28 degrees - our office is closed and automated phone service is unavailable

[Moopere]

Good lord, I don't know what it is, but I can't win a trick with mastercards.

Got a shiny new 28 degrees (GE) mastercard on Friday because I had an occurrence recently where the Woolies EDR Mastercard let me down.

Tried to activate it and create a PIN by phone today. First try looked hopeful, but couldn't create a PIN because their systems where having trouble, try later was the robotic advice. Tried later, still no good. Now, its late (and later!) admittedly out of office hours on a SAT, but there appears to be no way to contact them ... automaton offline and out of office hours ... sorry.

A rant, I know, but goodness me, obviously I've become too accustomed to my trusty fistful of Amex cards and the exemplary service that they provide 24x7.

Hope I don't _really_ need one of these mastercards in an urgent way when I'm overseas.

 

[cove]

When you go 28 or even Citi they don't run quite as smoothly as the Big Four banks nor Amex. Just relax,wait for Monday and understand there are a few compromises when you deal with the cheaper end of card issuers.
I must tell you despite these comments I love the results I get from both 28 and Citi and I recommend these to many but I say their service can be pretty weak.
You only have one day to wait.

 

[greenfrog86]

It is frustrating for sure, however once your account is set up you will have very little reason to talk to them...

It is worth pointing out to the OP that while the cards are MasterCards, they are issued by GE or Woolworths (through HSBC) and the experience you are having has nothing to do with MasterCard...

 

[Moopere]

... and understand there are a few compromises when you deal with the cheaper end of card issuers.

Yes, I think this is probably the answer to both my recent rants in relation to the EDR CC and the 28 degrees.

 

[kpc]

Yes, I think this is probably the answer to both my recent rants in relation to the EDR CC and the 28 degrees.

I hate dealing with the 28 degrees call centre (?in Bangalore; the fraud centre is in Australia tho. based on the accents), but since I got the card in 2006, I have save thousands of dollars in Fx fees; so hopefully that thought will help compensate for the minor irritations when dealing with the call centre! (it helps me:shock

 

[Moopere]

I hate dealing with the 28 degrees call centre (?in Bangalore; the fraud centre is in Australia tho. based on the accents), but since I got the card in 2006, I have save thousands of dollars in Fx fees; so hopefully that thought will help compensate for the minor irritations when dealing with the call centre! (it helps me:shock

Certainly - this thought, and the idea it might be a good move to spread my eggs into more than one mastercard basket is what motivated me to go with the 28d card in the first place. I get a bit jumpy though when card providers who's products I want to use overseas, seem to nail their customer service timings to Australian business hours ... even within Australia, given daylight saving, this can become inconvenient. When overseas, in significantly different time zones, it can easily become a real problem.

Anyway, I've probably got my bases covered as much as is reasonably possible at this point. I'll take a bit of aussie cash with me into Asia, an EDR and 28d MC and a few Amex cards. Ultimately, if I absolutely, positively need more cash then a few hundred I'll have on me and the MC's let me down I can probably go to an Amex office and arrange something over the counter.