Post Office Credit Card. Banging head against wall.

lescm19

Years ago we got this card mainly for a trip abroad and the free foreign transactions, whatever the deal was. We occasionally still used it and paid the balance off in full anyway, over the counter either in a Post Office or at our bank. No problems.

Christmas 2015 we bought a PC then in January, went into the bank like normal and paid in £700 which was actually a bit more than what was owed but there were more transactions coming through anyway.

February's statement, however showed that bizarrely, £428:79 had been credited and we'd been charged £12 interest.

It took a few trips to the bank and an official complaint to get the bank to confirm that they definitely had taken the £700 cash off us (we still had counterfoil anyway) and really had done whatever it is they do to pay it into my Post Office credit card account.

A few phone calls to Belfast later and all they kept saying was "well, it's not there, I can see some other monthly payments but no £700". I was beginning to wonder if IQs had dropped sharply in the banking industry.

So we made an official complaint and a complaint to the ombudsman (8 week wait!) but is that all we can do? Is there not some magic phrase like audit trail I could use when attempting to communicate with Bank of Ireland/Post Office Credit Card?

Throughout this we have paid it all off so it's not as if we have defaulted on anything but stopped using it from now on.

Tearing my hair out a bit.

PeacefulWaters

Which bank did you pay the bill at?

In future I'd suggest going online and paying that way.

aidso

So did they only process the amount owed on the card instead of the £700 (over payment), or are they denying receiving any money at all - even though you've the receipt?

agrinnall

Which bank is yours?
Which bank have you made the official complaint to?
What was the result of that complaint?

The responsibility to you lies with the bank that you paid the money to, they will need to trace what has happened to it. Until you get chapter and verse on this there really isn't anything you can do with the Post Office/BOI.

lescm19

Natwest.

Like I said in the OP, official complaint to Natwest, got it in writing 2 days later saying they paid it to the right CC account (sort code, reference, card # etc etc)

Official complaint to PO CC/BOI no reply so contacted FSA complaining about their lack of action and the fact that whoever I phone up says "dunno, computer says no" in effect.

The £428:79 figure was neither the total balance, minimum payment or any payment from me (no DD set up).

Don't see why paying over the counter should make a difference or why there isn't an audit trail for it.

PeacefulWaters

Don't see why paying over the counter should make a difference

It puts you in complete control and removes the opportunity for a cashier to make an error using a method of payment set up over a century ago.

lescm19

But the cashier didn't make an error, (allegedly anyway) according to their report.

PeacefulWaters

lescm19 wrote: »

But the cashier didn't make an error, (allegedly anyway) according to their report.

Well clearly somewhere between you, Nat West and the credit card company something has gone wrong.

If you'd sent a faster payment online it's almost certain that this wouldn't have happened.

That's not trying to suggest that this is your fault. The way your complaint is being handled sounds shabby.

lescm19

Well, the missing money plus interest charged has been credited to our Post Office Credit Card account.

Just waiting for an explanation from them now...

System

Ineptitude?

lescm19 wrote: »

Well, the missing money plus interest charged has been credited to our Post Office Credit Card account.

Just waiting for an explanation from them now...