Fluid balance transfer scam (just to get new customers?)

ThisnotThat

OceanSound said:

Sandtree said:

OceanSound said:
I would have thought this is vastly prevented by having customer enter postcode then select house/flat number or name from drop down box.

Although, occasionally a particular flat or house doesn't come up and then you have to enter everything manually.

....Plus just because they source the data from the PAF file doesnt mean they use the same data structure to hold it.

Do you mind posting examples of threads/posts to do with other financial institutions (I have to say this instead of 'bank' because heaven forbid calling a financial institution that is not a 'bank'  a 'bank' will make some members really stroppy) where customer(s) was/were having issues due to this issue.

It's really interesting how on this forum that most issues are blamed on customer in an instant, but when a financial institution makes a screw up, it's just an error, mistake, misunderstanding, result of a 'new' staff member (because obviously senior staff never make mistakes ) or other 'things that people don't understand'. 

Some members are obviously hung up on the op's use of word 'scam', rather than admit that this company's system and staff are rubbish.

I think it was implied through the responses that most of us acknowledge Fluid are not very good.  The address issue might be forgivable but not allowing their CS staff to process it manually isn't.  But people really need to stop using the word scam when it really isn't.  Linguistic inflation isn't really helpful and makes words completely meaningless.

Sandtree

ThisnotThat said:
I think it was implied through the responses that most of us acknowledge Fluid are not very good.  The address issue might be forgivable but not allowing their CS staff to process it manually isn't.  

Sub prime providers fall into two categories... you have the charities etc who have sympathy to your situation and are ultimately trying to help you and you have the other 95% which are companies that play the equivalent of high stakes poker. The fact you don't have choice to go elsewhere means they don't need to waste money on well trained CS staff etc.

Fluid have made, at times, an interesting play with the unusual move of offering balance transfers to a market normally excluded from such offers. Unfortunately breaking new ground doesn't necessarily mean a wholesale change.

A quick online search shows plenty of people that have praised them and saved a lot through a transfer and others that, arguably unfairly, have cost them more in the long run when the interest free period expired. As already mentioned only 23 people give a 50/50 on sharing one of the 365.24 days of the year as a birthday. Knowing 4 people where a transfer attempt has hit problems is not that outside of a chance.

ThisnotThat

Sandtree said:

ThisnotThat said:
I think it was implied through the responses that most of us acknowledge Fluid are not very good.  The address issue might be forgivable but not allowing their CS staff to process it manually isn't.  

Sub prime providers fall into two categories... you have the charities etc who have sympathy to your situation and are ultimately trying to help you and you have the other 95% which are companies that play the equivalent of high stakes poker. The fact you don't have choice to go elsewhere means they don't need to waste money on well trained CS staff etc.

Fluid have made, at times, an interesting play with the unusual move of offering balance transfers to a market normally excluded from such offers. Unfortunately breaking new ground doesn't necessarily mean a wholesale change.

A quick online search shows plenty of people that have praised them and saved a lot through a transfer and others that, arguably unfairly, have cost them more in the long run when the interest free period expired. As already mentioned only 23 people give a 50/50 on sharing one of the 365.24 days of the year as a birthday. Knowing 4 people where a transfer attempt has hit problems is not that outside of a chance.

I don't disagree but I'm not sure what that has to do with my post.


Ultimately there is little value to a company pulling a bait and switch in these circumstances, and not offering to put the transfer through manually only hurts their brand. I'd don't see why they wouldn't do it.  I can't think of anyone who is going to use their card, let alone run up an interest-bearing balance, after being given two-fingers by Fluid.  Clearly, this is just basic incompetence.

I do think that the fact that the OP and their colleagues are all having problems suggests some commonality outside of it being Fluid.  In fact, I find it a bit strange that 5 people, in the same company, and close enough to be talking to one another, all need to go to the same subprime lender for a 0% balance transfer deal.

JayGeee

lanarkshire said:

Original question remains:
Has anyone actually been able to balance transfer to Fluid 0% card?

If MSE web site endorses this deal as their top pick for 0% for poor credit scorers, 
can MSE staff ask Fluid if their 0% balance transfer actually exists ?

if no user appears to have managed to balance transfer, then we may have been fished in to Fluid on false pretences?

Having the same issue. Tried to complete a balance transfer but it's displaying an error. Name and address match on both accounts - still not letting me complete the transfer.

Dandytf

Sandtree said:

lanarkshire said:

However 3 colleagues have now had same made-up address mismatch error despite all 4 of us checking old credit card and new card address are letter for letter the exact same.

Having had a whole series of long addresses and various transfer type things which require the address to match I've learnt a long time ago its not simply the case of a letter by letter match but a field by field match. So one company holds the "Flat 1" in "flat number" and "5 Beech Avenue" in "Address 1" whereas the other company holds the flat in "Address 1" and the street in "Address 2" when the address is printed they look identical but when they compare at field level they don't match. 

I had to contact local authority to 'fix' address miss match.
Source of problem affected lots in very close area as address or postcode format failed to transfer over to new voting offices systems.