Issue with MBNA not accepting payment

beckprot

I wondered if anyone could give me any advice about a payment to MBNA?

While I was abroad last week I received an email from MBNA saying my account was in arrears and that I now owed them £400+ (a sum I simply don't have).

I had set up a standing order just after Christmas to pay £150 each month to MBNA which I knew would cover the minimum payment (balance is approx £7k). When I got back yesterday I checked my bank statement and I can see that on 22/1/16 the standing order went out of my account, but that on 25/1/16 MBNA returned it to my account.

Not only are they sending me arrears emails, they have removed my 0% offer which was the reason I had transferred £5k over to them in December and say they have referred me to the credit reference agencies. My interest this month was £115, and I will never be able to pay this card off if this continues.

Does anyone know if I'm in a position to fight this with them? I have looked on their site and can't see anything that says they don't accept standing orders, and I actually got the advice to do this from MSE. I'm really anxious and stressed about the whole thing, and any info anyone can give me would be really appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Candyapple

beckprot wrote: »

I wondered if anyone could give me any advice about a payment to MBNA?

While I was abroad last week I received an email from MBNA saying my account was in arrears and that I now owed them £400+ (a sum I simply don't have).

I had set up a standing order just after Christmas to pay £150 each month to MBNA which I knew would cover the minimum payment (balance is approx £7k). When I got back yesterday I checked my bank statement and I can see that on 22/1/16 the standing order went out of my account, but that on 25/1/16 MBNA returned it to my account.

Not only are they sending me arrears emails, they have removed my 0% offer which was the reason I had transferred £5k over to them in December and say they have referred me to the credit reference agencies. My interest this month was £115, and I will never be able to pay this card off if this continues.

Does anyone know if I'm in a position to fight this with them? I have looked on their site and can't see anything that says they don't accept standing orders, and I actually got the advice to do this from MSE. I'm really anxious and stressed about the whole thing, and any info anyone can give me would be really appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I've gone through your post history and can't see any question relating to this or anyone giving you advice saying to pay by standing order.

The standard advice here is to set up a Direct Debit for the minimum payment.

As it stands, you can pay MBNA by standing order. Did you fill the form out and send it to your bank?

https://www.mbna.co.uk/understanding-credit/making-payments/

What did MBNA say when you asked them why your standing order was rejected?

You could politely call them and ask as a gesture of goodwill for them to refund any late charges and reinstate the 0% deal, as long as you bring your account up to date.

[Deleted User]

You need to contact them to find out why it was returned. If no good reason, then ask for the promo to be reinstated.

beckprot

Hi Candyapple, thanks for responding. The advice wasn't from the MSE forum, it was via an article that Martin had written re credit cards that I'd linked to on the main site - sorry if that wasn't clearer.

I didn't fill in the form on their website as I am able to set up standing order mandates online with my bank, which I did, and the payment went out on the day as arranged. So I'm unclear why they then sent it back!

I have sent them a secure message asking what has happened and asking them to ring me. Hopefully it will be sorted.

Thanks both for responding.

Candyapple

Hi beckprot, I wouldn't wait around for them to call you, the onus is on you to get this resolved ASAP. The longer you leave it, the longer they are less inclined to reinstate your 0% deal.

Have you double checked your standing order mandate in your bank account that everything is correct? No missing digit or wrong digit entered by mistake? Was your card number as a reference written correctly?

jonesMUFCforever

I would suggest the only reason a standing order would be returned is because the sort code or account number or REFERENCE number is incorrect.

planteria

Deleted_User wrote: »

You need to contact them to find out why it was returned. If no good reason, then ask for the promo to be reinstated.

agreed. if it is their error, you are in. if it is yours, because the details were not quite right, push them anyway.. do your best to ensure that they know that you are willing and able to pay £150/m and that with the deal, as agreed, you can do so and repay your debt.

...and they'll still be earning some interest out of a customer that will not default owing them money.

very best of luck. keep us informed.

bengal-stripe

beckprot wrote: »

......I received an email from MBNA saying my account was in arrears and that I now owed them £400+ (a sum I simply don't have).

planteria wrote: »

......do your best to ensure that they know that you are willing and able to pay £150/m and that with the deal, as agreed, you can do so and repay your debt.

The OP seems to have exceeded her/his limit by £400 and (understandably) MBNA wants the account to be back within the agreed limit. Something the OP is not willing or not able to do. I don't even know whether the OP has agreed a reduced payment deal with the card or just sent a certain amount, hoping that would somehow shut-up the bank. The returned £150 was some three weeks ago and was considerably less than the required minimum payment £400+.

Had the OP paid the overspent instantly and apologized ("an oversight on my part"), s/he might have saved the interest-free promotional deal. Now, I believe, the damage has been done and the OP should get in touch with one of the debt charities and ask them to negotiate and, hopefully, keep the inevitable damage to a minimum.

planteria

all fair, and understood..
i wish beckprot well though, and hope that MBNA can be persuaded to agree to a plan which get him/her out of the position.
i think i would approach them direct, rather than via a debt management charity.

beckprot

Hi all, just wanted to update. Bengal, just to clarify, I hadn't exceeded my limit by anything, and was still within my credit limit. It was that because the standing order was returned and I then missed my minimum payment. MBNA were asking for that payment, plus this months (which is due on Monday next week), plus a late fee, which I wasn't in a position to pay at this point.

I have called them this morning. They are unable to explain why the standing order was returned and could only suggest that I didn't put my card reference number on the standing order. I am unable to recall what I put as the reference but am past caring frankly. I have paid them £250 today and they have offered to take the interest rate down to 9% but are unwilling to reinstate the 0% offer. I have accepted the 9% but am gutted, as I transferred a large sum over to them to take advantage of the offer originally a few months ago. Thanks all for your advice and help, I am really grateful.

Candyapple

beckprot wrote: »

Hi all, just wanted to update. Bengal, just to clarify, I hadn't exceeded my limit by anything, and was still within my credit limit. It was that because the standing order was returned and I then missed my minimum payment. MBNA were asking for that payment, plus this months (which is due on Monday next week), plus a late fee, which I wasn't in a position to pay at this point.

I have called them this morning. They are unable to explain why the standing order was returned and could only suggest that I didn't put my card reference number on the standing order. I am unable to recall what I put as the reference but am past caring frankly. I have paid them £250 today and they have offered to take the interest rate down to 9% but are unwilling to reinstate the 0% offer. I have accepted the 9% but am gutted, as I transferred a large sum over to them to take advantage of the offer originally a few months ago. Thanks all for your advice and help, I am really grateful.

Why have you given up so easily? Easy way to check if you put the correct reference is to log into your on-line banking and re-check your standing order.

If it is correct, then you should contact MBNA again as the mistake was at their end. This should force them to reinstate the 0% deal.

I can't help feeling that if you had pulled your finger out and contacted them within days of it bouncing, that they would have been more inclined to reinstate your 0% deal and also refund charges.