Warning about balance transfers, especially from Halifax

mkronin

I took out a 0%, fee free balance transfer from Nowich and Peterborough (run by Halifax) recently. I did my balance transfer when I recieved the card and sat back to enjoy my money saving. The first bit of post I got from them was a late payment letter - NOT A STATEMENT. I rang them and paid by debit card as soon as I opened the letter and set up a direct debit then and there over the phone. I got my next months statement to find I was being charged interest on my balance. A few days later I got my first statement (the one I didn't recieve before my late payment charge). I rang them to explain this. I said I was happy to accept the late payment fee, even though it was their !!!! up, but why was i being charged interest. I was told that it was my fault and that they don't have to send out statements. They do it "as a free service to help our customers". So how do you pay a bill you don't receive?
OR IS THIS JUST ANOTHER SNEAKY WAY OF THE CREDIT CARD COMPANIES TRYING TO SCREW US?
I'm lucky enough to be able to pay this off and cancel the card, which I'm just about to do, but I wonder how many people do the same thing and are then stuck paying interest?
It seems that because they can't charge exorbitant fees now, they're finding other ways to get their pound of flesh.
Beware of this in general AND OF HALIFAX IN PARTICULAR.

I wonder - does anyone actually know , legally, what the situation is about statements? I'm prepared to take this further - as a test case if necessary - if it turns out that they're wrong about not having to send out statements. I used to run my own company. Could I have charged interest to my customers if they didn't pay me when I hadn't sent them a bill?

poppy_f1

have a read
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=401892

M_Thomson

mkronin wrote: »

I took out a 0%, fee free balance transfer from Nowich and Peterborough (run by Halifax) recently. I did my balance transfer when I recieved the card and sat back to enjoy my money saving. The first bit of post I got from them was a late payment letter - NOT A STATEMENT. I rang them and paid by debit card as soon as I opened the letter and set up a direct debit then and there over the phone. I got my next months statement to find I was being charged interest on my balance. A few days later I got my first statement (the one I didn't recieve before my late payment charge). I rang them to explain this. I said I was happy to accept the late payment fee, even though it was their !!!! up, but why was i being charged interest. I was told that it was my fault and that they don't have to send out statements. They do it "as a free service to help our customers". So how do you pay a bill you don't receive?
OR IS THIS JUST ANOTHER SNEAKY WAY OF THE CREDIT CARD COMPANIES TRYING TO SCREW US?
I'm lucky enough to be able to pay this off and cancel the card, which I'm just about to do, but I wonder how many people do the same thing and are then stuck paying interest?
It seems that because they can't charge exorbitant fees now, they're finding other ways to get their pound of flesh.
Beware of this in general AND OF HALIFAX IN PARTICULAR.

I wonder - does anyone actually know , legally, what the situation is about statements? I'm prepared to take this further - as a test case if necessary - if it turns out that they're wrong about not having to send out statements. I used to run my own company. Could I have charged interest to my customers if they didn't pay me when I hadn't sent them a bill?

You obviously have internet access. Why don't you register your card for online access? It is down to you to make sure you make a payment every month. You also have to take some ownership too.

JoseChungsDoomsday

^ Couldn't agree more, but you have to remember, taking responsibility is a strange concept to people these days.