Halifax Clarity declined transaction for iPhone

redux

I doubt there is much point in trying to claim compensation for the cost of contacting them

I phoned up one evening from Belgium, where my Halifax debit card was being blocked from buying fuel at an automatic forecourt.

A supervisor suggested the block was because I had failed to notify them I was going abroad. And he would not do anything to enable the card to work.

I asked him to describe the last half a dozen transactions to me. A ferry company. Tanks of fuel and food in 3 countries, and a hotel bill in Germany only that very same morning.

When I got home I complained about this spurious excuse, saying I'd used the card abroad for several years, never told them I was going abroad, never had it suggested to me that I should.

Waste of breath.

TadleyBaggie

I once managed to block two cards when in the USA when trying to buy a laptop. A large transition from a foreign location was always likely to result in a decline.

reclusive46

The annoying thing is the Apple store is one of the few stores in the US that actually support chip and pin transactions now. If the OP had called and reported it fraudulent they probably would have blamed the cardholder!

I expect to see less declined transactions in the US now as the liability shift has happened (So if merchant doesn't have chip reader they are liable for fraud). SO any swiped transaction isn't the banks problem anymore.

Gaaraz

The Apple store I was at didn't have chip and pin unfortunately.

Halifax also called me again last night at around 4am, took ages and I have no idea why they had to do that considering I already called them. Another £9 gone! This entire thing has cost at least £30 so far.

I don't think I'm entitled to any sort of compensation btw, but their blocking was IMO over zealous, and the amount of time I've been on the phone to them is pretty ridiculous. If they had a simple system to call or text me when I made the transaction to verify it, that would have been great.

jonesMUFCforever

Gaaraz wrote: »

The Apple store I was at didn't have chip and pin unfortunately.

Halifax also called me again last night at around 4am, took ages and I have no idea why they had to do that considering I already called them. Another £9 gone! This entire thing has cost at least £30 so far.

I don't think I'm entitled to any sort of compensation btw, but their blocking was IMO over zealous, and the amount of time I've been on the phone to them is pretty ridiculous. If they had a simple system to call or text me when I made the transaction to verify it, that would have been great.

A colleague of mine at work lost his credit card whilst on holiday in New York - within an hour $3000 had been spent at the Apple store (again no chip and pin) - so this is the other side of the story.
Banks can't win either way can they?

reclusive46

Oh thats unusual. I've been to a couple of Apple store in the US the last couple of weeks and they've all had chip and pin (although I used Apple Pay last time). There were all in California though.

Must be doing it store by store.

The fact stands though that the bank isn't liable for fraudulent magstripe transactions in the US anymore. So I'm not sure why they really care. Its possible banks haven't changed their fraud systems yet though, the shift was only on 1st October.

zagfles

Gaaraz wrote: »

The Apple store I was at didn't have chip and pin unfortunately.

Halifax also called me again last night at around 4am, took ages and I have no idea why they had to do that considering I already called them. Another £9 gone! This entire thing has cost at least £30 so far.

I don't think I'm entitled to any sort of compensation btw, but their blocking was IMO over zealous, and the amount of time I've been on the phone to them is pretty ridiculous. If they had a simple system to call or text me when I made the transaction to verify it, that would have been great.

Yes they did this to me in NZ, called at 9am UK time with a recorded message, which luckily over there was 8pm, not in the night!

But they hadn't blocked the card, they'd just declined a transaction, it worked fine somewhere else just half an hour later! Had another random decline later in the holiday - both were small amounts.

BTW assuming you eventually manage to buy the phone and you're bringing it back to the UK, make sure you declare it to customs, or face potential confiscation. You'll need to pay import VAT on it.

reclusive46

zagfles wrote: »

e small amounts.

BTW assuming you eventually manage to buy the phone and you're bringing it back to the UK, make sure you declare it to customs, or face potential confiscation. You'll need to pay import VAT on it.

Or throw away the packaging and deny any knowledge of purchasing it in the US...Like 99% of tourists.

zagfles

reclusive46 wrote: »

Or throw away the packaging and deny any knowledge of purchasing it in the US...Like 99% of tourists.

Yeah right! They can just do a quick check of the serial number and they'll know where it was purchased. If they have any doubt they'll confiscate and it's up to you to prove that it was purchased EU tax paid. Customs have those powers, it's almost guilty until proved innocent! Been discussed on the travel board, with a customs officer...

chattychappy

I've probably flown Taiwan (great place to buy electronic stuff, though not Apple) to the UK at least 50 times in the last few years, as well as flying from Hong Kong and the US. I've never been stopped at Heathrow T2/3, except once when I was asked what my job was, where I had come from, (had to explain it was Taiwan and not Thailand) and then continued through without any checks.

Frankly these days I think you're unlucky to be stopped by customs at all unless you're on a very high risk route. But no doubt if you are stopped, they've heard all the stories before!