Free Cash Loophole for ALL Egg card customers

thepearce

What's the point of having a deadline if we're not in control of if that deadline is met.

They should have said APPLY by Feb 27th - if it takes us a while to process your application that's our problem.

Also - they should have removed the advert from the egg site some 10 days before the "end" of the offer.

Got an application in but I can see them squirming out of it.

james10999

They just phoned me as I forgot to put a date on the cheque

I asked them to fill it in for todays date and then asked about the promotion. The guy went away and then came back to say all should be fine as they recieved my application in the deadline set.

You all should be OK

:beer:

coolforcash

How frustrating is this! I completed the form online yesterday lunchtime and printed ready to take to one of their branches along with a utility bill to either process there or put in the internal post to the online applications team in time for today. She said the internal post couldn't be guaranteed for the next day because it goes via the UK HQ in Canary Wharf and I was better off sticking it in a post box! She said I wasn't able to apply in branch due to an online application being processed.

I then received an email saying that in addition to the utility bill I would need to send them a cheque made payable to myself, from another account in my name for £1 as an opening balance (news to me!)! I didn't have my cheque book yesterday so decided to find out via the online help if this would delay my application.

Here's what they said (I've removed names):
Welcome to Citibank. An online representative will be with you shortly. Your wait time will be approximately 0 minute(s) and 30 seconds. Thank you for waiting.
Thank you for chatting with us today. My name is X. How may I assist you?
X: Good afternoon.
X: My name is X. How can I help you today?
Me: Hello, I have just completed an online application form having heard about an offer via my Egg account that you refund €50 spent before 15th April. I am confused as to what is required for me to send to complete the application - the form says only a utility bill but an email requests a cheque from another account for £1. However, I don't have my cheque book with me - will this delay the application or can the account be opened without this?
X: Mr ,this offer is exclusive to egg customers,you need to open a US Dollar or Euro Current Account with Citi before 27 th February 2009 and spend at least 75 US Dollars or 50 Euros by 15 April 2009 from your new account to qualify.
Me: Thank you for confirming this.
X: So considering that you have only applied now, unfortunately you are not eligible for the offer.
X: As the account opening on we receiving your documents and the application form takes 5-10 working days for the account to be opened.
Me: So why does the advert on the Egg website still provide details of the offer if it is not possible to complete the application in time?
Please wait while I transfer the chat to Y.
Thank you for chatting with us today. My name is Y. How may I assist you?
Y: Sorry about the inconvenience Ms .
Me: Thank you. Is there anything you can do about it?
Me: (Mr )
Y: Sorry about that Mr . The details have been there for quiet sometime. It is just that it has not been removed as yet.
Me: I was fully aware that the details had been there for some time - I noticed the offer before I went on holiday but also checked the end date of the offer as 27th February so assumed that I could therefore apply before then - i.e. today, 26th February and still be eligible for the offer
Y: The reason for us to inform you about the procedure for the account opening is just to avoid any waste of your time in case if you are looking out for that offer.
Y: The information clearly stated that the account has to be opened before the said date.
Me: But I have already wasted my time but only find out now!
Y: In order to open an account, there are various kind of verifications involved which takes certain time.
Me: I appreciate that but if it is impossible to now open the account in time why is it still advertised?
Y: I really apologise for the inconvenience.
Y: We will have this sent across.
Y: However, is the offer the only purpose of opening an account or are there any specific requirements for you to open an account.
Y: I can give you the details of these accounts and you can check if it suits your requirements.
Me: Please can you clarify what you mean by "We will have this sent across"? I only proceeded with my application today because of the offer - otherwise I would not have looked into applying until later this year.
Y: I apologise. What I meant was that we will pass the details to the relevant team to make sure that the offer details are removed from the website.
Y: The account opening will take time and it will be beyond the cut off date.
Me: I am disappointed that I have been mislead by the advertising in relation to this offer and therefore wish to cancel my application.
Y: Have you sent any documents to us along with a signed application ?
Me: Please refer to my initial query in this conversation. I have not sent any documents back to you. Has a search been done on my credit file?
Y: Thank you for that. The application does not get processed unless we receive a signed application form with the documents.
Y: Hence, no verifications are done.
Y: The process begins only after receiving your documents.
Me: So no search will appear on my credit file?
Y: That is correct.
Me: Then that concludes my query. I am disappointed that I haven't been able to benefit from the Egg offer. Do you know if it will be available again in the near future?
Y: I will not be having any information to that.
Y: Once again I am really sorry about the inconvenience caused to you.
Y: Thank you for acknowledging this and for your apology. I am sorry that you were unable to offer me the account as promised in the advertisement. I will therefore be using the Nationwide Building Society for my overseas transactions.
Y: It would have been really nice to have you as our customer, however in this case we are helpless.


I checked the Egg website this morning and the link had been removed.

In my opinion it seems a bit misleading for Egg to promote this account with the cash incentive when it can't actually be opened instantly online and a number of time consuming hoops need to be jumped through first! I'm frustrated and am totally put off ever dealing with Citibank and am considering closing my Egg account too!

I hope those who got their applications into them in time are successful. I think based on what Martin said about their press office putting it in writing they should honour it - I just can't be bothered with a time consuming argument to get it - I have wasted too much time already!

Good luck all!

JamesyBTNUK

I joined awhile ago via a link on the Egg website. All went thru fine.
This is what I did:
I depsited £61 which went thru at 1.24 euros. Which gave me a credit of 75.70Euros.
I then spent 70 euros via withdrawing it in spain/ canary islands/ gran canaria/ canary island bank as the abby bank & barclanclys bank there told me i would get a bad rate whilst the canary isles bank gave me Dynamic rate.

I then recieved 65 euro credit within 4 weeks from CITI.

!stlt the customer service from CITI is terrible and they dont understand anything to which you ask them. You feel like your talking to a computer. YES/ NO.

I wanted to confirm the offer as I was one of the first to do it but CITI had no idea about it. Tho many calls later and I spoke to the Egg promo team and they confirmed the deal. The deal is all automated. Only the computers @ citi know about it.

I wanted to then credit the money in the account back to my current account but I was told there would be a 20 euro charge for this.

I did lock in my rate tho @ 1.24 which is better then the rate atm which is about 1.12. I will use it when i go abroad in the future sometime hmmm....

BUT I was told theres no charges for using/ not using the account.
When applying you can get a Euro and $ account and switch it. Get a UK account as well and you should be able to tfer the money back to a UK ATM for withdrawl.
Tho becareful about the txting services as they may charge u for this. Pat of it is free but the other part is chargable.

Hope this info is useful. The best time to do this would be when the euro rate is high.

BTW there is no charge when using the card abroad for atm withdrawl and purchases.

MSE_Martin

Hi folks

Sorry to read such unstable feedback as above. We're in a bind here, we hear what you're being told, but we're told it will work by powers that be. Its unfortunately Citibanks head and hands are giving different answers.

Martin

Andreg

I spotted this deal on 7 February and started a thread on the subject back then. Unfortunately it didn't get much attention: http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1475001

Egg didnt email me about the offer. I just happened to spot the deal when I went to their site with the original intention of closing my Egg savings account.

I think (and hope!) what Dan says about a 2.75% charge must be incorrect. If you have a Euro account and you spend Euros on a debit card then surely there is no excuse to charge!? Of course, Citi will charge you a spread when you give them sterling to credit the account. My plan is to deposit cash into the account at a Citi branch in London, then spend the money while on a cheap P&O day trip to France.

andrewf_2

MSE_Martin wrote: »

Hi folks

Sorry to read such unstable feedback as above. We're in a bind here, we hear what you're being told, but we're told it will work by powers that be. Its unfortunately Citibanks head and hands are giving different answers.

Martin

Oh something of a quandry with this one then. Have received my card etc and was ready to purchase, but if the deal is / isn't now being honoured (have signed for confirmation that they received my application on the Friday), unsure whether to use my card.

And what then re my £1 deposit too?

joanna_willett

Hi andrewf,

I'm in exactly the same boat. Would like to call Citibank to inquire, but suspect I will get the same clueless helpdesk people that others have spoken to.

Jo

joanna_willett

I've just had a pretty painful conversation with Citibank. As expected, they gave me the "had to be opened before 27th Feb" line, followed by a new "you needed to make a transaciton before the 27th Feb" line. I disputed both and read them Martin's quote from the press office, we went round in circles for a bit then she gave in and grudgungly said that if I phoned them back when I had made a transaction, they might be able to make "an exception" for me. I pointed out that since I was within the terms of the offer, it was hardly "making an exception" but it was the best she was prepared to offer me. Very generous of them!! I'll update when I get (or don't get) the refund.

Jo

russetred

I got my card and activated it today 16:23.I asked about the egg incentive and was told that I had 28 days left to qualify.I was told on the day I spend the money I have to phone citibank and tell them the transaction,the amount and my egg account number and I will receive the money.Just to be clear my form got to them on the 26th and I got a call from them to say i was getting the account that day.Now I have to figure out what I can purchase and where as I'm not travelling to Europe in the next 28 days.Any ideas on that one?:rotfl: