Abbey - So Annoying!

iazms

Applied for an Abbey card in-branch around 3 weeks ago. I took all my documentation with me, eg bank statements, payslip, passport etc. I was taken through the application process and got asked various questions. One of which was work address. Now because I don't work from any specific office 9due to nature of my job) i gave the pay-roll add which was on the back of the pay slip. On completion of the process i get told, the details will b posted to MBNA who run the credit checks etc....This i was not aware of and probably would not have bothered applying if I could not get an immediate decision. If a bank can't tell you there and then whether you are successful or not , well in my opnion that sucks!

Anyways...i got told, it should take no longer than 10 working days. Well now it is nearly 15. But 2 days ago i got phone call from Abbey card services and she wanted to confirm i worked at xxx address which i said, umm yes that is one of the company addresses. She then put me on hold for 2 mins. Then came back to me and said, no one at that address can confirm you work for your company. Now im not sure who she spoke to considering i don't remember ever supplying a work phone no for that office (or any office)....But it was a little worrying if she did speak to pay roll and they could not confirm me!

Anyways, I explained to her the nature of my work and how I rarely go into our office even though we have several up and down the country...She still insisted I provided a diff address of where she would be able to confirm i work for the company....Now considering it was 17.25 and i was sitting in my lounge, i ran upstairs to my bedroom to find a diff address...And more importantly a phone number of someone who she would be able to call and confirm etc...I was barely looking for 2 mins and she started saying....forget it, just send me your last 3 months bank statements. I told her, just give me a second i will provide you with an address and contact details but No, she was adamant that i send in my bank statements!! and rather rude to hurry me into agreeing and hanging up without me getting a word in edge ways.

The annoying thing is: 1) I took my pay slip into the branch - why the h3ll did they not take a photo copy then?, 2) I took my bank statements into the branch - why the h3ll did they not take a photo copy then?, 3) Why call me at 17.25 and ask for an alternative work address (considering most people at my work place would have left the office by now) and then later change her mind and aggresive ly ask me to send in bank statements.

I have sent them in, but the whole process has taken much longer than it should have and i was so close to just saying...well you can shove your cc up you back side cos i aint gona bother sending in any statements!!

So do you think I have successfully passed the credit check and its just a simple case of verifying that I do work for company xxx?

[Deleted User]

Hi, I can understand your frustration - it sounds like Abbey are very inefficient. But, like you I used to work for a large organisation with many sites, however, surely there must be some head office or human resources dept who would know all the employees. Why can't you give them the address where your human resources/personnel dept is sited?

Having said that, I have not come across a situation where companies actually check with your employer. They may ask for payslips etc to confirm that you are in some sort of employment, but that phone call does sound fishy.

Rafter

Abbey do not currently run their credit card operation - they have outsourced it to MBNA.

Abbey have announced they are taking it back in house though, so MBNA probably don't care much about customer service right now!

R

iazms

lindabea wrote:

surely there must be some head office or human resources dept who would know all the employees. Why can't you give them the address where your human resources/personnel dept is sited?

Yeh thats what I was going to do, provide the number for HR and she first said thats fine but then later changed her mind and demanded i send my bank statements.....its the fact she changed her mind which annoyed me cos it was just going to delay the process even further.

As for the number she called...well it was probably sum1 at reception/or security which is no good....Oh well, whats happened has happened, lets just hope i get the card and don't get refused.

charlie12

I was under the impression that card companies aren't legally allowed to contact employers, unless it's stated in the card T&Cs that you give them the right to do this (I think Amex might?).

I know my employer would never give out details of staff. But of course, there's nothing to stop card companies from making "dummy" calls to ask to speak to a particular employee.