Barclaycard DD not taken

TOPSie

I opened a new Barclaycard account at the end of July and did a couple of Balance transfers. On 8th August I set up a DD to pay the minimum each month.The first statement said payment due 5th September - so assuming that the DD would cover this payment I went away on holiday. I came back to find that no payment had been taken and I had been charged £12 Late Payment fee. I suppose I am now in danger of loosing the interest free benefit of the balance Transfers.
I have emailed to ask for an explanation but no reply as yet.
Anyone had similar experiences - or advice to offer.

I will update this thread with any outcomes

[Deleted User]

Best bet is to phone up and grovel - see if they will reinstate the offer.

You always need to make manual payments until the DD takes effect and is shown as such on your statement.

TOPSie

Thank you zx81. I did grovel and I got my 0% Balance transfer deal reinstated - and got the Late payment fee back as well.

Just a couple of bits of background which may help others:

I set up the DD to pay this Barclaycard account on the 8th of August - the next payment due date was 5th September. I thought that this would be plenty long enough for them to set up the DD and take the payment - but it didn't happen. During my grovelling conversation I was quoted 4 to 6 weeks to set up a DD (In these days of electronic banking and FastPay this seems an excessive time - but that is what they quote so beware).

Also this Balance Transfer deal says that you can use up to 90% of your credit limit to do Balance Transfers and when I did these transfers - by speaking to a very nice (English) lady (everyone else these talks with an Indian accent) I did request the full 90% in (two) transfers. She accepted these amounts without question, but when I checked a few days later the second transfer had been reduced (without telling me) and the total of the transfers AND their (2.5%?? fee) added up to 90%. I was also caught out by this as I had not allowed for this when I paid off the rest of the amount to the other credit card and I missed the full payment and got stung for an interest charge there.

A couple of lessons for the unwary - check - check - and check again

chattychappy

If you go for DDs, you really must understand all their peculiarities including the delay in getting them set up, how they are affected (or not) by manual payments, how they are "called for" or whatever. I can't be bothered with them myself.

I don't blame you for messing up - but seems like a great outcome.

mikeblackpool1966

see my thread same happened to me...make sure you ring up before the NEXT payment is due as well because i can pretty much guarantee they probs wont have took that either [ did this with me ] thereby losing me the offer...looks like this loophole is an easy way the companies have of getting out of their obligations and altho its customers job to check and they cover themselves in the wording / letters its confusing and i bet loads ppl lose their deals
best wishes mike

turbo.jet

TOPSie wrote: »

I opened a new Barclaycard account at the end of July and did a couple of Balance transfers. On 8th August I set up a DD to pay the minimum each month.The first statement said payment due 5th September - so assuming that the DD would cover this payment I went away on holiday. I came back to find that no payment had been taken and I had been charged £12 Late Payment fee. I suppose I am now in danger of loosing the interest free benefit of the balance Transfers.
I have emailed to ask for an explanation but no reply as yet.
Anyone had similar experiences - or advice to offer.

I will update this thread with any outcomes

Exactly the same thing happened to me the first time I had a Barclaycard. I complained bitterly and eventually got my 0% deal reinstated too. It is my firm belief they deliberately prolong setting up the DD to make customers miss their first payment.

That was years ago - a few months ago I tried to get another Barclaycard to take advantage of their 20 month 0% balance transfer deal and to my surprise, despite my previous arguments with them and them reducing my limit immediately after I shifted the balance away, they gave me another card to tart with.

With this new account, I learned my lesson and set up the direct debit, but also made the first payment manually as well, better to pay off twice as much than nothing at all!

blisteringblue

I think you were a little unlucky but it's not always the case, we've got a new card with the long 0% and I setup my direct debit the day the card came.

1st payment taken via DD with no problems.

Advice is to set the DD as soon as you receive the card.

Good job getting it re-instated.

YorkshireBoy

blisteringblue wrote: »

Advice is to set the DD as soon as you receive the card.

Good advice, but it still might not guarantee (as far as possible) a DD collects on the first statement.

When calling to activate the card and set up the DD, request that your statement date is set to 'yesterday', ie the day before the day you call. This will ensure there's a full 28-31 days in which to set up the DD with your bank and ensure it's on your first statement.

It's an approach I've used over the last 6-7 years of heavy credit card stoozing, and I've enjoyed a 100% success rate.

chattychappy

blisteringblue wrote: »

Advice is to set the DD as soon as you receive the card.

That might be your advice... (and YB's and 99% of people reading this site) but it wouldn't be mine!

Mine is to pay credit cards manually - either on the credit card's own website or by internet banking. That way you can pay exactly how much you want to, on the day you want to, and from the current account you want to (if you have more than one account).

In many cases the payment is credited the same day. If you pay on the CC's website, typically you get an emailed receipt.

For those paying interest, you will save since you can pay as much as you can as soon as you can.

In over 20 years of credit card use, I've never signed a DD. I've enjoyed a 100% success rate too.

mikeblackpool1966

on my earlier balance transfer with virgin first payment wasnt taken,they called and asked if i could make payment over phone which i did but i didnt ask for 0% offer to be reinstated as didnt realise id lost it....second payment taken out on time by direct debit

with second transfer same thing happened again missed first payment ,was phoned up and made first payment over phone and asked if id lost deal...they said i had but they could reinstate it...then 25 days after direct debit confirmation sent and before second statement arrived second payment not taken either.
this second situation made me investigate first btw

i think they purposely delay debits in case ppl forget to make manual payment .. must make them a fortune as ppl have to pay to take out the dd deal and then lose it and have to pay large apr interest.