MBNA in my experience are the most unscrupulous company I have come across.

In my experience they have no hesitation in cheating and lying bordering on fraud. They even managed to screw their Debt Collection Agency by selling them an uncollectable debt. Glad I'm legally rid of them.

Can credit card companies treat you like this? I've just gotten off the phone with Virgin mbna and I'm shaking with anger at what I perceive as the harshest and most sadistic customer service ive ever received. I have just reopened my card after being overseas for 3 years and I did a0% balance transfer. I just received my first bill with over the limit fee and missed payment charge and interest charges??? They tell me that they issued a bill one day after the balance transfer and this was unpaid? Funny thing I never received a statement?! I've received all my other mail? So I called up paid off the amount owing setup a direct debit and they said they have cancelled my 0% deal and they wont waive the fees and no I can't talk to a manager!!!!!! I can speak to a manager but as per fsa. rules they will contact me within 48hrs?Has it come to this when they just don't care about customers......just money? Virgin Mbna you're appalling and consumer beware!

minidach:

They hold sending out you bill for up to 6 days, and then claim that it takes some 20 days for the payment to be received.

I don't normally participate in a rant but for the benefit of others who might welcome the prospect of a long balance transfer and/or purchases period (with MBNA), a credit card's statement date and payment due date can be fairly accurately predicted from previous statement history.

"Lost" or "delayed" in the post unfortunately is quite a common customer service excuse even when it isn't. This can be mitigated firstly by setting up a direct debit to pay the minimum payment. This avoids the prospect of "late payment" charges. Next, setup online statements. Thirdly, pay either online or by bill payment from your bank account. If that was done correctly (and it still took 20 days to be received) then a banking (or MBNA) processing error has occurred which should be the subject of a formal complaint. Some credit card companies (including MBNA) now implement Faster Payments which are "guaranteed" received within 2 hours and should be allocated to your account probably next day.

I can understand the scope for being "mugged" by credit card companies, but why not tell the Forum how exactly and therefore how to avoid. Changing credit card company by itself probably isn't enough.

Beware of promoting Virgin Credit cards, run by MBNA, as they fine you for paying in full each month.

MBNA is an agressive American Company, with all the sharp practices that it can invent.

They hold sending out you bill for up to 6 days, and then claim that it takes some 20 days for the payment to be received.

I have been mugged by them, and the best solution is to dump them and find another credit card, preferably nothing to do with MBNA.