 75 of the Consumer credit act (where they're responsible for losses due to bankrupt suppliers etc). Naturally I won, and they paid up with costs, interest etc.

I also fell out with Easyjet's credit card supplier, Citi, over blatant fraud on my account - then I took out a credit card agency reporting system for about 5 per month, which reported on changes of credit worthiness in case they tried to damn me. Despite their threats, they didn't do anything, and I've cancelled the service now.

I may be 'old fashioned', but- er - surely you can pay off the full Credit card balance at a 'bank' - or post them a 'cheque'? (I know bank branches and cheques are for the 'saga' generation....
#716774 by platinumleo
03 Jun 2009, 02:01
quote:Originally posted by PeterStansfield
I also fell out with Easyjet's credit card supplier, Citi, over blatant fraud on my account -


Surprisingly my friend had the same problem and it took months to prove and he's still fighting!

MBNA i absolutely hate

(1.) screwed my mum with loans and credit cards APR.etc
(2.) threatened baliffs when she was made redundant and actually had the payment protection!!!!
(3.) they never accept me for credit cards although every other provider will accept me. Useless company why do virgin insist on this partnership cant virgin money remove MBNA from all cards and issue them seperately?
#716791 by stevenj36
03 Jun 2009, 10:31
I cancelled my VA Amex late last year and although I had no miles to transfer over (due to no spend for the last month or so), all miles that I had previously earned remained in my FC account. They actually mistakenly credited my account with 1124 miles in Feb but promptly took those ones back...
#716802 by tonysimms
03 Jun 2009, 12:14
This is all very discouraging when I have only just taken out the card! Maybe its time to get out now before its too late!
#716803 by Neil
03 Jun 2009, 12:19
quote:Originally posted by tonysimms
This is all very discouraging when I have only just taken out the card! Maybe its time to get out now before its too late!


Speaking from a personal point of view, I have never had any problems with MBNA, and must say that any small issues I have had in the past, their CS was excellent and I got sorted really quickly.

Obviously there are good and bad points to every company and the way the OP has been dealt with is terrible, but I wouldn't give up on it just yet. Having the black VS AmEx has really helped us build up our miles very quickly, and enabled us to fly UC more than we could have done without having it.

Neil
#716804 by eejp1007
03 Jun 2009, 12:30
I have a very similar story except that I cancelled the fee-paying card as I could no longer use it for work expenses and it wasnt worth the fee unless I was putting lots through it.
I had already made the decision to scrap VS Amex and move over to BA Amex as there are just so many more earning and using options but thought I might as well switch to the non fee-paying VS card as MBNA offered.
I had also just reached the number of VS miles that I needed for a certain reward and so cancelled the card only to discover in March that they cancelled the miles that I had earned in the previous month even though they had posted in my account. I was surprised that they didnt try and take away the Y PE upgrade too!

I couldnt be bothered to fight, Ill just have to wait to book my CDC with my UC reward until a little nearer the time.

18 Feb 2009 VAA Credit Card Econ>Premium Reward Upgrade 0 0
27 Feb 2009 VAA Credit Card Spend 2022 0
27 Feb 2009 Cancelled: VAA Credit Card Spend -2022 0
27 Mar 2009 VAA Credit Card Spend 946 0
28 Apr 2009 VAA Credit Card Spend 89 0
28 May 2009 VAA Credit Card Spend 387 0
#716808 by tonysimms
03 Jun 2009, 13:06
Will see what happens when they produce my first statement and add my FC miles accross!
#716885 by mitchja
04 Jun 2009, 00:30
Update on the BACS payment speeds.

I can confirm the MBNA are indeed now using the fastpay system, which is a surprise!!!

I sent my payment on 15th May via my online banking website and the payment was credited to my MBNA VS Amex account on the very same day [y]

I think most banks now offer the fastpay system.

It's a slightly different payment transaction on the statements:

quote:15/05/2009 15/05/2009 FASTER PAYMENT - THANKYOU

Regards
#717050 by eejp1007
05 Jun 2009, 12:56
Same with me and I am shocked and amazed at the speed of the payment and it actually making it onto my account. Sending from your bank is a lot faster than paying on the MBNA page.

Most of the banks are on Faster Payment and it seems to be working pretty well. Lloyds TSB are having issues with it and haven't got it up yet but most others are cool.
Does make life very easy.
#717060 by pjh
05 Jun 2009, 14:13
quote:Originally posted by mitchja
Update on the BACS payment speeds.

It's a slightly different payment transaction on the statements:

quote:15/05/2009 15/05/2009 FASTER PAYMENT - THANKYOU


Ah, I wondered what that meant...

Paul
#717111 by DragonLady
05 Jun 2009, 19:28
quote:Originally posted by eejp1007
Lloyds TSB are having issues with it and haven't got it up yet but most others are cool.


Still takes Lloyds days [:(!]. Daft really.
DL
Virgin Atlantic

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