Lloyds Banking Group Card Problems & CS Issues

pridehappy

Hello!

We've been having issues with our Lloyds Banking Group cards (Lloyds Bank Club Lloyds Debit, Lloyds Bank SmartStart Debit & Halifax Cashback Credit) and the way in which Lloyds has handled it has been atrocious, I'd say the whole ordeal has taken over 10 phone calls of an hour each and 6 or so visits to branch with still no resolution.

It was a few months ago when my Lloyds Banking Group cards and my son's (yes, all of them) started declining often on random occasions. When I and my son contacted Lloyds, they told us it was a 'banknet' issue and therefore they were unable to do anything else about it. The staff attitude regarding this problem was terrible, passed back and forward 6 times on the phone to be told off for 'arguing', even though my son just asked how much longer this was going to take. After a visit to both Lloyds Bank and Halifax, in-branch staff have proven that they do not know much about the issue and are unable to help with some things (they didn't even know what my son's current account was!)

After sitting hours on the phone and in-branch, submitted a complaint only to be compensated £40 to be shared between me and my son, and apparently, there's nothing they can do regarding this. Furthermore, Lloyds accused Apple of setting a £150 limit to Apple Pay whereas, in fact, this is not true as my Virgin Money MasterCard and Nationwide Visa can make transactions over this amount with no problem by Apple Pay. Again, very hostile staff who are unwilling to help and when you ask them what they can do and explain you need the card working, accuse you of being abusive and put the phone down.

Visited my local branch recently regarding another issue linked to the card and was given misinformation by staff after my card was declined away on vacation due to the same banknet problems, sat on the phone at the back of the branch for nearly 2 hours, yes 2 hours, with staff abandoning us on our own and again being called abusive by staff. There were many other people in the branch at the time who agreed that we were not being abusive, and another member of the public even offered to help.

Got onto the verge of moving away completely, but before we do, does anyone have any idea what could be going on?

Thanks.

flaneurs_lobster

Are you sure they said "banknet"? Only references I can find are to a US Office of the Comptroller of The Currency reporting system or "BancNet" a payment system in The Philippines. Both seem unlikely as the cause of your issues.

I usually find that when two parties get to the stage of accusing each other of aggression and abuse it's probably time to step away.

Plenty more banks and accounts out there.

wmb194

Lloyds *Cardnet* is a thing.

https://merchantmachine.co.uk/lloyds-bank-cardnet/

[Deleted User]

Move on - for your sanity alone. 

Just be aware that Virgin Money & Nationwide aren't much better. 

Wonka_2

So how old is your son and what is he using the multiple accounts for ? As above their 'cardnet' offering is generally about receiving card payments for transactions - is he trading in some way and using this system or is this a red-herring ?

Is there some unusual activity that's triggering this ? Transactions close to spend limits etc ? In which case moving banks isn't likely to solve the issue 

But then as others have said if you've got into the realms of accusations then the situation's unlikely to improve and better to move before they force your/his hand

pridehappy

flaneurs_lobster said:

Are you sure they said "banknet"? Only references I can find are to a US Office of the Comptroller of The Currency reporting system or "BancNet" a payment system in The Philippines. Both seem unlikely as the cause of your issues.

I usually find that when two parties get to the stage of accusing each other of aggression and abuse it's probably time to step away.

Plenty more banks and accounts out there.

Thanks for replying, I believe they meant something regarding the US point although even they themselves can't seem to figure out what's going wrong. In the process of moving anyway, just had a conversation on the phone regarding switching.

pridehappy

Agreed, thanks for the advice.

pridehappy

Wonka_2 said:

So how old is your son and what is he using the multiple accounts for ? As above their 'cardnet' offering is generally about receiving card payments for transactions - is he trading in some way and using this system or is this a red-herring ?

Is there some unusual activity that's triggering this ? Transactions close to spend limits etc ? In which case moving banks isn't likely to solve the issue 

But then as others have said if you've got into the realms of accusations then the situation's unlikely to improve and better to move before they force your/his hand

My son is nearly 16 and just uses the accounts for personal reasons, such as Netflix subscriptions and everyday purchases of food etc. Lloyds already highlighted there's been no unusual activity and there was more in the account than the transactions which we're declining (for example, £5 transactions) and even some of mine themselves were declining just after funds had entered the account. In the process of switching, companies like this don't deserve customers!

ForumUser7

pridehappy said:

After sitting hours on the phone and in-branch, submitted a complaint only to be compensated £40 to be shared between me and my son, and apparently, there's nothing they can do regarding this.
…
Visited my local branch recently regarding another issue linked to the card and was given misinformation by staff after my card was declined away on vacation due to the same banknet problems, sat on the phone at the back of the branch for nearly 2 hours, yes 2 hours, with staff abandoning us on our own and again being called abusive by staff. There were many other people in the branch at the time who agreed that we were not being abusive, and another member of the public even offered to help.

Got onto the verge of moving away completely, but before we do, does anyone have any idea what could be going on?

They will/should have told you this already, but if you’re unhappy with the compensation given (rightly so IMO), based on the amount of inconvenience you’ve experienced, you can refer the complaint to the FOS within 6 months of the date on your final response letter. 

Please see https://www.lloydsbank.com/contact-us/how-to-complain.html and the information under ‘What can I do if I’m still unhappy?’

“ If you're not happy with the outcome of your complaint, you have the right to refer to the Financial Ombudsman Service, free of charge, within 6 months.

Here is how you can contact them:

Post:

The Financial Ombudsman Service
Exchange Tower
London
E14 9SR

Telephone: 0800 023 4 567

Email: complaint.info@financial-ombudsman.org.uk

Website: www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk”

N.B. When I’ve used them before, I’ve found the FOS to be very helpful and reasonable, but they have got long delays due to high complaint referral volume at present.