Barclaycard Promotional Offer Error and Help!

wolvesbruza

Hello everyone. 
This is my 1st time on the forum and have been lucky in the past with very few errors or issues in relation to CC. But I find myself in a difficult position with Barclaycard right now and am desperate for some guidance as I have struggling so far to find this on the site.

• October 2018 I took a 27 month interest free CC.

• On a recent call with the call center regarding pass word and login details I was notified by the call handler that I was in fact paying interest every month and had done so for the whole term to date. And that a complaint would be raised to reimburse me the full amount of interest charged for the period. This was done so and that someone would be in touch within a few days.

• 4th Aug I received a call from tier 2 complaint handler explaining that in fact due to a late payment in May 2019 had in fact stopped the promotional offer. I made the payment with 3 days of the original agreed date and explained the missed payment was due to a job change with different pay day. I had no history of missed payments  and as such the handler processed the full amount owing and reinstated my interest free promotional offer. I was also notified all agreed paperwork was in the post.

• 10th Aug. I call customer services as I had not received the credit and paperwork as outlined but had received a partial credit for half the amount. Due to high call volumes I had been transferred to a branch and the handler wasn't equipped to deal with the complaint and I was told I would receive a call with 72 hours. But usually shorter.

• 18th Aug. 8 Days later I receive a call outlining that 'management' are unwilling to credit me the full amount of interest for interest paid on my card but as a gesture of good will for the poor customer service experience I have received I will be credited and additional £75. This is still some £640 less that the full outstanding amount. During my call I was notified that Barclaycard would only notify the customer should the missed payment get to the point of collection. Mine was only 3 days and therefore would not be chased. I was actually under the impression that short term missed payments were only classed as missed payment after 7 days. 

• So far I have spent over 4 hours in calls, On all recordings I have been noted by the handlers as being calm polite and understanding given the circumstances, I never received said paperwork in the post as outlined on the 4th August, I have however today received final response emails, one from 5th Aug and one from 18th Aug. The 18th August letter actually has incorrect information from the call outlining what has been credited vs the number of months owed.  

• I fully believe in treating people with respect and as one would like to be treated themselves. However, I feel very much aggrieved by the apparent Barclaycard management team who as outline in the 5th Aug letter state ''Due to this being such a large amount this has had to be reviewed further and unfortunately we are unable to meet you request for a refund of the interest applied within this period'' 

I was due to receive £1,328 in interest charged for the period (May 19 - August 20)
I received £564 for the period (February 2020 - July 2020)
I also received £75 as a gesture of good will for apparent poor level of service.
Leaving me £689 in un-credited monies!
Can anyone please help as this situation is really confusing and feels very unfair as well as fraught with administrative errors and poor customer service on the part of Barclaycard.
Thanks - Mr Pugh

Sandtree

Old story... didnt notice the interest showing on your statements?

As you say, you broke the terms of the promotion so Barclays correctly applied interest. Your only hope for your complaint is the call on the 4th where they said they'd give you a full refund however staff can make errors/go above their paygrade and it isnt automatically binding 

SuperAllyB

With all due respect, the biggest administrative mistake appears to have been made by you not checking your starements.  Had you noticed that you had been charged interest on your June 2019 statement and asked then, I'm sure the offer would have been reinstated without question.

It sounds like the original customer service agent misunderstood the situation and promised something outwith their remit.  It could be argued that you are actually getting more refunded than you would have been entitled to had that misunderstanding not happened.

D3xt3r5L4b

Missed payments result in promotions being withdrawn. 

It’s down to you to keep on top of and manage payments in a timely and efficient manner as well as checking your statements each month. 

cymruchris

What was the 'all agreed paperwork' you mentioned? As above though, if you had to pay by day X - and you didn't - no matter what your personal circumstances were, you broke the terms and conditions of the offer, and so paid interest. It's another one of those 'you should check your statements regularly' threads - what made you go through such a long period without even looking at a statement? How did you know that you hadn't had any fraudulent transactions if you didn't even check the balance? I think you've been very lucky to get the credit you've received, and it's unlikely you'll get any more, but you could put something in writing snail mail wise, as a formal complaint based on the fact you were 'told that it would all be refunded' and see where that gets you.

wolvesbruza

Thanks everyone for the replies. It's very much appreciated.
The situation in relation to statements is a simple one, This card has had very very very few transactions over the period of ownership so far. It was used sometime ago to purchase house items after a house move and the balance been paid off monthly since. Therefore, compared to all other financial commitments (Bank, mortgage etc) I didn't check these statements as there is no spend activity on them. Yes I should of checked and if I hadn't have been notified by the original call handler I wouldn't have noticed still as I was paying minimum payments.
I have never found myself in this situation  previously and over the course of time have actually only had two credit cards. I make every payment without fail and the late payment was due to moving roles with different pay dates. 

In relation to call handler agreeing to reimburse something outwith their pay grade. This wasn't the case as the person who agreed the full amount was the final decision maker. I would say on the whole the tone with Barclaycard has been fine. But I simply don't know my right on this kind of issue as it's a first for myself. Hence reaching out to the community.

There is a clear acknowledgment of errors on the part of Barclaycard which has been documented in writing! However, I appreciate your points in terms of my own admin. 

Thanks guys

Stay safe

Sandtree

wolvesbruza said:

 I didn't check these statements as there is no spend activity on them. 

This is a reason alone to check them... make sure there is no spend activity in case the card has been compromised.

The T&Cs of the offer, though you should check to make absolute sure, will be very clear... you must follow all rules of your card (pay by due date, dont go over the limit etc) else the promotion will be withdrawn. By your own admission you made a late payment and so they correctly withdrew it and had you been checking your statements it would have been 1-2 months tops and they'd potentially been more inclined to waive it than the almost 2 years you've allowed it to go on for before complaining.

Banks can be pragmatic and so if you argue and fight they may pay you go away money or they may stand by their principles that they were in the right and they've already been generous in waiving some of the interest.