MBNA data protection issues

propertyguy_2

just got off the phone from talking with the Virgin credit card people. I wanted to do a balance transfer to them but the amount was just a bit more than my limit. I rang to ask if my request to increase my limit would result on an entry in my credit file. The man said yes. I'm planning on doing mortgage type things next month so i told him i wouldn't bother. He then said that he had a suggestion to make which would be quite possible.

Right out of the blue, he told me that i could balance transfer to an MBNA card that i have, currently with nothing on it. He went on to inform me to use the one with the higher limit ( I have two MBNA cards as well as the Virgin card).

Now the thing that got me, was that the number i dialled was to Virgin - a freephone number. If i'd wanted to talk to MBNA it would have been a different number. So the last thing i expected to happen was to talk with someone about my MBNA card details. I told the guy that i wasn't happy talking about my MBNA card details when i'd rung to talk about my Virgin card and that surely there were Data Protection issues involved in doing this. In true salesman fashion he kept asking me "why?". His reply to my protestations was that they were all MBNA cards.

Speaking personally, it didn't feel right for him to talk to me about anything other than Virgin, the reason i called. I would have thought that MBNA should have an internal policy about this - okay, they may be able to see it all on a screen simultaneously but if they don't tell me they can see this then I am none the wiser. All the security we have to go through before we can talk about our accounts and he just started talking about all my details. Maybe he went about it the wrong way. Would I have felt less unhappy if he had asked me first if he could talk to me about other cards he had access to within the MBNA card universe ? My gut reaction to all this is that data protection issues are being touched upon but maybe the small print of the t&cs take this into account.

Would anybody else feel the way i'm feeling about this ?

jamalfatty

What data protection issues?! When you opened both a Virgin and an MBNA account, you gave your details to the same company. They arent breaking any regualtions/laws etc and if you ask me it's good customer service that they looked at your other account also or a solution.
Methinks quite a large overreaction here.

Look at it on the flipside, if you needed to speak to MBNA about both the Virgin and the MBNA account, would you be happy if after discussing one account, you were told to hang up, redial a different number that ultimately goes through to same place, clear security all over again, and then expain the problem all over again?!

CLAPTON

Frankly I'ld say what an efficient, joined up company they were and how well the person dealt with your problem by suggesting a solution to suit your situation.


I dont personally see any Data Protection issues... the information that they hold about you was presumably accurate and they were discussing it with the correct person. It seems no difference from going to your bank to discuss a loan and them referring to your current a/c or whatever.

I'ld move on.

MABLE

propertyguy wrote: »

just got off the phone from talking with the Virgin credit card people. I wanted to do a balance transfer to them but the amount was just a bit more than my limit. I rang to ask if my request to increase my limit would result on an entry in my credit file. The man said yes. I'm planning on doing mortgage type things next month so i told him i wouldn't bother. He then said that he had a suggestion to make which would be quite possible.

Right out of the blue, he told me that i could balance transfer to an MBNA card that i have, currently with nothing on it. He went on to inform me to use the one with the higher limit ( I have two MBNA cards as well as the Virgin card).

Now the thing that got me, was that the number i dialled was to Virgin - a freephone number. If i'd wanted to talk to MBNA it would have been a different number. So the last thing i expected to happen was to talk with someone about my MBNA card details. I told the guy that i wasn't happy talking about my MBNA card details when i'd rung to talk about my Virgin card and that surely there were Data Protection issues involved in doing this. In true salesman fashion he kept asking me "why?". His reply to my protestations was that they were all MBNA cards.

Speaking personally, it didn't feel right for him to talk to me about anything other than Virgin, the reason i called. I would have thought that MBNA should have an internal policy about this - okay, they may be able to see it all on a screen simultaneously but if they don't tell me they can see this then I am none the wiser. All the security we have to go through before we can talk about our accounts and he just started talking about all my details. Maybe he went about it the wrong way. Would I have felt less unhappy if he had asked me first if he could talk to me about other cards he had access to within the MBNA card universe ? My gut reaction to all this is that data protection issues are being touched upon but maybe the small print of the t&cs take this into account.

Would anybody else feel the way i'm feeling about this ?

The guy was trying to help you but you decide to throw a queenie fit.

vwman_3

No DP issues there as far as I can see, and a good result for you in the end, what more can you ask for, good CS for a change.