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- Nov 12, 2012
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Mostly in the category of rant, but possibly some lessons for 28 Degree M'card users.
I had to pay Avis in the UK $1,200 for damage to a hire car when a driver-under-the-influence (and carted off by the police) sideswiped me. I would get the money back when the other party's insurance paid up.
So, I was pleased recently when this amount was paid back to my 28 Degrees Mastercard, taking it by that much into surplus (ie I didn't have any payments on the card at that time). I called and asked how I could access the surplus, as I wasn't intending to use the card for a couple of months.
I was only given the option of having a cheque sent to me (I later learned that I should have also been offered an electronic transfer of $500/day
), and that it might take a couple of weeks. Not that happy about the delay, but I said OK. There was absolutely no reason for leaving $1,200 just sitting there for at least 2 months.
Three days later I saw that the amount had been taken from my account.
Two weeks later, when nothing appeared in the post, I called for an update. I was told that they couldn't tell, but the cheque probably hadn't been sent yet, as somehow the money has to go "to GE" for sending out and this usually took a couple of weeks. I asked for an explanation of this process, and timing, and was put through to a 'supervisor' Supervisor said that in fact, yes, the cheque HAD been cut and sent out on the day the money went from my account (2 weeks prior) and she was surprised that it hadn't reached me yet (skeptical, I asked to confirm this - she did). We agreed that I'd wait a couple of days to see if anything arrived in the post.
Three days later, the cheque did arrive in the post. BUT it was dated the same day as I called, three days prior.
So I called again, and got through to another 'supervisor'. I asked 1) How could it be that I was told that a cheque was definitely sent on a day 2, nearly 3 weeks ago, when the cheque was dated 2 weeks later; and 2) Who had use of my money during the 2 week period between when it went from my account and when the cheque was cut? (Remember this was surplus funds in my account - not a reversal of a transaction).
Couldn't answer either question - a call back promised, but not received. I'm calling them again on Monday and then, absent a satisfactory explanation, complaining to the Financial Services Ombudsman (or whoever looks after cards)
Not the end of the world - but I think its pretty crook that this financial institution obviously had my funds in its pocket for a couple of weeks. There is absolutely no reason or excuse for a 2 week delay in taking funds from an account and the cutting and sending a cheque. I was advised that it may take 2 weeks (again, I was told then that the only choice was a manual cheque), but not that the funds wouldn't be in my account during that time.
I had to pay Avis in the UK $1,200 for damage to a hire car when a driver-under-the-influence (and carted off by the police) sideswiped me. I would get the money back when the other party's insurance paid up.
So, I was pleased recently when this amount was paid back to my 28 Degrees Mastercard, taking it by that much into surplus (ie I didn't have any payments on the card at that time). I called and asked how I could access the surplus, as I wasn't intending to use the card for a couple of months.
I was only given the option of having a cheque sent to me (I later learned that I should have also been offered an electronic transfer of $500/day
), and that it might take a couple of weeks. Not that happy about the delay, but I said OK. There was absolutely no reason for leaving $1,200 just sitting there for at least 2 months.Three days later I saw that the amount had been taken from my account.
Two weeks later, when nothing appeared in the post, I called for an update. I was told that they couldn't tell, but the cheque probably hadn't been sent yet, as somehow the money has to go "to GE" for sending out and this usually took a couple of weeks. I asked for an explanation of this process, and timing, and was put through to a 'supervisor' Supervisor said that in fact, yes, the cheque HAD been cut and sent out on the day the money went from my account (2 weeks prior) and she was surprised that it hadn't reached me yet (skeptical, I asked to confirm this - she did). We agreed that I'd wait a couple of days to see if anything arrived in the post.
Three days later, the cheque did arrive in the post. BUT it was dated the same day as I called, three days prior.
So I called again, and got through to another 'supervisor'. I asked 1) How could it be that I was told that a cheque was definitely sent on a day 2, nearly 3 weeks ago, when the cheque was dated 2 weeks later; and 2) Who had use of my money during the 2 week period between when it went from my account and when the cheque was cut? (Remember this was surplus funds in my account - not a reversal of a transaction).
Couldn't answer either question - a call back promised, but not received. I'm calling them again on Monday and then, absent a satisfactory explanation, complaining to the Financial Services Ombudsman (or whoever looks after cards)
Not the end of the world - but I think its pretty crook that this financial institution obviously had my funds in its pocket for a couple of weeks. There is absolutely no reason or excuse for a 2 week delay in taking funds from an account and the cutting and sending a cheque. I was advised that it may take 2 weeks (again, I was told then that the only choice was a manual cheque), but not that the funds wouldn't be in my account during that time.
They didn't want to do it, but they wanted a cast iron complaint against them to the FOS even less.
