Credit Card Inaction

[TaurusTheBull]

Hi,

I have a Thomas Cook flight booked for January, value £209.99. I booked it with my MBNA credit card in April.

I filled in online forms concerning repayment, first on September 23, then again on October 1.

Getting no response, I subsequently phoned MBNA and was told the matter would be dealt with in due course, but was not given a reference number, nor told how long it would be likely to take.

I have still not received any acknowledgement of my online claims. In the meantime, I refuse to use my credit card until this happens.

I can see that I will soon have to inform the financial ombudsman about this.

Has anyone received a refund or acknowledgement yet, and is this just another example of broken Britain?

Cheers
Taurus

[Dod101]

Surely not broken Britain as much as unhelpful MBNA?

Dod

[wilbobob]

I've no personal experience, but my brother had a booking with a airline that failed, and claimed a refund from his credit card. In his case, despite everyone knowing that the flight was never going to happen he had to wait until after the booked date before his claim was processed. Might this be applicable in your case?
Bob

[BobbyD]

Hi,

I have a Thomas Cook flight booked for January, value £209.99. I booked it with my MBNA credit card in April.

I filled in online forms concerning repayment, first on September 23, then again on October 1.

Getting no response, I subsequently phoned MBNA and was told the matter would be dealt with in due course, but was not given a reference number, nor told how long it would be likely to take.

I have still not received any acknowledgement of my online claims. In the meantime, I refuse to use my credit card until this happens.

I can see that I will soon have to inform the financial ombudsman about this.

Has anyone received a refund or acknowledgement yet, and is this just another example of broken Britain?

Cheers
Taurus

Took me ten months to get a section 75 refund on a phone from an alternative cc provider. I have my suspicions that taking 2 weeks to respond to every email making every tiny enquiry a drawn out hell was not completely accidental.

I'd stick to written communication so you can show what was said when if you have to take further action, it's amazing how regularly all records of a phone call simply vanish at their end.

If you want to open a complaint about MBNA Resolver is a very useful site which makes documenting your complaint and the inadequacies of the response you receive a breeze and makes it available as a simple zip file for easy transmission to the ombudsman/lawyer of your choosing: https://www.resolver.co.uk

[TaurusTheBull]

Thanks for the replies.

I've been told, by phone, that MBNA are taking up to 45 days to resolve Thomas Cook refunds. Given the supposed volume, I can appreciate that, but of course time is money and big companies are never in a rush to meet their commitments. Furthermore, apart from automated email replies when I initially notified them (23/9 and 1/10), there has been no follow-up to inform me what is happening, or if my refund is being processed.

I don't trust MBNA and will be complaining to the ombudsman if 45 days goes by and I have still not received a refund. Their service is non-existant.

Taurus

[richfool]

I've used MBNA foe decades and found them very clear and straight. I believe they are now owned by Lloyds Bank.

[TaurusTheBull]

Some people may write off money because they are too lazy to bother about it, but I am not one to ignore or endorse theft, however much the amount.

[swill453]

Some people may write off money because they are too lazy to bother about it, but I am not one to ignore or endorse theft, however much the amount.

Hyperbole doesn't help your argument. MBNA are entirely innocent in the Thomas Cook saga, and probably gave you an interest-free loan of the money for a few weeks too. Yet they no doubt have a small army of staff working away dealing with refunding thousands of people like you from their own coffers.

I hope you do get it back, but if it was me I might have a bit more patience and gratitude.

Scott.

[BobbyD]

I've used MBNA foe decades and found them very clear and straight. I believe they are now owned by Lloyds Bank.

I would consider that very bad news for reasons which may be guessed at from my previous post...

[richfool]

I've used MBNA foe decades and found them very clear and straight. I believe they are now owned by Lloyds Bank.

I would consider that very bad news for reasons which may be guessed at from my previous post...

Well you'll find out in 45 days time.

[TaurusTheBull]

Fifty days and nothing has happened. I havd no sympathy at all with MBNA. They are a big bank and probably re-insure against third party bankruptcy.

I have informed the financial ombudsman, cancelled payment of my credit card bill (less than I am owed) and intend to cancel my MBNA card if and when payment is forthcoming.

Perhaps those apologists for MBNA might like to explain why credit card customers are penalised if in debt after an average of about 45 days, but providers such as MBNA can withhold customers' money for an indefinite period, and without any explanation whatever.

My explanation is that we live in a crooked society whereby the plebs are the only people properly held to account. As we all knew anyway...

[GoSeigen]

£209.99 is not exactly a fortune by most people's standards although if it is for you I am sorry. I hope that the matter is resolved pretty soon.

Dod

£209.99 is about one month's wages for my employees. Median per-capita income worldwide is about £190 per month.


"most rich people's standards" is perhaps more accurate...?

Agree with the OP: credit card companies are shamefully dodging their statutory responsibilities in providing credit to consumers but failing to compensate them for issues with their dodgy corporate clients.

GS

[Dod101]

£209.99 is not exactly a fortune by most people's standards although if it is for you I am sorry. I hope that the matter is resolved pretty soon.

Dod

£209.99 is about one month's wages for my employees. Median per-capita income worldwide is about £190 per month.


"most rich people's standards" is perhaps more accurate...?

Agree with the OP: credit card companies are shamefully dodging their statutory responsibilities in providing credit to consumers but failing to compensate them for issues with their dodgy corporate clients.

GS

You do not pay your employees much do you? £209.99, say £210*12 is £2,520 per annum. Which era are you living in? Median world wide income is irrelevant. I am assuming that the OP lives in the UK.

Dod

[BobbyD]

Fifty days and nothing has happened. I havd no sympathy at all with MBNA. They are a big bank and probably re-insure against third party bankruptcy.

I have informed the financial ombudsman, cancelled payment of my credit card bill (less than I am owed) and intend to cancel my MBNA card if and when payment is forthcoming.

Perhaps those apologists for MBNA might like to explain why credit card customers are penalised if in debt after an average of about 45 days, but providers such as MBNA can withhold customers' money for an indefinite period, and without any explanation whatever.

Because MBNA have better lawyers than most of their customers.

Your experience sounds very familiar. On the upside you might get some cash out of it. A third of my final payment was compensation.

No point getting worked up over it, I suspect that is half their game. Get your ducks in a row to prevent them elongating the process any further, log everything which does or doesn't happen, and if you haven't already tell them you want to instigate a formal complaint. If they fail to follow their own complaint procedures as well as act in a reasonable time it's more hay in your bale, and there's always the chance it'll get things moving. At the veryt least it should force them to make contact.