Unbelievable phone calls from mbna

drewwhonumba2

triciaP1 wrote: »

I'll think about that. I always resisted setting up direct debits because I like to pay off any extra amounts of spare cash I have and it saves frequent trips to the bank.

set up internet banking and set up your mbna internet account...you can really manage these things well from your computer

I have increased the amounts i pay gradually over the last few months, now i pay off CC in full as its more manageable now

skea56

Also if you decide to set up a direct debit for the minimum - ring up and ask if they would consider cancelling the £12 late fee. If they look at your history of always paying and the fact that you have set a dd for future payments, they may cancel it as a gesture of goodwill.

sk56

chattychappy

triciaP1 wrote: »

You have jogged my memory, I seem to recall a letter, but to be honest they are filled with so much gobbledee gook I never take them in.

Tut tut! Whilst I think the legality of the change in minimum payments was dubious (if that's what's happening here), I don't think the letter was gobbledee gook. Not being funny, but if you can't deal with this kind of correspondence you do leave yourself exposed to this kind of nonsense.

MBNA do seem to have acted disproportionately given you were only £2.75 short. Hopefully if you ask them nicely they will reverse some/all of the charges for a first "offence". If they don't, you could consider writing a complaint arguing on the grounds of the penalty being out of proportion to the breach.

Totally agree with you on the subject of not signing DDs!

Rupert_Bear

chattychappy wrote: »

Tut tut! Whilst I think the legality of the change in minimum payments was dubious (if that's what's happening here), I don't think the letter was gobbledee gook. Not being funny, but if you can't deal with this kind of correspondence you do leave yourself exposed to this kind of nonsense.

MBNA do seem to have acted disproportionately given you were only £2.75 short. Hopefully if you ask them nicely they will reverse some/all of the charges for a first "offence". If they don't, you could consider writing a complaint arguing on the grounds of the penalty being out of proportion to the breach.

Totally agree with you on the subject of not signing DDs!

If they had set up a dd in this first place they would not now need to grovel to MBNA.

DIRECT DEBIT RULES OK!!

chattychappy

Rupert_Bear wrote: »

If they had set up a dd in this first place they would not now need to grovel to MBNA.

The OP was paying what she could afford. A DD might well have bounced - incurring even more charges.

redpete

triciaP1 wrote: »

I've not even heard about the minimum payment calculation!!what is that? another way of taking money of us I assume. the interest rate isn't enough for them!! omg!!

No, it's how they work out how much of their money they want you to pay back each month. The charges and interest (i.e. what they want you to give them from your money) is not affected.

derekjs

MBNA are one of the poorest financial institutions I have come upon. I had issues with their underhanded ways many years ago but about two years ago couldn't resist an Interest Free offer that included a massive Air Miles incentive and hoped that they may have improved their customer services. When they wanted to increase the interest rate sometime last year at least they allowed you to freeze the card and refuse the increase but that is now a legal requirement forced upon MBNA. However their approach to Minimum Payment is unacceptable. Yes they write and inform you. Yes their complex legal terms allow them to make these changes. But what if they simply decided to increase the minimum payment to say 5% ? I am about to write to MBNA's Director of Customer Services at MBNA EUROBANK, PO BOX 1004, CHESTER BUSINESS PARK, CHESTER CH4 9WW, having phoned them last week and been talked to like a child. I have been a Finance Director for more years than I care to remember and understand their business model better than their call handlers so did not welcome their patronising tone. I urge others to bombard them with letters of complaint as the reason I was given for the increase in minimum payment was the number of customers who were not making any inroads into their debt - why apply an increase across the board rather than just target those customer they had concerns about I asked - they could not answer !!! I would also urge customer who are unhappy to move their business elsewhere - I am about to.

meer53

triciaP1 wrote: »

I've not even heard about the minimum payment calculation!!what is that? another way of taking money of us I assume. the interest rate isn't enough for them!! omg!!

How did you think they calculated what you owe them ? With a crystal ball perhaps ?


I can't quite understand why you're so upset about this. Did you expect them to think "oh well, she's always paid in the past, we'll let this one go ?" There isn't someone sitting in an office at MBNA looking at individual accounts and making decisions as to whether to call people ! It's an automated system which dials peoples phone numbers, hence the "silent" calls, if you stay on the line you get to speak to them. Did the 6 missed calls on your mobile not worry you at all ?

If you've not done this before, just call them and ask for the charge to be refunded, i'm sure they'll agree, most banks do for a "first offence" !! Then set up a direct debit for the minimum payment, they'll be happier too if you do this.

briankelleher

chattychappy wrote: »

The OP was paying what she could afford. A DD might well have bounced - incurring even more charges.

A DD would be for the minimum payment and the OP stated she always pays this.

Seriously though, I don't see MBNA as having done anything wrong here. They gave you a statement of charges when you took out the card (which you obviously didn't read) they gave you three or four months notice that your minimum payment was going up (which you didn't read), they then sent you an itemised bill last month listing what your minimum payment would need to be (which you didn't read) and when you paid less than they had asked, they called you several times, which you ignored.

Now who exactly is in the wrong here? Answer is pretty obvious to me.

balmk

It's due to the change in the way that the minimum payment is calculated.

Ultimately it is up to you to check your statement for the minimum payment amount.

I seem to be one of the few people who find MBNA OK - try giving them a call and appeal to their better nature - long standing customer etc... to see if they will waive the late payment charge. Don't go in all guns blazing as you are relying on their goodwill to help with your error.

You can set up a DD for the minimum payment amount AND make additional payments - don't forget though that the DD will ALWAYS be taken regardless of any other payments that you make against the account.