RBS shocking customer service!

plastic_person

I would be really grateful for some advice regarding my mum's RBS credit card account.

My mum is in her late 70s and seems to be suffering from dementia. She doesn't use her credit card but last year (Feb 2007) I offered to do her grocery shopping online with ASDA using her card. I didn't realise at the time how bad she was managing things and keeping track of time. Basically she didn't pay off her bill in time and the overdue charges and interest charges grew at an astonishing rate. After 2 or 3 months (I don't have the exact figures and dates available at the moment) I made sure that she did pay off the full outstanding amount and thought that would be the end of the matter. However, the charges kept coming (more late charges, no new purchases), and soon RBS were harassing her with threatening letters and phone calls.

They phoned her one evening when I was visiting and I helped her make a payment using her RBS debit card. I clearly heard my mum tell the RBS representative that she wanted to pay off and clear her entire debt and to then cancel the credit card account. We both thought that was the end of the matter but after a few months I found out that RBS had been continuing to hound my mum for more and more charges - We are talking a lot of money now!.

I have written to RBS twice explaining the situation and asked them to cancel all overdue and interest charges. I had to send them a form signed by my mum giving her consent for me to deal with this matter on her behalf. I have still heard nothing back from them and they continue to harass my mum for more and more charges. They phone her constantly, 7 days a week with the result that she is now scared to answer the phone. I have answered the phone and spoken to them many times (at least 20) when I've been round and tried to explain the situation. They are so relentless and single minded though that they just phone again an hour or so later. Sometimes when they hear me answer they simply put the phone down!

I really don't know what to do now. My mum is upset and confused. I am tempted to just pay what RBS want just to have them leave my mum alone, but they have behaved in such a disgusting way that they don't deserve to get away with any of her money. Is there anything I can do to get them to listen to reason?

YorkshireBoy

Invoke the RBS complaints procedure:

http://www.rbs.co.uk/global/h/contact-us/personal-banking/complain.ashx

PBA

With any credit card, if interest has been being charged then paying off the balance in full is not enough, there will be more interest charged on the next statement (calculated on the balance between when the statement was issued and the payment was received). This next statement then needs to be paid for the card to be cleared. It sounds like the balance was twice paid off in full, but then both times the following statement wasn't paid so more late charges started to rack up again.

It's probably wise to pay the bill off in full, and make sure the next one gets paid off too to make sure the situation doesn't happen over again. I find it hard to agree with your suggestion that RBS acted dispicably, after all they wouldn't have been aware of your mother's condition, but a well worded letter of complaint may get them to refund at least some of the charges.

plastic_person

PBA, I obviously didn't make it clear in my post that I have explained my mum's situation to them but they don't seem in the slightest bit interested. They tell me they can only deal with the account holder, despite the fact that I have sent them a declaration, signed by my mum, asking for me to be able to deal with this matter. Call me old fashioned if you must but I call that shocking customer service especially when you consider their relentless phoning and sending threatening letters.

missile

I feel sorry for your mum. You ought to have taken better care to ensure she paid the CC bill.

May I suggest it is very easy to avoid this situation, you simply set up a DD for the full balance on the card.

You could register for on line banking and that way you will be able to view her account(s).

I feel sure if your mum writes to RBS head office she will get a more sympathetic hearing and maybe get charges refunded.

I suggest you write and ask for all communication in writing and if they call, politely remind them all communication in writing and refuse to discuss anything by telephone.

youknowwho

I think that with her mums condition, setting up a dd to pay the balance wouldnthave been at the fore front of her mind. OP is right in saying that when balance is cleared in full, you have to pay est int too. But RBS should have told her this and by the sounds of it would have paid it no problem. I would definatley say that all correspondence is to be done in writing in future. Its a shame that they ar being so aggressive, they do it to put ppl off from being late again, but they need to be a bit more empathetic with this situatipon.

Write in to complaints, advising of the sit, and go down the route of cliaming charges to get money bk.

I hope you get it sorted.

plastic_person

Hi Youknowwho, as I said I have written to RBS to complain and to explain the situation. The fact of the matter is that they just don't acknowledge my concerns because I am not the account holder. Presumably they expect my mother to complain herself, but that is pretty much impossible given that she can barely look after herself let alone argue with an unsympathetic corporation.

I find the whole situation with my mother to be overwhelming to be honest. I can't even get her to see her doctor and she refuses any help from social services. Also setting up direct debits and having me check her bills online would be extremely difficult as she would see it as me interfering in her affairs.

youknowwho

I would pay off the whole balance, it cant be loads over a couple of months? Least with the balance cleared then your mum will stop getting these phone calls and unsettling her. That solves the one problem.

Then to get the charges bk, I would write in again, this time, as your mother (with her knowing) and ask them to refund all of the late fees, becuase of the circumstances that they were applied they may agree to refund. If they dont agree to refund on that basis, then write again saying that you would like to have all the charges refunded in the wake of all this reclaiming business (you can claim anything bk in the last 6 years), that way you have got most of your money bk. My advice is not to be too wordy on the letters, just basically ask for your charges bk.

Hope that helps.

[Deleted User]

Sorry to hear about this problem, you need to check the statements which show the balance was paid off, in these situations its usually agreed any amount remaining will be written off, perhaps she has payment protection insurance which has been added after the balance has been paid.

Have you tried ringing them, since you have auth on the account, you are best off calling customer services and mention the words 'Financial' and 'Ombudsman', the people ringing you are not from customer services.

beaujolais-nouveau

plastic_person wrote: »

Hi Youknowwho, as I said I have written to RBS to complain and to explain the situation. The fact of the matter is that they just don't acknowledge my concerns because I am not the account holder. ... Also setting up direct debits and having me check her bills online would be extremely difficult as she would see it as me interfering in her affairs.

I can identify with your situation - I had similar concerns about my mother - can you persuade your mother to let you have a "third party mandate" on her bank account(s)? This is something that might have to happen anyway, unfortunately. My mother became so weak that she could not write a good signature on her cheques, and it got to the point where I was expecting the bank to start refusing to honour them because her signature had deteriorated so much. Also, she sometimes just refused to pay one or other bill (drove me up the wall, particularly when she refused to pay the Damart one - their interest rate on outstanding balances is huge - and it was very difficult getting her to understand this). Perhaps there is a way of persuading your mother that letting you have Third Party Mandate would be "good housekeeping", helping her "save money".

Good luck.

DifferentFromTheNorm

To the OP... about the constant phone calls your mother receives. You may like to take a look at this thread on here about harassment and how to help stop the constant phone calls:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=694043

There's a template letter which can be used to request all communication to be done in writing. At least if its done in writing you can help your mum deal with it as they wont be on the other end of the phone refusing to speak to you.