Halifax lost Septembers statements in a fire!

mikepegg

I never received my first creditcard statement for my Halifax Clarity Credit Card. The first paperwork I receive after using it is for a missed payment..
So I ring Halifax, they explain it must have been lost in the post...but as it is my first time they remove the £12 charge and I then pay it off in full.

Two months later, I notice I have a "missed payment" on my credit score. So ring Halifax and complain, they explain I missed the payment blah blah could have used phone banking etc... after telling the call centre guy 5+ times I wanted to take it higher and complain I get a call back an hour later from a Halifax representative who tells me..

"There was a fire in the Royal Mail van that was carrying the Halifax Credit Card statements for September, we're sorry and will remove the negative credit score"

Not exactly what you expect to hear, but may be useful for other people to know!

Gromitt

They do have a point though. You shouldn't be expecting a statement to encourage you to pay what you owe them. If your statement does not arrive, you should still abide by the terms and conditions of your agreement and attempt to pay whatever you are obligated to.

I think you'll find most people here will have a direct debit setup to pay at least the minimum payment, to ensure no late fees are ever applied. So even if you forget, the worse that can happen is some interest applied.

So technically, what Halifax are now doing is falsifying your credit report and saying you paid on time when you did not.

mikepegg

agreed. I am fortunate they are removing. My error on expecting my first statement before sorting the direct debit. I assume they are obliged to send a statement if they agree to do so.

Not trying to argue my point, just trying to aid anyone else in the same situation

opinions4u

You can also monitor your credit card account online.

mikepegg

opinions4u wrote: »

You can also monitor your credit card account online.

you can, as I do for all my other accounts.

Online is incredibly lacking. There is no way to see transactions, make payments, see the date when payment is due. You can only see what the amount is.

Was waiting for the statement to see how much and the date, then paying.

I don't want an e-argument though, I realise I COULD have sorted it other ways via telephone banking etc was just waiting for the statement.

Gromitt

Yes, they are obliged to send a statement if you have requested one (ie, you have not requested paperless), but if it doesn't turn up (ie, royal mail van catches fire) then its not their problem.

I can understand not being able to see your payment due date, but I'm very surprised that you are not able to make a payment online. Are you sure this is the case?

Maybe this is another argument for paperless statements - if you had an email telling you to login to view your statement, you could have been free from all this hassle

mikepegg

Them accepting the fire if only I assume because it was a delivery of purely Halifax statements.

You can make a payment from a different online account I suppose but no, halifax credit card accounts have no way of making a payment. gotta pay to the account code and sort number via something else.

mgarl10024

mikepegg wrote: »

Online is incredibly lacking. There is no way to see transactions, make payments, see the date when payment is due. You can only see what the amount is.

I (being arguably oldfashioned) like to see a breakdown of what I am being billed for (i.e. what transactions are there, any interest applied) etc.

For example, if my electricity company could just tell me that I owed them £150, but failed to get me a printed or online breakdown, I think I'd tell them where to go.
I can't see how a credit card company is any different.

That said, it is important to be proactive in these situations.

fracturedsun

It surprises me that the halifax credit card statements are so cryptic online. I though they were trying to make their online systems as much like LTSB as possible, the LTSB credit card shows a full statement online, including date payable. So hopefully the halifax system should change in the future. Not much help to you now though I guess.

scott_lithgows

Royal Mail only deliver the "final mile" on Halifax accounts,another company picks them up and transports them to RM delivery offices. Pinocchio time from HBOS ?