post Office Credit Card Shambles

mab3000

Applied for a Post Office Credit Card last week. Card arrived super quick after 2 days, managed to activate my card and sign up to online servicing very quickly and viewed my pin online. I was very impressed. Note the word WAS...

I tried linking my card to my iTunes account the day after I got it. Probably a silly idea. The test transaction they did got declined. I assumed it was because of the high levels of fraud associated with Apple iTunes etc so just left it.

This morning I got an email to say my credit card was on its way, and it confirmed my credit limit and APR etc. Thought it was a bit silly getting the email now as I already received the card about 3 days ago. It didn't suggest there was a problem or anything. So thought Id go to purchase my car insurance I intended to purchase this evening with the card. However, the card got declined again...

I thought the issue may have been my card being blocked as I tried to link it to iTunes. Half an hour on hold to the customer service centre, I eventually got put through then put on hold for a further 10 mins to someone else in the security section as my card had been blocked. However, the person on the phone told me that my card was blocked as they need me to send ID as part of my application, and that they sent me a letter on the date I got my card, which I haven't received yet.

I get requesting the ID part (although no credit card company has ever asked me to do this before). But why on Earth send me out the card before they are satisfied that the application is genuine and not fraudulent?

Has anyone else experienced anything like this with the Post Office? And what is the process for sending them ID?

T-G-C

I do agree with the point made, no "done deal" scenario should have occurred until all internal and/or regulatory checks were satisfied. This is incompetence at best from the lender's side.

You should have been notified immediately, either through the online mechanism or underwriting, that further checks were being conducted and withheld the card until such was confirmed, this would seem to be standard practice in most cases. It was wrong to give a false impression when the account was only opened on principal of receiving further documents, in this case ID.

Approval of a card (excluding misleading "approved in principal" or "pre-approved") should only be made once everything, in terms of customer information and compliance, is reviewed successfully and the account can be opened for use, especially from dispatching the card.

In terms of the email, this is not unusual. The postal of the card is not in accurate synchronization with the correspondence server, therefore the welcome email is sent based on an average time-frame for dispatch and recipient. This is unrelated to the situation.

Weybridge78

My grandmother applied for a Post Office purchases credit card. Was accepted. Card received. Could not register online. Card declined in store with contactless, PIN and online. Don't know what is going on. Complaint registered with PO as she had 28 months 0% but now this isn't working!

[Deleted User]

Did she activate the card when she received it?

Weybridge78

Have looked at the letter numerous times and it says nothing about activating it. Neither is there anything on the website about it.

mab3000

2 days on and still no letter asking me for identification. So I called them back up and they said I could email them scans of my identification and the problem should be sorted. Not gonna get my hopes up though, person on the phone wasn't sure I could use my driving licence for my address verification if I was using my passport as identification...

T-G-C

mab3000 wrote: »

2 days on and still no letter asking me for identification. So I called them back up and they said I could email them scans of my identification and the problem should be sorted. Not gonna get my hopes up though, person on the phone wasn't sure I could use my driving licence for my address verification if I was using my passport as identification...

From what is being described, the branch responsible for the Post Office's credit are laid back and should not have issued the card or approved the application until all of their regulatory requirements were met.

I would be pro-active in this case and acquire the email address or portal required for documentation submission. Then send them a passport scan, driving licence scan and then another form of proof of address (like a recent council tax bill etc.) to be watertight. If they still continue playing games after that, I personally would withdraw from the credit agreement and open elsewhere. A passport and two forms of address validation is more than enough for satisfaction of Know Your Customer regulations, which one again, should have been requested right from the start, if modern electronic methods of checks are not of appeal to them.

mab3000

Thank you for your help with this.

I sent off just the 2 documents yesterday via email. Surprisingly I had an email this morning to say that they had accepted my identification and the card is now active. And just made a transaction on it and it worked! So at least it appears to be sorted now.

I have written to them to make a complaint though including some of the points you made so I’ll wait and see what happens with that.

T-G-C

mab3000 wrote: »

Thank you for your help with this.

I sent off just the 2 documents yesterday via email. Surprisingly I had an email this morning to say that they had accepted my identification and the card is now active. And just made a transaction on it and it worked! So at least it appears to be sorted now.

I have written to them to make a complaint though including some of the points you made so I’ll wait and see what happens with that.

That is fantastic to hear. If you manage to speak with someone of authority, I would remind them that it is backwards to approve an application and send out a card before confirming the identity of the customer. It is both bad practice and puts the customer through the unnecessary process of waiting for the green light, even after receiving their card, which with nearly all companies, is ready for use when it comes through the door once activated by phone or online.

agrinnall

I'm not sure that I've ever seen anything other than criticism on here for Post Office credit cards, I certainly wouldn't consider taking one.

CollinT

agrinnall wrote: »

I'm not sure that I've ever seen anything other than criticism on here for Post Office credit cards, I certainly wouldn't consider taking one.

I applied for their Platinum card at the start of this year, mainly for the 28 months @ 0% and no foreign transaction charges. I have had no problems what so ever.

Yes, their website is a little dated and 'clunky' but no worse than the Virgin Money CC or Creation (ihg CC) websites.

Collin