Barclaycard World Mastercards and Vodafone

nedsram_2

If as a former Egg Money card user you have recently been issued with one of these, starting with 536386, please be aware that you will not be able to register the card with Vodafone for topups. Having tried many times and being told that "we are unable to confirm your account details", I then tried a one-off topup, only to be told that there was a temporary problem with the web site, and to try again later. At this point I involved customer services, who thought that the problem was that my address was not registered with their back end server. However the problem was not resolved.

In fact the problem is that this card type is not recognised by Vodafone as a valid card, which means that the 6-digit IIN (Issuer Identification Number) prefix does not appear on their master list. I realised this when I attempted a one-off topup, only to be told that I must use a Mastercard, Visa, Solo or Electron card. I have informed both Vodafone and Barclaycard Account Services of this issue with this card type. When I then decided to register a different card, this worked first time.

I have in fact had this sort of problem in the past. On a visit to Germany many years ago, my Midland National Trust Visa card was refused by all ATMs of the Volksbank, and by most of the (at the time very few) merchants that actually accepted Visa cards for payment. (When I raised this issue with the Midland, they denied that there was an issue, instead implying that either I was incompetent or there was a problem with my card.) Last year my Nationwide Visa debit card was refused by all ATMs operated by some banks in Poland, but accepted by others. I have been involved in writing EFTPoS software, and therefore understand how the system works - or didn't work in these cases. The problem is that banks rely on a master list of IIN prefixes, and if the card prefix is not on the list, the card will be refused by the banks and therefore also by any merchants who use their services.

I will post again if and when this problem is resolved.

nedsram_2

I have just received this reply from Barclaycard - nothing from Vodafone at this time:

"Thank you for your email. I am sorry to learn of the difficulties that you are experiencing trying to access your account online. I can certainly understand your disappointment and frustration in this matter and I would like to apologise for the inconvenience that you are being caused. I'd like to reassure you that we are aware of this problem and we are working to resolve this as a matter of urgency."

richard734

Nedsram, the problem almost certainly lies with Vodaphone or teh provider of Vodaphones payments services.
All of the problems you describe are symptomatic of the payments services provider not having updated their local copy of the IIN.
If the IIN was not on the list, no-one would accept the card at all.

There were similar issues with a number of the 'pay at pump' machines and new Barclaycards when the Egg transfer completed, but these have faded as payment providers have updated their systems.

coolesticeking

There is quite a few responses about this on the Vodafone eForum and not just Barclaycard, it seems certain Visa Debit cards are having the issue..

But come on, we are talking about Vodafone's Online Services here.. It's easier to win the lottery than get anything to work with them...!

nedsram_2

And now a response from Vodafone, so hopefully this will be resolved soon. My wife hopes so as she still has the old Egg card registered with them!

"Apologies that we did not respond sooner, and thank you for letting us know about this.
Your findings match my suspicions on this when I read through the emails. I also have a card which was recently changed from an Egg card, and have found similar issues elsewhere. When an issuer starts using a new BIN range they need to pass on the information so that companies can ensure that it is on their recognised list, otherwise as you have seen the system will reject the attempted registration as it can see no "valid" card number.
As you have confirmed the BIN range for us, I'll look to get this flagged up with the relevant team here so we can take steps to resolve this."


Our problem in Germany many years ago nearly ruined our holiday, as we had to drive 30 miles every time we needed to withdraw cash, as every nearby ATM was either run by Volksbank or didn't accept Visa cards at all.

nedsram_2

Of course I spoke too soon, I have had a further communication from Vodafone. Even though I can't register the card online, and it is refused "card not recognised" if I try to top up from my phone, I have now received this gem from Vodafone (unedited):
As mentioned previously, I did raise this to get the BIN range added to the system so that you would not have this issue in future, however, our I have been advised that this BIN range is already on our system.
So it's already on their system but it doesn't work.:rotfl:

NonGeographicalMan

I have also (January 22nd was when I first tried to make payment with the card and was told it was not a known card type) just experienced this problem with the third party call centre operation that handles customer service calls for both Vodafone and Asda Mobile MVNO customers (I am one of the latter) refusing to recognise my Barclaycard World Mastercard.

I have used my new Barclaycard World Mastercard from the day it became valid in the first week in November with a whole host of petrol stations, high street retailers and online retailers and had no issue using it at all elsewhere, even in the first week when some minor teething problems might have been expected short term.

I am absolutelly stagggered and aghast that some two and a half months after this issue was first reported to them by customers that the uncaring Vodafone financial steamroller is now so bad at listening to customer feedback (even when it is vital customer feedback that needs to be investigated and resolved at a high level) that they cannot resolve a simple issue of this kind witha new card type not being accepted for payment. One wonders just what exactly it is that the senior technical and accounting directors of Vodafone do with their days if they do not immediately bring the necessary resources to bear to sort out an issue of this kind pronto.

I would also note that before I tried to set up the 1% cashback Barclaycard that I tried to set up my Lloyds TSB Air Miles/Avios Amex card with Vodafone and was astounded to find that a company which specifically targets the well heeled corporate business customer market does not take one of that target group's most popular payment cards. Or is the refusal to take Amex only applicable to scummy third rate Pay As You Go customers who are not seen to generate adequate margin or profit for Vodafone.

I have also logged this issus with Barclaycard first at their call centre in Mumbai at the front line and then supervisor levels and then also yesterday (Monday) directly with the Customer Relations department in the UK (various numbers listed at www.saynoto0870.com in the unverified section). I did think my issue had simply met a brick wall in India but to give them their credit when I spoke to a supervisor in UK customer relations he told me that the Indians had already pushed it through to them for further investigation and response.

Primarily this is an issue of quite staggering Vodafone incompetence in being able to listen to what is clearly vital customer feedback from their customers that needs to be actioned for resolution urgently. However it is also now an issue for Barclaycard and ultimately Mastercard UK given the length of time it has gone on which strikes at the very heart of the credibility of the Mastercard brand as one you can rely on to be able to pay for your goods and services.

In my opinion someone's head really ought to roll at senior director level at Vodafone as they clearly do not current differentiate critical customer feedback issues that need to be passed on immediately to senior management from ordinary customer moans and groans where just one more number on the customer click counter for that category needs to be recorded and no further immediate urgent action or investigation is required.

NonGeographicalMan

I have also now raised this issue with Carl in the Customer Relations/High Level/Directors Complaints team at Vodafone on 0808 0044477 as listed at https://www.saynoto0870.com

He said he was aware of the issue historically at the end of last year but thought it had been resolved. However on checking further with payments or IT he found it had not been and/or had recurred (noting that all the complaints in this thread start in January and not November when the new Barclaycard number range came in to being). He is now going to investigate this further as well as the extreme rudeness I experienced from one of the Asda Mobile supervisors who cut me off after also suggesting to me that the fault was with my own card and my credit wothiness and who would not accept that the fault could possible lie with Vodafone's payment systems.

NonGeographicalMan

NonGeographicalMan wrote: »

I have also now raised this issue with Carl in the Customer Relations/High Level/Directors Complaints team at Vodafone on 0808 0044477 as listed at www.saynoto0870.com

I raised this issue again today with (Monday 30th January 2012) with Barry in Vodafone Customer Relations on 0808 0044477. He took the full Barclaycard details from me and assured me that the matter is being looked in to at a high level within the company in spite of its inability to so far resolve the prooblem during the more than two and a half months since it was first told about it..............:eek::(:mad:

NonGeographicalMan

We are now on 18th February almost three and a half months after the Barclayd World Mastercard replaced Egg Money Mastercard on November 8th and incredibly Vodafone is still refusing to accept this card as a means of payment by its customers in direct violation of its merchant agreement with Mastercard to accept all currently valid Mastercards. They are also continuing their squalid little practice of refusing to accept Amex cards as a vaid means of payment by their scummy Pay As You Go customers whilst cheerfully accepting the same Amex card for their higher spending contract customers.

Today I needed to make an urgent call from a rural area on a footpath in the middle of a field before a retailer closed at 5pm but the low life scum in the third party call centre supporting Vodafone's Pay As You Go customers in Scotland refused to put even £5 credit on my phone as a gesture of good will to let me make calls even though their inability to take either a valid Llloyds TSB Duo Amex card or the Barclays World Mastercard results from flagrant and totally cavalier prolonged violations of their own merchant agreemenst with both Amex and Mastercard.

I have had enough and will shortly be penning emails to the CEOs of Vodafone, Amex and Barclays on this matter which I will be pushing to either resolution or deadlock. If they prefer to go down the deadlock route then I will be escalating the matteron to the Financial Services Ombudsman and also trying to obtain the maximum possible adverse press coverage for Vodafone's protracted incompetence (especially that of its Finance and Operations Directors who are clearly responsible for dealing with such a serious business issue) over this matter in the national newspapers.

Most disgusting of all is that several of the various cretinous employees working for Vodafone's Pay As You Go call centre in Scotland continue to insist that the problem with the card's non acceptance lies entirely with Barclaycard and is a matter for them and not one for Vodafone to reolve. The fact that all the factual evidence is actually in the reverse directions cuts no ice at all with these mindless corporate flag waving lapdogs who seem to have had those parts of their brain required for independent minded thought surgically removed by Vodafone before being allowed to commence their careers as call centre workers.:smileymad:

thegoodman

NonGeographicalMan wrote: »

We are now on 18th February almost three and a half months after the Barclayd World Mastercard replaced Egg Money Mastercard on November 8th and incredibly Vodafone is still refusing to accept this card as a means of payment by its customers in direct violation of its merchant agreement with Mastercard to accept all currently valid Mastercards. They are also continuing their squalid little practice of refusing to accept Amex cards as a vaid means of payment by their scummy Pay As You Go customers whilst cheerfully accepting the same Amex card for their higher spending contract customers.

Today I needed to make an urgent call from a rural area on a footpath in the middle of a field before a retailer closed at 5pm but the low life scum in the third party call centre supporting Vodafone's Pay As You Go customers in Scotland refused to put even £5 credit on my phone as a gesture of good will to let me make calls even though their inability to take either a valid Llloyds TSB Duo Amex card or the Barclays World Mastercard results from flagrant and totally cavalier prolonged violations of their own merchant agreemenst with both Amex and Mastercard.

I have had enough and will shortly be penning emails to the CEOs of Vodafone, Amex and Barclays on this matter which I will be pushing to either resolution or deadlock. If they prefer to go down the deadlock route then I will be escalating the matteron to the Financial Services Ombudsman and also trying to obtain the maximum possible adverse press coverage for Vodafone's protracted incompetence (especially that of its Finance and Operations Directors who are clearly responsible for dealing with such a serious business issue) over this matter in the national newspapers.

Most disgusting of all is that several of the various cretinous employees working for Vodafone's Pay As You Go call centre in Scotland continue to insist that the problem with the card's non acceptance lies entirely with Barclaycard and is a matter for them and not one for Vodafone to reolve. The fact that all the factual evidence is actually in the reverse directions cuts no ice at all with these mindless corporate flag waving lapdogs who seem to have had those parts of their brain required for independent minded thought surgically removed by Vodafone before being allowed to commence their careers as call centre workers.:smileymad:

The most people working in the call centre are hard working and do try to help as much as possible.
If you ask them to topup by £5 for free, how can this be possible, if option is not on the system. Are you expecting them to pay for you?

If the phone was that important you should have checked the balance before leaving, could have purchased the top up card or paid cash. The payg is not design for people who make important calls go for pay monthly. It seem you have never worked in a corporate or large companies otherwise you would have known that everyone will need to work and stay within company policy, that's life for working in the corporate.

I think you are lower than the lowest person in the CC by brain size otherwise you would not have made a general comment like that.

At least the so called "brain removed" people are working what about you.

Go and get a life.


No I don't work in cc.