Help! Credit card cloning and customer service nightmare

SaraLovesMartin

This is quite a long story, but I would really appreciate some advice, and I don't know what to do.

Last Tuesday my credit card bill arrived, and I was shocked to find transactions in Bahrain and Manama dating from 18th and 19th October totalling £450 (a lot of money in my world). I phoned Barclaycard immeadiately to report this, and things started going from bad to worse.

The first phone call didn't go well: I was pretty calm about the situation, relieved it was my credit card rather than debit card, and secure in the knowledge I hadn't done anything risky with the card so it woudl all be sorted out soon. The "customer experience" rep started -bizarrely- shouting at me about being careless with me cards, and asked how I knew they wiped out my savings! Logically, I knew my current account was safe as I bank online and check it most days. My wallet had not been stolen, nor had I lost it, I had been the victim of someone very devious and clever cloning or skimming my card, which I read in the papers can happen to even the most anal of card users. However, the telling-off upset me and (embarrassingly) I was in tears. I told the guy on the phone not to talk to me like that and to help remedy the situatuion, and he hung up on me!

I phoned back (now really upset and my nerves jangled) and managed to speak to someone who was able to help me. They explained that they would send me a form that i would need to sign and send back. They sed the form would take up to 10 days to arrive, and then the query woudl take to at least 15 days to investigate. I asked if they could send out the form quicker, either by fax or email, but the answer was no. With Christmas coming up I was begining to worry.

The next day my new card arrived, the day after they confirmed details of my direct debit, but no fraud form. I called after a week, but was told again it could take 10 days. Today, on day 11, I called again. The first person I spoke to didn't know what form I was talking about, at which I raised my voice and she hung up on me. Called back, again upset, but apologiseing for shouting, and still got no where. No form, and they didn't know what had happened. They would not not resend the form by special delivery or email or fax, but assured me that this one would definitely be with me within 5 days.

In the meanwhile, whilst they are not charging me interest on the fraudulent transactions, they are charging me a higher rate for the balance transfers I had done, as the fraudsters had pushed my over my credit limit and "my account has not been run in accordance with the promotional rate". Becasue there was a while where I was over my limit without knowing (Barclaycard have not offered my online credit/banking as they do with my current account), I was rejected frm another card (have been tarting!) in the intering. This is also !!!!!!ing my credit rating which means I can't get another card to transfer the balance to or give me more spending power of Xmas, and frankly I would now like to take me business elsewhere.

What can I do? I need the money back, and ideally before Christmas, if only to have a buffer zone in my finances. I need the charges got rid of, and I need my credit rating rating fixed. I'd also like my complaint about people hanging up on me taken seriously. I have been working hard all year to illiminate charges and interest payments thanks to moneysavingexpert, and was doing my spending 0% and for the first time ever things were looking up financially. Now a lousy £450 at the wrong time is throwing it all into disarray. And I can't speak to anyone at Barclaycard who can actually get this sorted out.

Has anyone got any ideas as to how I can beat the system, or has anyone else had a similar experience? Many thanks to you x

belfastgirl23

This is a pretty grim story...have to say when this happened us with the Nationwide they couldn't have been more helpful. I won't be looking at Barclycard as an option anytime soon.

Just wondering can you link the fraud to any particular transaction you've had? Sometimes that helps.

Also I think in your shoes I would get a recorded letter in the post ASAP to their complaints department - if you search the website you'll find it. I'd also be phoning them rather than the credit card people.

Sorry no more useful advice. Good luck.

jonesMUFCforever

Whenever I call anybody with the likelihood of it being a call centre I always have a pen and paper handy - most will tell them their name if not ask and write it down together with date and time.
When they receive your complaint they can then listen to the call - if your version of events is true I would expect that they would solve all your queries fast as it shows them to be very unprofessional.

lima_2

Hi SaraLovesMartin, I too went through the same as you but with Skycard which is run by Barclaycard. The most frustating thing for me was that I work half a mile from the Barclaycard credit card office and they refused to accept any hand delivered paperwork from me. Just be patient, things will sort themselves out and if like my experience you will be fully reimbursed. My case took nearly 2 months and the best advice would be to be persistent but remain polite and take a note of every date and person you speak to. If you'e interested you can read my log of event here. Good luck!

FunkyFeet

Sara so sorry to har of their behaviour with you, just as well i stopped using my Barclaycard last year after they kept reducing my credit limit to the nearest £50 of my balance when i had bad financial problems and now when im fone they cant stop sending me interest free offers and even phoned me with offers to entice me back, i dont think so!

Anyway, wanted to tell you all today upon receiving my Sainsburys bank visa card statement i realised i too have become a victim of credit card fraud! i only ever read of such things in the paper or reported on Watchdog, so i couldnt believe my eyes, 2 transactions made in Rotterdam! Damn, i didnt go there i thought so called Sainsburys bank, it took the first person i spoke to about 1minute to transfer to me to a different dept, when the 2nd person said hello im at the fraud team i knew something bad had happened however i cannot believe how professionally and quickly i was dealt with, she told me as its no fault of mine that my card has been cloned i am not responsible for these transactions and instantly refunded me the total of £470/- plus ordered new cards for me and apologised not once but twice over that this has happened to me and told me i was in safe hand banking with them.

Well done to Sainsburys ank, barclays could learn something from these guys at royal bank of scot/halifax/sainsburys bank, all basically are the same company.

I hope you all get things sorted soon,

much love

FunkyFeet x x

jobbingmusician

Hey, SLM - bad luck with the card. Same thing happened to me last week, except that Nationwide called me, sounded a bit surprised to hear my voice, and said that they had called me because of irregular activity on my card - someone was on a spending spree THAT DAY in Poland.

They did reassure me about the fact that I will get my money back, and any charges incurred as a result will be refunded. THIS MUST BE STANDARD FOR ALL BANKS - as this fraud is endemic! So chill - you will get your money back (eventually :grrr:) plus all charges.