Shocking MBNA behaviour - can they do this and is this correct?

nickc25

MBNA used to allow fixed monthly payments but last year they changed the terms and conditions and only minimum payments were being taken. So my fiancee complained to them and they said those are the new rules and that was that. So she applied with Barclaycard and transferred the balance, MBNA begged and begged her not to close the card!!!
They changed the terms and conditions to suit them, not customers. So that customers would be stuck paying minimum every month, also making it difficult to make extra payments (by not accepting payments over the phone etc) so transferring and closing was the best option.

I used to work for MBNA too, a shocking company to work for, you get allocated 12 minutes per day for going to the toilet and if you go over you can eventually get sacked, along with many other rules. It felt like bing in the army! That was about 6 years ago but I have been told it is a lot worse now, only 9 minutes per day allowed for toilet breaks!!

They have an automated dialing system for outbound sales too. They get away with it because they call it a "welcome call" which then people are pushed with PPC (Payment Protection Cover), card protection and balance transfers. It is very aggressive and the staff are given prizes for making a certain amount of sales, this then leads to a lot of workers just putting PPC on accounts without even telling the customer!! So check if you have PPC!!

P.S You do not have a joint account. One person is the main card holder and another will be additional account holder. The debt it the responsibility of the main card holder.

cos_2

Emmaizzy wrote: »

LOL I meant £8k!!!!

I'm still laughing! :rotfl:

McPete_2

Emmaizzy wrote: »

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It turned out that this company was a debt collection agency who get 20% of anything they collect - no wonder they were so aggresive.

How are you so sure it was a debt collection agency? It seems very extreme for a slightly late payment. Are you sure it wasn't their internal collections department?

Emmaizzy wrote: »

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They told hubbie that if he didn't make a payment over the phone at that minute his credit rating would be damaged. No matter how many times my hubbie told this rude lady (Ann Thomas her name is by the way) he had made the payment she wouldn't let up. In the end Hub had to put the phone down.

Not that I'm excusing them in any way shape or form (I hate MBNA as much as the next person), but some card companies don't report it as a late payment to the credit reference agencies unless the late payment is not paid when the next statement goes out. If you had made a payment by debit card then it might have prevented this...

Pete.

nickc25

McPete wrote: »

How are you so sure it was a debt collection agency? It seems very extreme for a slightly late payment. Are you sure it wasn't their internal collections department?



Not that I'm excusing them in any way shape or form (I hate MBNA as much as the next person), but some card companies don't report it as a late payment to the credit reference agencies unless the late payment is not paid when the next statement goes out. If you had made a payment by debit card then it might have prevented this...

Pete.

MBNA report a late payment 28 days after the late payment if payment is still not made. Well that is what used to happen anyway, not sure if that is still the case. Best thing to do is get a free trial with credit expert and the late payment will show probably next month on the credit file (not score) if it has been reported.

Once a late payment has been over 14 days, it goes to their collections department who are on bonuses for the amount of payments they get up to date etc. It will only be passed to a debt collection agency when it defaults I think.

Emmaizzy

Thanks for all the helpful replies guys.

The debt collection Aegis are sort of part of MBNA - I called MBNA to enquire as to their complaints policy as it says on their statement that if I don't follow it then I may not be able to complain to the Financial Ob. Anyway the lady I spoke to was very vague about the relationship when I questioned whether they were allowed to pass on the debt without informing them.

The reason we didn't pay the late payment over the phone by debit card was:
1) we got a 3.9% life of balance transfer from Halifax
2) as hubbie had already explained to MBNA that he had that morning made the transfer and they were aware of it and my hubbie agreed it would cover the next payment due which we had received statement for we thought they would allow more than 1 day for the payment to reach them - so I feel they were heavy handed with their response. Aegis were told that a payment had been made by balance transfer and MBNA were aware of it. Instead of allowing the 4 working days the credit cards have all rigged for payments to reach their destination Aegis called again. They could quite easily have checked with MBNA or MBNA could have told them monies had been received two days prior to their second call. I feel that Aegis were so aggresive and not putting proper checks in place because they are attempting to get money out of you not due to make money themselves. Naughty.

Our plan to pay of our debts is to spend less and pay more off and transfer to CC's with lower interest rates. MBNA is our first priority because they are so horrible.