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MBNA Complaint - DO NOT deal with this company - Credit card
Credit card - Complaint
A very long story made short, I put in a new driveway this year, and I paid for it with a credit card I expected to pay off with a tax refund in February. I went on line and researched 0% cards so I could balance transfer from my well loved credit card and finance the drive for nothing: I found a 0% offer from MBNA. When I called them, I specifically asked if there was a fee. The answer was no. A month later when I got the bill, there was a $225 3% percent of the balance transfer fee on the bill. I called. I was cut off. I called I was transferred around. I was cut off. This went on for fifteen minutes until I got a manager. I told them what happened, we agreed to a $50 fine. I was told the info about the 3% was on the back of the paperwork. I told him I didn't HAVE paperwork and when I did get AFTER I agreed to the balance transfer over the phone, it was written so small I had to hunt for it to see it.
Then, I set the account up for automatic paymments. What did they do? They raised the minimum payment by $58 WITHOUT notifying me, so when the payment I made was short, I not only got socked with a late fee, they took my 0% from me AND a $47.00 finance charge. I called five times, was treated like a criminal, and finally, I went from nice to nasty and got one girl to agree to give me back the 0%, and remove the finance charge. I didn't trust them, so I removed the automatic payments option. A month later, the finance charge was still there. I pulled out my trusted ten year old card, the one I had used to buy the drive in the first place, called them, and they offered me 4% with a flat $75.00 balance transfer fee. I arranged to have the whole balance placed back on the card, minus the $47.00 I didn't feel I owed MBNA. I called MBNA again, before the balance transfer went through, I called four more times to get the finance charge removed. When they did, the transfer went through, the balance was zero, I closed the card. What did they do yesterday? They pulled the automatic payment out of my account (you know, the one I SHUT OFF) and made a payment on a closed account. I just called them again five minutes ago and got the "I'm sorries." I said, "Raising my miniumum payment when I haven't made a charge is illegal. Taking money out of my account when I haven't authorized it is stealing, and accepting a payment on a closed account just proves how incompetant your company is. This has been a nightmare." She apologized, and I repeatedly apologized to her, as a human...but MBNA is awful, just awful. What would have happened if they overdrew my account??? My money is being mailed back to me within 7-10 and I have no doubt I will have to call them about it. Does anyone out there know if my bank can stop automatic payments from their end? I'm worried about next month.
Then, I set the account up for automatic paymments. What did they do? They raised the minimum payment by $58 WITHOUT notifying me, so when the payment I made was short, I not only got socked with a late fee, they took my 0% from me AND a $47.00 finance charge. I called five times, was treated like a criminal, and finally, I went from nice to nasty and got one girl to agree to give me back the 0%, and remove the finance charge. I didn't trust them, so I removed the automatic payments option. A month later, the finance charge was still there. I pulled out my trusted ten year old card, the one I had used to buy the drive in the first place, called them, and they offered me 4% with a flat $75.00 balance transfer fee. I arranged to have the whole balance placed back on the card, minus the $47.00 I didn't feel I owed MBNA. I called MBNA again, before the balance transfer went through, I called four more times to get the finance charge removed. When they did, the transfer went through, the balance was zero, I closed the card. What did they do yesterday? They pulled the automatic payment out of my account (you know, the one I SHUT OFF) and made a payment on a closed account. I just called them again five minutes ago and got the "I'm sorries." I said, "Raising my miniumum payment when I haven't made a charge is illegal. Taking money out of my account when I haven't authorized it is stealing, and accepting a payment on a closed account just proves how incompetant your company is. This has been a nightmare." She apologized, and I repeatedly apologized to her, as a human...but MBNA is awful, just awful. What would have happened if they overdrew my account??? My money is being mailed back to me within 7-10 and I have no doubt I will have to call them about it. Does anyone out there know if my bank can stop automatic payments from their end? I'm worried about next month.
Comments:
Posted by tnchuck100 on 2006-12-24:
If you had checked this site first you would have seen MBNA is never to be trusted. Hind-sight is 20/20. However, your post may save some other poor soul from being victimized by them.
Work with your bank. They should be able to recover any monies MBNA took. Next point: NEVER let any company auto-debit your bank account.
Work with your bank. They should be able to recover any monies MBNA took. Next point: NEVER let any company auto-debit your bank account.
Posted by tnchuck100 on 2006-12-24:
Please tell me this is the same reoprt you filed on 7/25/2006. I would hate to think you allowed yourself to be taken by MBNA a second time.
Posted by Bababooey on 2006-12-24:
I said it before, and I'll say it again...
MBNA no longer exists. It was taken over by Bank of America last summer, and now operates under the name "FIA Card Services".
Any problem you had with MBNA should now be directed at Bank of America, dba FIA Card Services.
Posted by SherryH on 2006-12-24:
No...the 7/25 incident is the first part of this post, the rest is a continuation of the events to this morning...and yes, I was stupid enough to think it was an isolated incident and just a rough start with them, and I didn't want to transfer the balance again. I wrote that review to tell people to be careful about balance transfers. This one is written to tell people to stay the heck away from them, period. I am now, I hope, completely finished with them. My card (now in little pieces) says MBNA, the website, www.mbna.com, takes you to Bank of America. This is why I identified it as MBNA.
Posted by HaroldSays on 2006-12-24:
There is a form that you can file with your bank to dispute charges taken out of your account. There is no charge for this service. You can file that and within about 5 days the bank will return the money to your account if your dispute is valid.
Posted by Anonymous on 2006-12-24:
SherryH I can't add anything to the advice others have given so I will just say you did great and I'm glad you got away from them. I know it's a hard lesson to learn but you did, GOOD FOR YOU! That is called "Acquiring wisdom". Most banks and credit card companies do this kind of thing because most people let them and no one really regulates them. Just makes you wonder who the criminals really are? Marry Christmas to you and yours!
Posted by Shakra on 2006-12-24:
A transferrence of monies from one credit card to another usually does result in a percentage being added on. That is because the credit you had from one the original credit card is considered a "loan" instead of credit on the second. It used to be 2%. Guess they've raised it. That's why it is never a good idea to transfer balances from one credit card to another.
Posted by TWolf on 2007-03-02:
BofA, who is a part of FIA card services, provides some of the most horrendous service I have ever known. I do not know of one individual who is thrilled with the service they receive. Unfortunately, FIA card services is a huge company and it can be difficult to find credit cards that are not through the organization, but they are out there. When you read the fine print when researching your card, be sure to look and see if they are a part of FIA. Otherwise, just call them. Trust me, you will immediately notice the low quality when dealing with the sales team.
Posted by leftcoaster on 2009-04-14:
As other commenters have noted, FIA Card Services is just the old, fraudulent MBNA, now owned by Bank of America, which, in turn, is the renamed old NationsBank of North Carolina, not the fine institution founded by A.P. Gianini in San Francisco in the early 1900s. MBNA was infamous in the 1970s and later for goading college students into applying for credit cards, even though they might not have had steady jobs or the means to pay the bills. They never did change their sleazy practices, as far as I know. I stopped using all my MBNA/FIA-issued cards over a year ago and have let the accounts lapse, including those issued under my credit union's brand name. (The credit union used to issue and manage its own credit/debit cards. I was sorry to see them get involved with these pirates, and my fears were borne out in full.)
Posted by hopper14 on 2009-08-18:
I am glad I am not alone. I did a balance transfer and it put me over the edge in debt.
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