Many moons ago I had a Morgan Stanley Platinum credit card, at some point it became a Goldfish card and then suddenly it became a Barclaycard. My dealing with the first two companies was a pleasure, the call centre was in Scotland somewhere, the staff were friendly, and if they couldn't help you they could pass you to someone who could. Then it all changed when Barclaycard took over.Barclaycard, as some might know, are one of those companies that has relocated its call centres to India. Probably Mumbai or Bangalore, who knows, and it is an absolute mess. Now don't get me wrong about Indian call centres in general, some are great. Well, at least one is great because it was the one I worked with for a few weeks helping their esclation teams understand the concept of ATM networking in relation to semi-LLU broadband offerings. If you're ever in Bangalore I suggest visiting the nightclub Spin.
However, I digress, Barclaycard. What a complete shower of excrement their call centre is. It is staffed by what I can only refer to as process monkies*. There is a process, they follow that process, there can be no deviation from the process no matter what the customer explains, and for me it has just reached a level of absolute insanity.
This morning I rang Barclaycard to make a payment. A signifcant payment in fact as I was going to pay off the entire balance of the card which is quite a large figure. However, due to some delays with Barclaycard's fraud team and some disputed payments on the account I owed them a payment.
So I went through to the payment team and they asked how much I wanted to pay them. I told them I wanted to pay off the card and what was I told by the girl at Barclaycard's Indian call centre? "Sorry, I can only take the minimum payment from you, that is my boundary".
It is an understatment to say that I was stunned at this. Barclaycard were telling me that I was not allowed to pay off my card balance. I was told that I would have to wait for 24 hours until the minimum payment was processed before they could allow me to pay them anymore money.
Now normally I wouldn't mind this, but given that interest on a credit card is compound and calculated on a daily basis, this would mean that Barclaycard would be calculating another day of interest on my significant balance and applying it to the account. Will I get that interest back? Unlikey I was told.
When I asked to be put through to the Complaints Department I was told there wasn't one. I was then passed to Customer Services where I was placed on hold for 20 minutes before I spoke to someone who again informed me that I was not allowed to pay off my card in full today and would have to wait until tomorrow.
Barclaycard, I look forward to paying off my card and telling you to take your account and shove it up your arse. If I borrow money and I don't pay you you can bet that you will be hassling me for repayment. When I call you to pay you money I don't expect you tell me I cannot.
* The term monkey refers to the role and the lack of lateral thinking required, not the race of the staff before anyone screams and gets hyper-excited.
29 comments:
That's pretty shocking but I am sad to say par for the course.
I have had some dreadful dealings with companys via call centres. The worst thing is having to explain your problem from scratch to 4 different people, none of whom can help.
My experiences with NTL a few years ago have meant that I will never, ever go with them (or their successor) again.
I am still stunned that the Government thinks that banks want to help the public at all.
Banks and their credit cards are out to make a profit from us but I don't mind that.
I have never had a Barclaycard due to their huge interest rate on uncleared balances, but as long as the public can shop around I don't mind.
Why is it that socialist governments just don't get how the capitalist city works?
I have never had a Barclaycard due to their huge interest rate on uncleared balances
Me too, then someone just flogged the debt on and my T&Cs suddenly changed. I doubt they even have a signed credit agreement in their files and paperwork. Will be glad to see the back of them.
Oddly enough, I've never had a problem with them but that may be because I pay the bill via my online bank.
Talking of call centres though, I reckon one of the worst is Tiscali. Situated in darkest fucking Delhi. They are as unhelpful as anyone can be. To get anything done, you have to ring their English Home Office and make your complaint a Level 2 or 3 comlaint. Then something might be done.
I'm seriously thinking of changing to UKOnline..English call centres..24/7
Tiscali also have a call centre in Bangalore which has some decent technical staff in it.
Dizzy, As far as I can gather from your tale of woe, Barclaycards defence is that "the correct procedures were followed".
What sort of organisation gives that sort of answer, and do you think Barclaycard is already nationalised?
Tiscali is the worst, the guys don't understand what you have told them by voice and email. They run through the procedures, ignoring everything. In the end I fixed the problem myself after reading up on signal/noise ratios.
Unfortunately I also had a MS card which switched to Barclaycard. Couldn't log on to my account for weeks, their front end is a mess. Also they moved the payment date forward by about 10 days /without informing me.
Finally I think someone doesn't like me as I was with the Woolwich which was then sucked into Barclays! When I bought some foreign currencey (from the PO) using my switch card Barclay's tried to charge me as if I had bought the currency from them. Afetr a phone to India and an arguement with the female supervisor, she was having a go at me, I got the charges refunded.
A UK call office is now one of my deciding factors. 2 years for the mortgage and then goodby Barclay's.
Reminds me of a fiasco I had with Barclaycard some time back.
I had spoken to them re paying money, all went fine and then explained that I was moving.
Had all the details re address, but they then wanted some details off the card.
As I had paid off another card an did not have the Barclaycard with me - despite getting through security earlier - no joy!
I left them a week later, paid off in full. Bye bye Barclaycard.
it's simple, Barclay Card provide a Giro slip with their invoice. Pay it in at your local post office.
sorted
Indian call centers are now so profitable they're opening branches in the UK.
Coals to Newcastle?
Fuckers all of them
BT call centre: In November landline + broadband goes down. BT repair the former in 24 hours but not the bb. The Indian sounding CC guy tittered at me:- Oh, very, very sorry sir, if it was a BT Broadband we would have fixed/would fix immediately but as it is Virgin you have to go to them. Which I did. 2 weeks V/media get around to instructing BT to fix. 3weeks later at the 3rd attwempt they did, thus no BBand for 6.5 weeks. All of which BT and Virgin seeed to think acceptable and normal service.
BT and the awful BT company OpenReach are major offenders for this.
Incidently, I'm pretty sure it's unlawful to refuse to take more than the minimum payment on a credit card. Presumably Barclaycard would blame this on their call centre staff ignorance (which of course isn't an excuse).
Oh, for heaven's sake. Use the internet and make the bank transfer yourself.
I had excellent service from Visa. A fraudulent withdrawal was spotted by them (not me) and dealt with immediately by a single, very courteous phone call.
I'm seriously thinking of changing to UKOnline..English call centres..24/7
May I suggest www.idnet.net/
You won't find better customer service and they're in darkest Letchworth! Look at their business customer list.
Try phoning BT for problems with their Broadband service!
It's like getting on a merry- go- round and not being able to get off.
The staff are very polite but about as much use as a one legged man in an arse kicking contest!
This suggests the me that Barcleycard feel desperate. If what has happened to you is applied to the millions of customers worldwide who wish to pay off more than the minimum payment, then, Barcleycard stand to make a goodly wedge from extra interest levied... might they not be using this to stay above water in these turbulent times?
Glyn H
It is not fault of BT, and especially not that of its Indian Call Centre that it cannot repair a Virgin Broadband without Virgin's permission - that is English law.
6.5 weeks to repair Virgin Broadband is a lot quicker than my experience - it was nearer 65 weeks because the English customer services staff tried to deny there was a problem with their equipment (the Welsh techie was more honest).
I do not like Call Centres that employ staff whom I cannot understand but I haver yet to suffer an Indian Call Centre that is as bad as that provided by HMRC where the (usually competent and hardworking) English staff are often defeated by the systems imposed on them - e.g. when they cannot read the letter/form about which I complained because the system has overwritten it before they work their way through to the backlog of letters to the one I wrote the day that I received it.
Jesus. What a load of tedious crap! This is like reading one of Jeremy Clarkson's 'books'.
Barclaycard are a shower of Sh**e. I look forward to closing my account at last this weekend.
Incidentally - moved to UKonline 6 months ago. they are excellent.
I had exactly the same problem with Virgin Atlantic -- four hours on hold to Mumbai to change my wife's plane ticket after her stepdad died, followed by another hour the next day to rectify the mess they made of her return flight.
Unbelievable. And very expensive at a total cost of about $2,000.
I manage my Barclaycard online, and can pay whatever I want to, whenever I want to, and as often as I want to.
If there are limitations, I've never come across them.
Also I must say the Barclaycard fraud team are the dogs'. My card was skimmed recently (in Maplin, I think), and they not only noticed before I did, they sent out new cards almost the same day, and reversed all the fraudulent transactions without any fuss at all. Top notch service, recommended.
I recently became a victim of online counterfeit fraud which is supposed be nothing but barclaycard strategy to mugd people by letting the card to be used online like 11-12 times and thn call a person to ask him whther he authorises the transactions or not. My name is Raman used to have a barclay gold card, now its being suspended and on top of disputed fraudulent transaction they are making money by accessing interest and past due fees and their payment or collection department is ripping me off by giving threatening calls each and every day that we will ruin the credit history.this is how they are making money In india.
Hi All, call your company watever u want but dnt call iindians fuckers ok... I thought brits are civillised WOW gr8 piece of civillised shit that I have read today... Indians or Asian arent forcing ur companies to outsorce work they are doing it themselves... Dnt spoil the world with ur stinking mouths
i have just been on hold for 38 minutes only tothen get cut off.
useless bunch of twats
I have paid my last two months payments to Barclaycard totaling £325 on time. They say they have not recieved it, even thou my bank say they have had the money and now I have a txt, not a phone call , saying my account is being managed by debt collections. I have phoned them twice for long periods to a call center in India and they have been no help at all.
I have had the same dismal service from Barclaycard. I was late with a payment and wanted to clear the account. No chance. I was talking to a robot who said the minimum had to be paid first. Crazy! Can't wait to clear the account.
Barclay Card Call Centres are dreadfull.
Their only line service is unreliable & frequently locks up. You then end up having to ring a dreadful Indian Call Centre. The first attemppt I endered up getting transferred and ended up with some music which after ten minutes I gave up on so it was start again.after painfully repeating myself endlessly as he could not understand me and I could not understand him he finally said it was ok.
Log in anmd guess what it did not work.
It took 4 attempts and an hour and a half to get it fixed.
Just cut up my Barclaycard today in utter frustration.
They have the worst customer service of any company I have ever dealt with.
Ever tried to get a replacement card from them? They don't tell you when they are delivering, yet you have to be in to sign. I gave an alternative work address - card never came. Hours on the phone, and finally it came in the post. Why not do that in the first place?
Try telling them you're going out of the country, and won't be there to receive your bill. They cannot cope. They stop your bills arriving because you're away, then you have no idea when you owe them money, or how much. When you come home, they've slapped interest and fines on you which hurts your credit rating.
And if you phone them to try to pay it off with your debit card, you can't.
Shoddy, out moded, shocking.
I am glad to be rid of them.
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