Help! Just discovered 16 months of MBNA charges despite monthly payments

leeroy2009

Deleted_Users4 wrote: »

This is interesting. I've just looked more closely at Noddle and the MBNA card states account payment status as "OK" and "UP TO DATE" every single month since I took out the card!

you see, that side of things is ok and you have been rather lucky!! get a application in for a new bt card, in case mbna tell you to sod off tommrow.

theyoungones4

I will fill out the application form for Barclaycard but I was going to wait to see what MBNA say before I do that. Not sure why but it can wait another day.

theyoungones4

Oh, maybe I should do the application first then?!

leeroy2009

no matter what they say, you wanted a new card anyway didn't you? and the sooner you have a new card (if accepted) the sooner you can get the mbna balance to a new card, and this time don't faff about with standing orders, set a direct debit to at least the min payment each month.


don't do the balance transfer at the time of acceptance for the new card though, wait until you have spoke to mbna before you start transfering

leeroy2009

and don't forget to cancel the existing standing order to mbna once things have been sorted out

chattychappy

Penalty fees must reflect the cost of the breach to the injured party. The CCs universally charge £12 because the OFT once said that anything more and they would presume that the charge was unfair. It doesn't mean charges below £12 are lawful or charges above £12 are unlawful, it depends on circumstances. Nevertheless, CCs put £12 into the T+Cs and it has become a defacto standard.

People love to think "it's in the T+Cs so you agreed to it", but just because something is in the T+Cs doesn't make it lawful.

If MBNA have been applying £12 every month without actually doing anything for that - no phone calls, no extra letters, then I would dispute the £12 charges. Ask them to justify it by reference to the loss actually suffered by them given that they have been charging interest. It should be possible to do a deal.

theyoungones4

Thanks chattychappy! That's what riles me the most - what exactly does the £12 charge reflect? I can't see that MBNA have lost out just because my payment clears a day or two after it's supposed to. The good credit report they've given me surely proves that!

chattychappy

If you go ahead with the complaint, then argue for the 0% to be reinstated and backdated. Claim that taking away the deal for being a couple of days late each month amounts to a disguised form of penalty that, again, is disproportionate to the loss suffered by them. NOW, I think you have zero chance on this one (except as a goodwill thing), but when disputing something it is best to throw everything into the pot.

With the direction of regulation (and the transfer of CCs from the OFT to the FCA), I suspect that one day CCs won't be able to take away 0% deals just of a single late payment. But we're not there yet and in your case it went on for months anyway. But it is no surprise to me that CCs often "do a deal" when people complain of losing a deal after a single missed payment.

theyoungones4

Thank you. I will try & let you know how I get on.

theyoungones4

Ok, so I've spoken to them and the best I could do was two months interest refund and one late fee refund. That amounts to about £85.

Better than a slap in the face I guess.