Help - A&L have conned me!!

dhassen

It's not a con, you just didn't read the small print or find out the full facts before going ahead. Unfortunate, but it happens. You will have been charged a handling fee for the cheques, the same as when you are charged a BT fee when doing a BT. These cheques are effectiveley a means of doing BT. A&L is MBNA, so it's likeley that you've been charged 2.98-3% fee, which you will have to cover with the first months minimum payment. Next month you should see the interest drop to 0%, unless you have some outstanding balance or interest from previous months.

Next time, make sure you read all the small print! It's not normally that small either. lol

GillzD_2

well put dhassen! many many of us have made that mistake at one point or another. you cant take things at face value anymore and small print of often hard to find ie see terms and conditions booklet which has details of every single item they offer! very sneaky our financial institutions are! (sorry yoda moment!)

alhggyb

MABLE wrote: »

Is the OP not slagging the credit card company off. We do not always do nice on this board but I like to think we do honesty.

YEH! Honesty dosen't mean you have to attack or make sarcastic comments. People like you and others of your ilk disgust me with your attitude.

People come on here asking for advice, sometimes in a state of panic, not really thinking through what they are saying in the heat of the moment. Then people like you come along and berate then for it. If you think the original posting is not worth responding to or cannot give any advice about, then don't respond.
It's as simple as that.

I'm sick to death of reading comments from people like you on an advice board who are supposed to be helpful.

eslick

ok so back to the original post...............has the poster called the bank as a yet so we can offer her some advice as a newby. Though bet after the comments added she wont be back again:(

dhassen

eslick wrote: »

ok so back to the original post...............has the poster called the bank as a yet so we can offer her some advice as a newby. Though bet after the comments added she wont be back again:(

S/he's had plenty of advice (as well as a lod of cack lol)

There's not really anything that can be done.

NickX

eslick wrote: »

ok so back to the original post...............has the poster called the bank as a yet so we can offer her some advice as a newby. Though bet after the comments added she wont be back again:(

I hope the OP has not been put off by some of the comments here.

I for one would like to know what A&L have to say about the charges. If we know their reasoning we will have more idea whether A&L are acting correctly or not and can advise accordingly, and give informed advice instead of just abusive comments.

Moggles_2

Moggles wrote: »

How did you use the cheques? Were they written in favour of a builder/fitter who wouldn't accept credit card payments, a supplier who charges a premium for credit card use or did you pay the cheques into your bank account?

If the former, then the retailer(s) may have presented your cheque(s) after the 1 May deadline. You would then be charged at your standard cash withdrawal rate.

When nearing the end of a promotion, it's safer to pay MBNA cheques into your current account. Then settle the bill(s) from there

jonnyb

MABLE wrote: »

Is the OP not slagging the credit card company off. We do not always do nice on this board but I like to think we do honesty.

Mable, I fully agree with you. At least your post has not been removed because some over-sensitive naif must have complained about it offending them.

I fully expect this one to get pulled as well. But just in case it doesn't, I will repeat the main points I made :

read the small print
take responsibility for mistakes that you make.

MarkyMarkD

I'm guessing that the date the cheques were presented is the problem, particularly as the OP stated the statement arrived on the 19th May.

But we shan't know until the OP returns to favour us with some further information.

PixelPound

It does sound like the cheques were presented after the deadline. I used an A&L cheque a couple of years ago and hadn't realised My car insurance renewal was set up for that card so that also came out shortly after. MBNA like many operate a policy of "pay off lowest interest first" meant that other use was occurring interest all the time. :-(

Reading the small print is definitely a must - I got some 0% cheques off Natwest and their small print not only says you pay a 3% fee (which is also in the big print in the letter) but that the fee will attract the normal rate of interest each month. So when working out the cost of the 0% its the fee + the interest on the fee for the period.

I like Nationwide best who state "payments will be used to pay off balances attracting the highest interest rates first", not sure if there are many other cards behaving in the customers interest.