A&L credit card

codetown

Does anyone know:

a) which credit card provider issues the A&L-branded credit cards?
b) is there any incentive for customers to open such credit cards (things like cashback on quidco, linemypocket etc)?
c) is there any incentive to A&L staff to have the credit card emitted?

Thanks

grumpyoldgit_2

a) MBNA
b) Yes - some cashbacks
c) No idea what you mean!

codetown

thanks,
for c) I mean:
is there anything up for them (such as internal incentive schemes per cards opened, annual bonus targets or anything like that) that could make them fake an application form to look like the applicant asked for a credit card?

dc

You tend to get offered one automatically, when you open a bank account, either online or in branch. I dont think there is much love lost between the A&L staff I have met and MBNA. cannot comment on incentives.

HTHs with your problem.

codetown

Sorry dc I don't understand what you say.

In the application form for A&L Current Accounts there is a clear box asking if you "require" a credit card. One should assume that NOT ticking it the holder will not get a credit card 'automatically'.

When you say one 'get offered one automatically' what do you mean exactly?
And how does exactly MBNA comes into play into the relationship you enter with A&L?

Credit card are not gifts/toys. They bring in a lot of liabilities and I believe one should sign a formal request with full T&C to get one.

My question is very serious. Please answer if you have concrete elements!

Careful_ly

See post on thread by Ard123en on the Stoozing (free cash from credit cards) trial board. Started 6.12.05 A + L account set up turn there con round?

Sorry couldnt manage to do the link.

codetown

careful ly thanks.
I have just seen it (your link was ok before you put it off).

This is exactly the same that happened to me.
I opened an A&L account, explicitly refused a credit card when they offered one (I also made sure it was NOT ticked in the application form), and yet I have been contacted by an absolute stranger from MBNA who was telling me that one of their cards was requested on my behalf on my A&L account...
I have contacted Ard to get more info on his case, as I believe this is extremly serious, specially if it is a practise from a particular A&L branch.

There are implications of (at least):
- fake (or altered) applications forms by staff at A&L
- unauthorised disclosure of personal details to third parties
(I never heard of MBNA before this evening and they had all my details;
I asked the question above on the provider just to get an independent confirmation).
- potential fraud to any internal bonus/reward scheme A&L central offices might have in place.

And besides all the above:
- would you trust with managing your money such people who alter what you write on official forms and who knows what else?

dc

Codetown,

I understand your concern, but not the anger, you should have been more explicit in your first post.

AFAIK financial institutions exchange details with their parteners. Mbna are a largeish American bank, UK base is Chester, they administer credit cards for UK companies, one of which is A&L, together with Abbey, Virgin to name a few. When you opened your A&L account there would have been a credit check done, before you got your account.
BUT also, A&L would then try to sell you other financial products of theirs. I am sure somewhere in the fine print of the agreement you signed, you will have agreed to this, which usually, also lets them give your info to their parteners, ie MBNA. A credit card and other financial products would then be offered to you, as part of their normal sales routine. Hence the phone call from MBNA acting as agents for A&L and naturally for themselves. You do not have to take these offers up . No more than you have to reply to junk mailshots. Capitalism?

Credit cards are just pieces of plastic, they are tools of a modern society and have well regulated protection for the people who use them, against those who misuse them.
IMHO they are safer than cash, having shuffled them for many years. :xmassmile
:xmassign:

codetown

dc, do you actually know what you are talking about?

1) I read in great detail the A&L application form and there was NO consent request or permission to pass my details to third parties in any of the points. I am careful to such things and would have NOT signed such agreements.
And if some other institutions does this, it does totally illegally. They cannot sell your data to third parties without your consent.
This would be ILLEGAL.

2) Are you a salesman or are you actually working with A&L and approving such dreadful things? Only salesman in my experience have such low respect of privacy laws as you seem to imply.
I have dealt with at least 20 different serious financial institutions in this and other countries and I can ensure you NOONE EVER sold my data to third parties before A&L.
I signed a contract with A^L and not with MBNA, which I do not with to deal with.

3) You still have not understood the seriousness of the situation.
The MBNA credit card was already emitted in my name and all this without any request of any sort or any signature on my side! It was not a sale attempt, but something already done without me even knowing about it!!!!

Do not confuse fraud (and illegal behaviour) with credit card usefulness.
I have and use more cards than you (I can bet on this), but this does not mean I can tolerate fraud against me, specially if done by people that should deal with my money as bank employees.

grumpyoldgit_2

:eek: Hey - take a deep breath or two and chill out - you are out of order here - people are trying to help you and you are turning your anger on them - there is always more than one way to see a situation - psychologists call it "competing perspectives"

Just because you don't see it that way does not mean it is any less right than the point of view that you have, (which could be interpreted as paranoid and irrational).

:xmastree:

dc

codetown wrote:

dc, I have and use more cards than you (I can bet on this), but this does not mean I can tolerate fraud against me, specially if done by people that should deal with my money as bank employees.

One, you would lose your bet, ( on that I am confident, purely on the fact that you have never heard of MBNA alone),
two, I was only trying to help by pointing out that A&L and MBNA are joined at the hip, MBNA are A&L's agents, so it is debateable as to whether MBNA are a third party.
three, fraud is an irrational statement,
four, I am obviously not a salesman or I would have been able to convince you and what did salesmen do to you that it .....? DONT ANSWER.
five, you could have been more explicit in your first posts, we cannot read your thoughts.

Good luck in your endeavours, dont let it spoil your Christmas.

Sorry, but your youthful anger is clouding your judgment, try to get some sleep.