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Post Office credit card nonsense
sarahs999
Posts: 3,751 Forumite
in Credit cards
I've done a lot of BTs in my life, but have never had the hassle that I'm having with my new Post Office cc. I just wondered if anyone else is having trouble with this particular company - especially as it's one of the top recommended BT cards in Martin's article?
Basically I was accepted for the card, received a letter telling me my account number and inviting me to BT over the phone. WHich I did, and reminded them that I hadn't received my card. They said it would be with me soon. Fast forward a couple of weeks and I get my first statement - to find that on top of my BT, there is also £800 of spending by some total !!!!!! in Manchester (with the well-documented NCP 'tester' amounts of a few pounds before some really big purchases).
I rang the PO and they said they would sort it out. When I asked how the thief had activated the card they said that they don't use activation devices - so basically anyone is free to use the card the moment they get their hands on it. She then admitted that lots of their cards go missing like this as they're based in Ireland and the cards come a long way (not that I really see what this has to do with anything - why not send them recorded delivery??). So even though they are losing loads of money to fraud, they're not implementnig an extra security level, which seems crazy to me. THen I asked how she would stop the same thing happening again with my replacement card, and she said she would put an activation code on it! So I said, so you can do that? And she said that they can do it in unusual circumstances. So why not for all cards?
Then today I rang to ask them how much my new minimum payment would be, given that the old min payment had been calculated on my erroneous balance with all the fraudulent spending on it. You would not believe how long it took them to understand what I meant - I was passed from person to person and kept having to explain it all again and again. IN the end it turned out that because the 'computer is expecting the original amount' that's what I have to pay. Even though it's much more than my minimum payment should be.
I can pay it, but it makes me wonder - what if someone had spent thousands and thousands on my account and I was unable to afford the minimum payment? It just seems unhelpful to basically say 'the computer says no' when none of this is my fault!
On top of this I was supposed to have received a six digit online pin number through the post, which was posted early august and so has also obviously gone missing. It's making me very nervous that statements etc are going to go missing too and I'll end up getting a missed payment marked on my credit report.
ANyone else had trouble with them or am I just unlucky?
Basically I was accepted for the card, received a letter telling me my account number and inviting me to BT over the phone. WHich I did, and reminded them that I hadn't received my card. They said it would be with me soon. Fast forward a couple of weeks and I get my first statement - to find that on top of my BT, there is also £800 of spending by some total !!!!!! in Manchester (with the well-documented NCP 'tester' amounts of a few pounds before some really big purchases).
I rang the PO and they said they would sort it out. When I asked how the thief had activated the card they said that they don't use activation devices - so basically anyone is free to use the card the moment they get their hands on it. She then admitted that lots of their cards go missing like this as they're based in Ireland and the cards come a long way (not that I really see what this has to do with anything - why not send them recorded delivery??). So even though they are losing loads of money to fraud, they're not implementnig an extra security level, which seems crazy to me. THen I asked how she would stop the same thing happening again with my replacement card, and she said she would put an activation code on it! So I said, so you can do that? And she said that they can do it in unusual circumstances. So why not for all cards?
Then today I rang to ask them how much my new minimum payment would be, given that the old min payment had been calculated on my erroneous balance with all the fraudulent spending on it. You would not believe how long it took them to understand what I meant - I was passed from person to person and kept having to explain it all again and again. IN the end it turned out that because the 'computer is expecting the original amount' that's what I have to pay. Even though it's much more than my minimum payment should be.
I can pay it, but it makes me wonder - what if someone had spent thousands and thousands on my account and I was unable to afford the minimum payment? It just seems unhelpful to basically say 'the computer says no' when none of this is my fault!
On top of this I was supposed to have received a six digit online pin number through the post, which was posted early august and so has also obviously gone missing. It's making me very nervous that statements etc are going to go missing too and I'll end up getting a missed payment marked on my credit report.
ANyone else had trouble with them or am I just unlucky?
0
Comments
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Had mine card for approx 2-3 years now. Never the slightest hint of a problem, in fact I remember posting back then how quick and efficient the service was.
The card was also sent out under 'plain' cover with cardboard inserted in the handwritten envelope to disguise the fact a card was inside.
This of course was long before they were popular ! Just wait til you log on to their internet banking
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This of course was long before they were popular ! Just wait til you log on to their internet banking
Is it really that bad ?!:eek:
Just waiting on my card now. If internet banking really is that awful with them i may just use it on holiday and then close the account ! :rolleyes:0 -
Prepare me then. What's so bad about it?0
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I don't. And I use a mac too.0
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'Currently our online account access is only available through Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher. We are looking to improve this service soon'
Don't hold your breath waiting though as it's been saying that for years !0 -
I'm getting the distinct impression that the Post Office is operating in the 1990s still.0
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I suspect that once I've paid off my balance transfer this card will be swiftly consigned to the bin.0
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Is it just me who struggles with the PO website (credit card section only) when using IE, i'm using the most recent IE and normally only get a small PO logo in the corner0
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