Virgin Credit Card - £12 default charges

PUD

Hi All,

Really need some advise with where I stand with Virgin.

In March I took out their 0% on balance transfers in Feb I transfered around £2000 on to it. I was well under the impression that I had set up a direct debit at this time. However turns out i didnt and the following statement showed i had missed a payment, and occured a charge. I immediately went online and set up the direct debit. I have seen the money come out from my account everymonth so left it as that. STUPIDLY i didnt realise i lost the 0% deal. ( I have never balanced transfered before and to be honest really didnt know enough about it) I am normally so good with keeping my accounts in order but unfortunatly I have had big family issues this year and my mind has been elsewhere.)

My boyfriend also took out this deal and last night he reviewed his statments....thought i should too and noticed I had a £12 default charge every month even though the min payment has been made by direct debit! The charge came on the 13th of each month as did my direct debit so i assumed this was just a confusion and that when i called today they would see the mistake and refund it.

HOWEVER they are saying to me that i still havent paid the first bill of £28.54!!! So each month they will charge me £12 until i pay it. It is not made clear anywhere on the statement that this is what i owe!

They told me to make the payment now (which i did) and they would re instate the 0% deal and the interest of this months bill £50ish. I am still so confused though as on previous cards if i got a charge one month I wouldnt get it the next as i wouldve paid the next bill? Does that make sense?

Please can anyone either explain that virgin are right OR explain how I can esculate this complaint higher?

Talk about unfair charges!!

PUD

pepper33

Hi, I got stuck with charges of 180, and they wouldn't refund, all because I looked at the Virginn statement online, seen the money was with them, and then looked at my Nationwide a/c, where the money had not been debited. Cancelled DD, because I thought there had been a mix up, and I couldn't afford to pay it twice. I got the interest rate back again, when I complained. But it is very confusing, and once the 22 mths are over, I will be leaving them.

chattychappy

You are not the first to get into a scrape with DDs....

If the DD was set up to take the minimum, then I agree it is wrong that you were charged each month for failing to pay something that was due/overdue.

Different story if the DD was for a fixed amount (or a standing order) or there were insufficient fund in your current account to support the DD.

PUD

Thank you for your reply.

It is set up to take the minimum payment whatever that maybe.

Virgin said that they cannot take anymore than the minimum payment BUT if this is what HAD to be paid why could they not take it?

Do I have any ground to stand on here just to get the charges back at least?

mcalli2008

Hi PUD,

I had a similar issue when I first went to Virgin. I did a balance transfer, thought all was setup correctly with direct debit, then the same thing happened. Payment missed & the 0% had disappeared.

I noticed straight away though, and hey re-instated the 0% no problem after I called them.

In your case, at a guess, I would say that you are in the right. If you have been making payments at the minimum since this first 'missed' payment, surely they should cover it? I don't think they can keep charging you £12 per month if you are meeting your minimum payments!

I finally finished paying the balance on my Virgin card today and my account has now been closed :j

mcalli2008

exel1966

You admitted in your earlier post (which was removed) that you assumed a DD had been set up when in fact it hadn't. You've also stated that you didn't bother to check your statements for four months. Those are not the fault of the card company.

If you've since set up a DD requesting the minimum payment then MBNA are hardly in a position to then start taking additional amounts. That would be clearly contravening the conditions of the DD and if done purposely illegal. I think you'd soon complain and have every right to if they started taking additional payments when they felt like it. You can't have it both ways.

Like I said before, you've been very lucky to get your deal reinstated and interest refunded and have no grounds for complaint whatsoever.

StuC75

did you look at just the online statement, or the pdf that can be generated? I find that clearly states what is required..