New card - Abbey Zero

Anon

Anon wrote: »

... and me

It prompted me to go back and do a trial on the online application form again to check that I wasn't imagining it when it asked for your address, and when you have less than 3 years, it then asks for your previous address on the next page. I was even going to phone to ask if I had an account open with them that I had forgotten about (as we moved earlier this year and I thought I had sent change of address to everyone required, and have mail forwarding) but it seems that there is a glitch on their system. I say that, as if they ran a credit check it would clearly show up my current and previous address, as both Experian and Equifax show the change of address and electoral roll. It seems odd that they are manually doing an identity/address check before processing the application/running the credit check?

A complete bother having to go into town just for this.

Anon

A one hour round trip yesterday to the branch and still non-the-wiser. The application system picked up my old address from my old account closed last December, but even the account number has been re-allocated! The CS was very helpful but again thought it odd to prove your identity to change address when I am not currently a customer.

Never mind - identity proved but I will be really annoyed if I am not accepted now after all this messing about.

Anon

Baggio

I am currently an Abbey credit card customer (so not too surprised by the feedback related to their CS so far). The current card I have is the old 5% supermarket shopping one (from September last year).
Just wondering if anyone who also got that card applied for the Zero? Did you have to cut the old one or did you just walk in with a new application and get the Zero?

Thx.

not_loaded

exel1966 wrote: »

…It should take 5 working days to acknowledge and normally four weeks to deal with and a max of 8 weeks to resolve.
By that time I had sent a second letter after 6 weeks advising them that a letter to the FOS was pending if no action within the two weeks. That letter was acknowledged after the 14th week, 6 weeks after the FOS had become involved !!

You’re very charitable in this hi-tech age allowing them 4 weeks, max 8 weeks!

Maybe ‘6 weeks after the FOS had become involved’ is the clue here. What a dismal bunch they are.

If 14 weeks is their normal response time, I should be inundated with mail around November 5th. I will warn the postman in advance!

Could you do me a favour and clue me in as to what the FOS is, and how to contact them?

exel1966

not_loaded wrote: »

You’re very charitable in this hi-tech age allowing them 4 weeks, max 8 weeks!

Maybe ‘6 weeks after the FOS had become involved’ is the clue here. What a dismal bunch they are.

If 14 weeks is their normal response time, I should be inundated with mail around November 5th. I will warn the postman in advance!

Could you do me a favour and clue me in as to what the FOS is, and how to contact them?

Even though Abbey blatently break their own guidlines, and that of the FSA I'm afraid you can't and you have to wait specified times before you can take further action.
The FOS (Financial Ombudsman Service) can only be contacted 8 weeks after your intial verbal/written complaint. They will NOT entertain any complaint about a financial services provider prior to that time being elapsed.

Abbey complaints procedure should be :-

1.Customer complains via branch or head office verbally/in writing.
2.Abbey acknowledges complaint in writing within 5 working days.
3.Will normally deal with complaint within 4 weeks, but are permitted to take up to 8 weeks (FOS regulation), though they will advise if this is the case.
4.At 8 weeks customer is permitted to contact FOS if an agreeable final response resolution has not been forthcoming OR they haven't written to you explaining why they need even more time. Evidence of all conversations/letters/responses must be submitted to FOS at this time .

1.On average FOS take between 6 - 9 months to settle a dispute.
2. The FOS decision is final.

taking a complaint to the FOS costs the financial services provider dearly whether it's upheld in their favour or not. I believe it's around £500 just for them to become involved. Abbey won't like that !

YorkshireBoy

not_loaded wrote: »

Could you do me a favour and clue me in as to what the FOS is, and how to contact them?

Financial Ombudsman Service.

Contact details at the foot of the Abbey complaints webpage...

http://www.abbey.com/csgs/Satellite?c=GSInformacion&cid=564085054880064&pagename=Abbey%2FGSInformacion%2FGS_DetallePie

HamiltonL

not_loaded wrote: »

All still amazingly with no response whatsoever. My phone calls to Bradford number about a dozen now.

Ah I'll correct you there. The Bradford centre deal with the mailing side i.e. sending out the agreements, etc. When you call up to track the application you speak to Milton Keynes (or the annexed hubs across the UK). Any correspondence from your calls would then go upto Bradford. Puzzled why you haven't heard anything though, still.

HamiltonL

Baggio wrote: »

I am currently an Abbey credit card customer (so not too surprised by the feedback related to their CS so far). The current card I have is the old 5% supermarket shopping one (from September last year).
Just wondering if anyone who also got that card applied for the Zero? Did you have to cut the old one or did you just walk in with a new application and get the Zero?

Thx.

Contrary to some reports, you ARE permitted to have the Abbey Zero card and a normal Abbey credit card (Organic/Priority from 2007, or the standard one for 2008). You can have both, and use both.

Any particular problems you had with Abbey, Baggio?

not_loaded

Thanks for the clear info on the FOS exel1966. Now I know what it is, I wasn’t intending that sort of action at this point, and I’m not sure it’s even relevant for the complete failure to action a customer’s pre-approved CC application. Useful to bear in mind though.

Abbey acknowledges complaint in writing within 5 working days.

That deadline is completely blown by Bradford AND Milton Keynes already!

Thanks YorkshireBoy for that link. I’ve found their website quite tricky in respect of locating what you’re looking for. It’s so nice to see the 0845 numbers for customer complaints, ie: ‘we want to make money out of your problems’.

HamiltonL wrote: »

Ah I'll correct you there. The Bradford centre deal with the mailing side i.e. sending out the agreements, etc. When you call up to track the application you speak to Milton Keynes (or the annexed hubs across the UK). Any correspondence from your calls would then go upto Bradford. Puzzled why you haven't heard anything though, still.

I’m not really in the mood to be corrected. I’m in the mood to get good service from a company that approached me for this pre-approved application.

The number I’ve been phoning covers Card Services who clearly have a Bradford address. I really don’t care where they route calls to, it’s the atrocious lack of responses that get me. At five weeks for a pre-approved application, I can’t believe that any correspondence from my calls is being generated and sent to Bradford.

Overall, you’d think it would simply be easier just to process my pre-approved paperwork…

jackieblack

not_loaded wrote: »

Overall, you’d think it would simply be easier just to process my pre-approved paperwork…

Yeah, you'd think..... but this is the (sh)Abbey we're talking about, isn't it!

ldn-100

Does anyone have any idea what kind of behaviour is most likely to get a credit limit increase on an Abbey Zero card? Paying the minimum or in full? I have DD set up for the minimum at the moment. Also, what period do they automatically review or allow you to request an increase?