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Unfair credit card 'late' fee and mark on credit file
jessg34
Posts: 5 Forumite
in Credit cards
Hi everyone,
I recently signed up for an Aqua credit card - I've never needed or wanted a credit card at all, but am purely trying to build a credit history as we have no history of borrowing. However, this has now completely backfired and left me angry and in a worse position than I was in to start with through no fault of my own.
Basically, I set up a monthly direct debit to pay the balance in full every month. Aqua set up the debit as instructed, but then I switched bank accounts and, according to my new bank, Aqua only set up the new direct debit on the same day they tried to take my first payment (despite receiving plenty of notice), which is apparently not allowed. The payment therefore happened but then reversed on the same day. As soon as I noticed, the next day, I rang up and paid the balance over the phone, and they told me it was the bank's fault (but the bank have confirmed that it is in fact Aqua's fault).
On my statement this month, I was then slapped with a £12 late fee, which Aqua did refund, but they have said that this will leave a negative mark on my credit file. They say that I myself have to go to all the credit agencies and dispute this to try and resolve the matter. This feels completely unfair considering I was not late, and in fact Aqua's own error was the reason the payment didn't go through.
Has anyone else been in a similar situation, and is it true that going to the credit agencies myself is the only solution? Should I not expect Aqua to sort this themselves and give some kind of compensation? Just using this to vent really, and to warn others...as I have now gone from someone with a reasonable credit rating trying to build a better one, to someone with a totally unnecessary negative mark on it!
I recently signed up for an Aqua credit card - I've never needed or wanted a credit card at all, but am purely trying to build a credit history as we have no history of borrowing. However, this has now completely backfired and left me angry and in a worse position than I was in to start with through no fault of my own.
Basically, I set up a monthly direct debit to pay the balance in full every month. Aqua set up the debit as instructed, but then I switched bank accounts and, according to my new bank, Aqua only set up the new direct debit on the same day they tried to take my first payment (despite receiving plenty of notice), which is apparently not allowed. The payment therefore happened but then reversed on the same day. As soon as I noticed, the next day, I rang up and paid the balance over the phone, and they told me it was the bank's fault (but the bank have confirmed that it is in fact Aqua's fault).
On my statement this month, I was then slapped with a £12 late fee, which Aqua did refund, but they have said that this will leave a negative mark on my credit file. They say that I myself have to go to all the credit agencies and dispute this to try and resolve the matter. This feels completely unfair considering I was not late, and in fact Aqua's own error was the reason the payment didn't go through.
Has anyone else been in a similar situation, and is it true that going to the credit agencies myself is the only solution? Should I not expect Aqua to sort this themselves and give some kind of compensation? Just using this to vent really, and to warn others...as I have now gone from someone with a reasonable credit rating trying to build a better one, to someone with a totally unnecessary negative mark on it!
0
Comments
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Write (yes, write, paper) and get free proof of posting from the PO, send the letter clearly marked as "complaint". Detail the issues here and confirmation that they didn't set up the DD from the bank and ask they remove the late payment marker.
Did you use the Switch service (the one with the guarantee that all DD etc would be moved over)?Sam Vimes' Boots Theory of Socioeconomic Unfairness:
People are rich because they spend less money. A poor man buys $10 boots that last a season or two before he's walking in wet shoes and has to buy another pair. A rich man buys $50 boots that are made better and give him 10 years of dry feet. The poor man has spent $100 over those 10 years and still has wet feet.
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Thanks very much for your reply - I will indeed write a complaint letter. And yes, I did use the guaranteed Current Account Switch service - the bank said that they informed Aqua of the upcoming switch but that they responded too late to set up the DD (all of the others transferred successfully, even those that went out on day 1 of the new account), so it really does seem to be all Aqua's fault.0
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