Halifax credit card - A surprise!

londonice

I have been using my credit card for purchases and paying it off in full every month until a few large purchases, including my car servicing.
So I changed my dd from full balance payment to a couple of hundred. Switched some savings round, got another card on 0% for 18 months and 0% fee (3% refunded after 90 days).


Anyway, end of October I paid all but what I set my dd to with the idea they'd take the dd as per instruction. However, they did not and the balance had passed the statement cut date.


I had my statement that month and there was interest bearing as was this month's until I made the call last night.


Halifax stated that they were not going to take the direct debit as per usual due to my overpayment, they were looking at charging me interest for the balance. I thought I'm not having this, laying into the poor girl on the end of the phone, raising a complaint with regard to that (unfair contract terms act) and (consumer credit act), opening an official complaint got satisfaction in the end.


Previous interest refunded and interest waived for next statement run. :j

[Deleted User]

londonice wrote: »

I thought I'm not having this, laying into the poor girl on the end of the phone,

Great.

noh

If you had bothered to read the T+Cs or even your credit card statement you would have known what would happen.
The following is written on my current statement and I am sure similar was on yours.


"Your D/D payment of £xxxx.01 will be taken from your Bank on
04/12/15. Manual payments received 4 clear working days before the
payment due date will reduce or stop the D/D from debiting your account for that month."

bengal-stripe

londonice wrote: »

Halifax stated that they were not going to take the direct debit as per usual due to my overpayment, they were looking at charging me interest for the balance. I thought I'm not having this, laying into the poor girl on the end of the phone, raising a complaint with regard to that (unfair contract terms act) and (consumer credit act), opening an official complaint got satisfaction in the end.

Some CCs will cancel (or adjust) a DD if an additional payment exceeds the DD, others will take it regardless. You should have checked (if necessary with a phone call) which way your card operates, instead of badgering the poor operator.

A card operating the other way (like MBNA) gets the same complaints, just the other way round: "I paid in full, they still took the DD, now I'm overdrawn."

Obviously banks can't win with those who can't be bothered to read.

londonice

Deleted_User wrote: »

Great.

Yes, she's not the problem, the banking institution was the problem as their conditions must have changed, the direct debit instruction was ignored and I get charged interest where there should have been a zero balance if they had taken it.


The rep ended up having a satisfied resolution due to her (and her line manager's) discretion based on the information I gave during my complaint.


To be honest I can get ruthless on the phone but always polite with it.

YorkshireBoy

londonice wrote: »

their conditions must have changed

No they haven't. I'm looking at a Halifax statement from January this year and the message posted by noh above is on there.

[Deleted User]

londonice wrote: »

To be honest I can get ruthless on the phone but always polite with it.

That's not what 'laying into someone' means.

EarthBoy

londonice wrote: »

Yes, she's not the problem, the banking institution was the problem as their conditions must have changed, .

Read the other posts. The banking institution wasn't the problem. The problem was your failure to read the conditions clearly shown on your statement.

Luckily for you, they let you off this time and cancelled the interest. Don't bank on being so lucky next time.

londonice

Deleted_User wrote: »

That's not what 'laying into someone' means.

Scold vigorously - I think it applies.



Okay, with all the vehement righteousness I made the institution aware, without leniency, that those overpayments were made two days after the statement was created, 24 days prior to a direct debit payment was due to be taken.


You guys are quite pedantic and supercilious to be honest!

noh

londonice wrote: »

Scold vigorously - I think it applies.



Okay, with all the vehement righteousness I made the institution aware, without leniency, that those overpayments were made two days after the statement was created, 24 days prior to a direct debit payment was due to be taken.


You guys are quite pedantic and supercilious to be honest!

That organisation then did exactly what it said it would do, on the statement you received, and reduced the amount of the direct debit by the amount of the payment you made manually.


What was the basis of your complaint?
Why did you need to be "vehemently righteous" when they had done what they said they would do and what you had agreed to when taking out the agreement?

YorkshireBoy

I wouldn't last a week in a call centre!

In this case I'd have asked the customer to "call back with your statement in your hand and I'll talk you through it sir. In the meantime, I refer you to the reply given in Arkell vs Pressdram (1971). But before you do, is there anything else I can help you with today?"