New card - Abbey Zero

karie

i applied for this a few weeks ago and received a letter today saying my application is being refused!

don't understand why - i am homeowner, good credit rating, mortgage of about 2.5 my salary, didnt request a balance transfer, have stoozed a few thousand pounds but not much. who knows!!:rolleyes:

Cloudane

Just a quick thumbs-up amongst the crowd, as most people don't speak up unless they're complaining

Yes the paperwork and card took a week or two to sort out, and if it was eBay feedback I certainly wouldn't be putting the old classic "Great Communication" because, well, it wasn't. I was in the dark until the stuff arrived. But it did arrive, and if I wasn't the sort of person who worries and doesn't trust 'systems' then it needn't have been a concern.

I did what they said in the welcome guide and notified them that I'd be going abroad, with the date and location. Called back a week later to double-check and asked them open-endedly whether I had any trips abroad registered with them and then said "yes, Spain, 12th-19th". Absolutely correct.

Landed back in England last Friday (brought the weather along too) and am happy to report that I've had no problems with it at all! Superb exchange rate, no fees (I went to the post office for the small amount of cash I needed - meals etc went on card), perfectly smooth. The balance is sometimes a day ahead of the online transactions list, but I'm used to that with A&L anyway. No gripes whatsoever, and when I was double checking everything before setting off they were very friendly and helpful.

HamiltonL

not_loaded wrote: »

I understand it’s natural to want to assist the customer, but those unfulfilled offers just add to the frustration in the end.

I'd agree. That's why I'm so reluctant to make any timewise promises or requests. It's out of the hands of the agent.

zowoods, I hope you hear some news very soon i.e. the card. As not_loaded says, do let us know if you hear anything back whether it's the card/PIN or anything else.

And sorry to kittykat for the problems you had. It sounds like you hadn't had the card sent out after all. Not sure if it's now on its way.

But it's pleasing to hear some good stories of the card on here too.

kittykat23uk

Still no sign of the card and still no word from Abbey!

beniamino

I was excited to see an email from "Abbey National plc" today, and thought they'd finally made some progress with my application. I opened the email to find it was just an 'update your details' phishing scam. I guess the phishers are more on the ball than Abbey :-) My application is just passing the 2.5 month mark...

Foggy

A WARNING REGARDING THE 'MINIMUM PAYMENT' - I'VE BEEN ROBBED

OK it's their money but I have been well and truly fleeced by this bunch of incompetents.

Abbey has been my main account for nearly 20 years but I applied for the Zero card online and not via the 'pre-approved' method that so many others have had problems with. My card came through in 2 weeks at the beginning of August, to use for my holiday at the beginning of September.

I rang up to register for online banking (it is separate from the main online banking) and rang to let them know when I would be abroad to ensure the card wasn't declined. So far so good.

I returned from abroad having used the card to pay for the holiday and while abroad and had a balance of £1160. My passwords had arrived so I logged on and noticed the payment was set to pay the full amount by direct debit from my Abbey current account. I tried to change it online but a 'technical fault' prevented this. I rang them and they changed it. I logged on half an hour later and sure enough it had changed to minimum payment (£5 to be taken on 29 September). This was on the 15 September, a full 2 weeks before payment was due.

On 26 September I logged on to my Abbey current account and to my horror the full amount had been taken and I was now £1100 overdrawn. Now this is where it all starts to go wrong and I was to find out the Abbey Credit Card people are from Mars and the Abbey Banking people are from Venus. Over an hour was wasted last Friday until I reached a point where if I rang back today (the Credit Card) side would arrange for the amount to be refunded to my current account. Initially it was apparently my fault as 2 weeks is insufficient to change a DD even the online system showed the changed immediately and the automated robot voice was still telling me that £5 would be taken out on 29 September.

This morning I rang the Credit Card people who transferred me to the Banking people who transferred me to the Credit Card people who transferred me to the Banking people. Each time I entered my details on the phone keypad, heard the music, heard my balance, answered security and told the same tale of woe to the long line of Abbey people, all of whom gave me a different answer.

The last one who I have to admit was unlucky to be the last one as my patience had by now gone. He said they could do an indemnity claim on the DD which if I did this over the phone would take 7-10 days or would be done immeditely if I visited the local branch.

So I made a special trip into town, waited patiently and repeated my tale of woe for the millionth time only to be told it would take 7-10 days. I actually started to laugh... No matter what I said I'd been told she kept repeating 'it will take 7-10 days'. I said I heard and understood the first time but I was only there because I had been told different. I actually remembered to ask them to make a payment of £5 as knowing my luck when the DD is returned they will try and charge me for missing a payment.....

I got home, rang again, got half way through the merry go round of being transferred backwards and forwards when I insisted on speaking to a manager. Off he went for a lifetime and came back on the line to state the money would be recredited in 48 hours. I'll believe it when I see it. I was going to write a letter of complaint but it seems from this thread I'll just be giving an overworked shredder more work.

Anyway a warning to anyone using this card. It seems the default payment is for the full balance and any attempt to change it may not work.

kittykat23uk

Oh well, last night I got another copy of the credit agreement in the post from Abbey. No covering letter and nothing to say they haven't received the last one I sent back over a month ago!

not_loaded

Foggy wrote: »

A WARNING REGARDING THE 'MINIMUM PAYMENT' - I'VE BEEN ROBBEDOK it's their money but I have been well and truly fleeced by this bunch of incompetents.

Abbey has been my main account for nearly 20 years but I applied for the Zero card online and not via the 'pre-approved' method that so many others have had problems with. My card came through in 2 weeks at the beginning of August, to use for my holiday at the beginning of September.

I returned from abroad having used the card to pay for the holiday and while abroad and had a balance of £1160. My passwords had arrived so I logged on and noticed the payment was set to pay the full amount by direct debit from my Abbey current account. I tried to change it online but a 'technical fault' prevented this. I rang them and they changed it. I logged on half an hour later and sure enough it had changed to minimum payment (£5 to be taken on 29 September). This was on the 15 September, a full 2 weeks before payment was due.

On 26 September I logged on to my Abbey current account and to my horror the full amount had been taken and I was now £1100 overdrawn. Now this is where it all starts to go wrong and I was to find out the Abbey Credit Card people are from Mars and the Abbey Banking people are from Venus. Over an hour was wasted last Friday until I reached a point where if I rang back today (the Credit Card) side would arrange for the amount to be refunded to my current account. Initially it was apparently my fault as 2 weeks is insufficient to change a DD even the online system showed the changed immediately and the automated robot voice was still telling me that £5 would be taken out on 29 September.

This morning I rang the Credit Card people who transferred me to the Banking people who transferred me to the Credit Card people who transferred me to the Banking people. Each time I entered my details on the phone keypad, heard the music, heard my balance, answered security and told the same tale of woe to the long line of Abbey people, all of whom gave me a different answer. The last one who I have to admit was unlucky to be the last one as my patience had by now gone. He said they could do an indemnity claim on the DD which if I did this over the phone would take 7-10 days or would be done immeditely if I visited the local branch.

So I made a special trip into town, waited patiently and repeated my tale of woe for the millionth time only to be told it would take 7-10 days. I actually started to laugh... No matter what I said I'd been told she kept repeating 'it will take 7-10 days'. I said I heard and understood the first time but I was only there because I had been told different. I actually remembered to ask them to make a payment of £5 as knowing my luck when the DD is returned they will try and charge me for missing a payment.....

I got home, rang again, got half way through the merry go round of being transferred backwards and forwards when I insisted on speaking to a manager. Off he went for a lifetime and came back on the line to state the money would be recredited in 48 hours. I'll believe it when I see it. I was going to write a letter of complaint but it seems from this thread I'll just be giving an overworked shredder more work. Anyway a warning to anyone using this card. It seems the default payment is for the full balance and any attempt to change it may not work.

So for you, the card app went smoothly, and afterwards the disaster.

I started with Abbey National in 1975, so as another longstanding customer I do sympathise. Ironically of course it’s because you’re an existing customer that they’re giving you grief. I wonder exactly how big this ‘iceberg of customer grief’ actually is?

Having finally got my card up and running, I’ve got my fingers tightly crossed that it will run smoothly from now on. I have no faith though…

I will soon be looking for somewhere to stash some money when I sell my house. Obviously, Abbey/Santander are definitely off my list for those savings.

kittykat23uk wrote: »

Oh well, last night I got another copy of the credit agreement in the post from Abbey. No covering letter and nothing to say they haven't received the last one I sent back over a month ago!

Slow going, exactly as per my experience! I can’t begin to imagine what’s going on with their administration.

Amusingly, I’m beginning to get replies now to my original complaint correspondence. It must be distributed around several in-trays. It’s hard to know how to handle that. I feel I’ve spent more than enough time already on Abbey/Santander. I suppose if I sit on their correspondence for 7 or 8 weeks (like they did mine) I’ve nothing to lose…

gaol

Direct debit indemnitys should be completed immediately (certainly within 24 hours) or they are in breach of the guarantee scheme.

http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/ombudsman-news/27/27-directdebit-guarantee.htm

Canny_mal

Despite all the bad experiences documented ion this thread I am thinking of taking out an Abbey Zero card purely because there is no balance transfer fee. (I am right in thinking the Abbey Zero is the only card on the market that doesn't charge a blaance transfer fee at present aren't I?)

Anyway can anyone on here answer the following questions....

1) Can you do a balance transfer from a card in someone else's name. eg could I transfer a baance held on my mother's credit card onto my new Abbey Zero card?

2) What is the minimum monthly payment? Some posts seem to suggest it's just £5 regardless of your total balance while others have mentioned anything from 2-2.5%

3) Have people been given decent credit limits in comparision to other credit cards they may have?

Any answers would be greatly appreciated.