Halifax

gingercordial

Not a request for advice as such, just a bit of a warning.

My OH has a 0% Halifax One card, and the 0% deal was due to run to late summer. He didn't set up a DD for the minimum payment (I did tell him to ) because he wanted to make sure he looked at what was on the card and paid more than the MP each month. Sigh.

At the end of last year, he went in and made a payment, but was slightly too efficient with this and it arrived the day before his statement date. That month's statement therefore shows two payments, and his next statement has no payment, because it was counted earlier.

Halifax have therefore charged him a missed payment fee, reduced his credit limit right down to the amount on the card, and taken him off the 0% deal. The interest then took him over his credit limit (I'm not sure if there'll be a fee for that). This meant that he was locked out of his online banking with them as "they want you to have to call them". Unfortunately because it was Christmas, they weren't there to call. He's had to call four times over the last month, because they always say they'll look into it and call back, and as yet never have. They haven't sent any correspondence on this.

He's asked, but they won't back down on any of it, so we'll BT it somewhere else or pay it off. He could understand them doing this if he hadn't sent a payment, but all this for paying a day EARLY? :mad: Agreed he technically didn't make a payment for the month in question, but they can see when he did make a payment (and he's made a further payment since) and CC companies at least used to give one second chance. Wonder if it's the whole credit crunch thing that they won't budge at all now?

Just wanted to vent!

Iamthesmartestmanalive

gingercordial wrote: »

Not a request for advice as such, just a bit of a warning.

My OH has a 0% Halifax One card, and the 0% deal was due to run to late summer. He didn't set up a DD for the minimum payment (I did tell him to ) because he wanted to make sure he looked at what was on the card and paid more than the MP each month. Sigh.

At the end of last year, he went in and made a payment, but was slightly too efficient with this and it arrived the day before his statement date. That month's statement therefore shows two payments, and his next statement has no payment, because it was counted earlier.

Halifax have therefore charged him a missed payment fee, reduced his credit limit right down to the amount on the card, and taken him off the 0% deal. The interest then took him over his credit limit (I'm not sure if there'll be a fee for that). This meant that he was locked out of his online banking with them as "they want you to have to call them". Unfortunately because it was Christmas, they weren't there to call. He's had to call four times over the last month, because they always say they'll look into it and call back, and as yet never have. They haven't sent any correspondence on this.

He's asked, but they won't back down on any of it, so we'll BT it somewhere else or pay it off. He could understand them doing this if he hadn't sent a payment, but all this for paying a day EARLY? :mad: Agreed he technically didn't make a payment for the month in question, but they can see when he did make a payment (and he's made a further payment since) and CC companies at least used to give one second chance. Wonder if it's the whole credit crunch thing that they won't budge at all now?

Just wanted to vent!

Your husband didnt pay early though

He paid 2 payments one month and none the next

Therefore he breached his agreement

Its his mistake, not halifaxes and if he had read the terms he'd have known about this

You may be lucky and get some of the fees back but the 0% is gone as is the rest of the credit limit

gingercordial

Iamthesmartestmanalive wrote: »

Your husband didnt pay early though

He paid 2 payments one month and none the next

Therefore he breached his agreement

Its his mistake, not halifaxes and if he had read the terms he'd have known about this

You may be lucky and get some of the fees back but the 0% is gone as is the rest of the credit limit

We know that. We totally agree that Halifax are well within their rights to do so. He knows and has read the T&Cs, it was just that his payment went through slightly faster than he thought it would.

All I am saying is that previously it seemed that card companies were more willing to "forgive" and restore things for a first offence, particularly when the payment record is solid (rather than when payments have not been made at all). Certainly I have had my own mistakes, which do happen you know, put right by financial companies in the past - I have therefore been able to learn from them rather than being punished immediately. But as I said to him this morning, these companies are not our friends.

I was just trying to warn others that Halifax do not seem to be giving any kind of leeway any more.

gingercordial

glastowinebar wrote: »

Instead of having a go on the phone (I'm assuming thats what you have done) nip down to your local branch and ask to see the manager....thats what I did when something similar happened to me, you'll be amazed what a quiet one to one can achieve.

That's an idea, thanks! I'll suggest it to him when he gets in, although TBH I think he's just thoroughly sick of Halifax and wants shot of them. If they'd returned his calls ever, he wouldn't have been quite so annoyed.

MarkyMarkD

The amount of leeway given by credit card companies is not surprisingly diminishing.

As the OP pointed out, setting a DD is the only sensible way to ensure paying monthly payments on time, as required, to comply with your card operator's terms and conditions.

Doing anything else - and particularly paying over the counter before even getting a statement - is daft.

21castlehill

I almost got caught myself like that, I cleared my bill early & made 2 payments last month then a late transaction dropped in on Dec 31st.


Thing is my balance is £0.79, my internet banking won't allow a payment less than £1, it also won't allow me to make a payment greater than the outstanding balance. This is the only card I don't use a DD for min payment on it as i'm logged into my account every couple of days. I am overseas for another 3 weeks & the paper statement appears lost in the post so isn't available to get my wife to pay it.

I was getting pretty hacked off at the thought of a late payment charge for the sake of £0.79.

However I managed to solve problem at the last min, I downloaded an album from itunes & paid for it on the card, so my balance has now risen above £1 & I've made the internet payment.

No help to you I know but just a tale of woe to share, your OH isn't the first or last to make this simple mistake.

MarkyMarkD

21castlehill wrote: »

it also won't allow me to make a payment greater than the outstanding balance.

I don't understand your point here. If you are pushing the money from your current account to your credit card account, you can pay any amount you like (from £1 upwards) - you could have simply over-paid the account by 21p.

If you are pulling the money onto your credit card account from your current account, then the credit card company will definitely let you instruct them to collect the full balance.

So how did you find it a problem?

21castlehill

MarkyMarkD wrote: »

I don't understand your point here. If you are pushing the money from your current account to your credit card account, you can pay any amount you like (from £1 upwards) - you could have simply over-paid the account by 21p.

If you are pulling the money onto your credit card account from your current account, then the credit card company will definitely let you instruct them to collect the full balance.

So how did you find it a problem?

Because when I tried to do it the system would not let me. First error message was "payment must be at least £1". When I tried to pay £1 i got the nessage "payment cannot exceede outstanding balance"

Reformed

I do think the 'credit crunch' we all keep hearing about is definitely having an effect on banks being more stringent. I've applied for a credit card in the last couple of months only to be rejected. I was a bit concerned it was something to do with my new address so checked my credit report and score. I'm 891 out of 1000 and my payment histories on all my accounts are flawless but they won't budge, banks just don't want to give out as much credit and any excuse to get a 0% deal from someone will be taken.

Unlucky for us!