Credit card arrears notification policy

ixtlan

I've just (today Jul 4th) received a letter from BOI (dated Jun 26th) regarding arrears on my card.

Let me start by saying that there's no question of any mistake on your part. The fault was mine in that I forgot as I usually do to keep my card in surplus (since I'm usually using the debit card) leading to some arrears and some late payment charges. I have tranferred a surplus amount in immediately.

What I would like to suggest though is that rather than wait 5 weeks before you post what is a sort of threatening but I'm sure very standard letter you might just give some tiny consideration to e-mailing customers who have gone into arrears. You might even consider sending a text message, but an e-mail would be nice.

This is particularly important where you have encouraged people to give up paper account statements in favour of generic statement emails, especially where the email has no information apart from the fact that there is a statement to be viewed. I would suggest you might even consider changing the subject of the normal statement to something that might alert customers that there's some important information about their account this month... like you are in arrears and in danger of having your card blocked. You don't have to state that explicitly... but something that might stand out a bit.

Again I concede that you have acted to the absolute letter of your legal requirements. However is that all you aspire to? Just to what is legally required?

You might reasonably ask why I don't just set up a direct debit from my current into my credit card to avoid any issues like this in the future. If you had contacted me in some nicer manner than the warning letter I might seriously be considering that now, but now I will need to get over my annoyance before thinking about it!

Ix

Bank of Ireland: Nicola

ixtlan wrote: »

I've just (today Jul 4th) received a letter from BOI (dated Jun 26th) regarding arrears on my card.

Let me start by saying that there's no question of any mistake on your part. The fault was mine in that I forgot as I usually do to keep my card in surplus (since I'm usually using the debit card) leading to some arrears and some late payment charges. I have tranferred a surplus amount in immediately.

What I would like to suggest though is that rather than wait 5 weeks before you post what is a sort of threatening but I'm sure very standard letter you might just give some tiny consideration to e-mailing customers who have gone into arrears. You might even consider sending a text message, but an e-mail would be nice.

This is particularly important where you have encouraged people to give up paper account statements in favour of generic statement emails, especially where the email has no information apart from the fact that there is a statement to be viewed. I would suggest you might even consider changing the subject of the normal statement to something that might alert customers that there's some important information about their account this month... like you are in arrears and in danger of having your card blocked. You don't have to state that explicitly... but something that might stand out a bit.

Again I concede that you have acted to the absolute letter of your legal requirements. However is that all you aspire to? Just to what is legally required?

You might reasonably ask why I don't just set up a direct debit from my current into my credit card to avoid any issues like this in the future. If you had contacted me in some nicer manner than the warning letter I might seriously be considering that now, but now I will need to get over my annoyance before thinking about it!

Ix

Hi ixtlan, thanks for getting in touch.

I'll certainly pass your suggestions on to our credit card team and please let me know if you need help with anything else. 

Thanks
Nicola

ixtlan

Bank of Ireland: Nicola wrote: »

Hi ixtlan, thanks for getting in touch.

I'll certainly pass your suggestions on to our credit card team and please let me know if you need help with anything else. 

Thanks
Nicola

Thanks Nicola,

Actually... I've just now got a mail from Netflix saying there's a problem with my payment... which comes from my credit card... so one would suspect a connection.

That suggests my card has been blocked, even though BOI have not told me that it has... by email or text or post. All I have is a postal letter warning me that it may be blocked in the future. So now I don't know what state it's in.

Perhaps you might PM me to get my details and check. Again I say... how much effort can it be for you to alert customers via email/text that their card is going to be blocked before it happens...

Surely there is some irony here that you are insisting that customers receive their general info, statements etc through e-mail, but your warnings are only being sent by post... and only weeks after issues arise...

Ix.

Bank of Ireland: Nicola

ixtlan wrote: »

Bank of Ireland: Nicola wrote: »

Hi ixtlan, thanks for getting in touch.

I'll certainly pass your suggestions on to our credit card team and please let me know if you need help with anything else. 

Thanks
Nicola

Thanks Nicola,

Actually... I've just now got a mail from Netflix saying there's a problem with my payment... which comes from my credit card... so one would suspect a connection.

That suggests my card has been blocked, even though BOI have not told me that it has... by email or text or post. All I have is a postal letter warning me that it may be blocked in the future. So now I don't know what state it's in.

Perhaps you might PM me to get my details and check. Again I say... how much effort can it be for you to alert customers via email/text that their card is going to be blocked before it happens...

Surely there is some irony here that you are insisting that customers receive their general info, statements etc through e-mail, but your warnings are only being sent by post... and only weeks after issues arise...

Ix.

Thanks Ix,

We've a monthly text alert notification that's sent to customers in advance of the payment due date (usually this is sent 5 days before the payment is due). This would only be sent to customers who don't currently pay their credit card by automatic direct debit.

This text alert would be sent to you unless you have requested to opt out of this service or if we don't have your permission to contact you in this way.

We don't have access  to your card details here but if you contact our credit card team on 0818 251 251, one of our advisers will check the status of your card and also ensure that we've an up to date phone number and permission for the text alerts.

Thanks again, Nicola

ixtlan

Bank of Ireland: Nicola wrote: »

We've a monthly text alert notification that's sent to customers in advance of the payment due date (usually this is sent 5 days before the payment is due). This would only be sent to customers who don't currently pay their credit card by automatic direct debit.

This text alert would be sent to you unless you have requested to opt out of this service or if we don't have your permission to contact you in this way.

We don't have access  to your card details here but if you contact our credit card team on 0818 251 251, one of our advisers will check the status of your card and also ensure that we've an up to date phone number and permission for the text alerts.

Thanks again, Nicola

Hi Nicola,

I spent 10 minutes on hold the first time to 0818, then hung up after I realised that this was going to be costing me money and also the automated voice kept telling me that all my queries would be answered by your new cardservices system.

I registered with cardservices. After login, I could see a "past due amount" but there was still an available credit balance, and no indication that there was any problem with the card, other than that past due amount. Also no preferences related to use of SMS to contact me. Because of Netflix I know the card must be blocked, but then the question is since I can't check it is blocked, how will I know if it's unblocked.

So reluctantly I rang later to the saynoto1890 number which people can look up to avoid charges. 10 minutes on hold again.

According to the agent I spoke to (who was as helpful as they could be):

The card is blocked.

They were not aware that any notification would ever be issued that a card was actually blocked. They thought there might have once been a text alert for payments due but that was discontinued when the statements went online. They believe that currently text messages are not sent and they don't know anything about preferences related to using texts to contact me.

cardservices will not show a card as blocked. It should be inferred that arrears will cause a blocked card.

When my payment goes through and the arrears clear, I will have to infer that the block will clear, but I will have no way to be sure other than using the card.

The agent will pass on my suggestions on notifications.


I am a little torn on this discussion. Obviously the initial fault is mine, and you are quite entitled to block the card. However, I am still feeling that your policies on notifications are not customer friendly to say the least.

I will pay a small fine and arrears and really I don't care about that. What is annoying me is that you are sending your warnings by paper mail (ironically at a cost to you) instead of using the electronic means at your disposal.

All I can ask is that you also pass on these suggestions:

If you insist on only paper mail then change the line in the letter "may be blocked" to "will be blocked on xxx" and send it immediately after the arrears start. In my case it would seem that by the time I had got the letter the card was already blocked.

• If a customer falls into arrears, e-mail them with that information. Preferably text them also.
• If the card is then blocked, email with that information. Preferably text also.
• When the card is unblocked, email with that information. Preferably text also.
  

Ix.

Bank of Ireland: Darren

ixtlan wrote: »

Bank of Ireland: Nicola wrote: »

We've a monthly text alert notification that's sent to customers in advance of the payment due date (usually this is sent 5 days before the payment is due). This would only be sent to customers who don't currently pay their credit card by automatic direct debit.

This text alert would be sent to you unless you have requested to opt out of this service or if we don't have your permission to contact you in this way.

We don't have access  to your card details here but if you contact our credit card team on 0818 251 251, one of our advisers will check the status of your card and also ensure that we've an up to date phone number and permission for the text alerts.

Thanks again, Nicola

Hi Nicola,

I spent 10 minutes on hold the first time to 0818, then hung up after I realised that this was going to be costing me money and also the automated voice kept telling me that all my queries would be answered by your new cardservices system.

I registered with cardservices. After login, I could see a "past due amount" but there was still an available credit balance, and no indication that there was any problem with the card, other than that past due amount. Also no preferences related to use of SMS to contact me. Because of Netflix I know the card must be blocked, but then the question is since I can't check it is blocked, how will I know if it's unblocked.

So reluctantly I rang later to the saynoto1890 number which people can look up to avoid charges. 10 minutes on hold again.

According to the agent I spoke to (who was as helpful as they could be):

The card is blocked.

They were not aware that any notification would ever be issued that a card was actually blocked. They thought there might have once been a text alert for payments due but that was discontinued when the statements went online. They believe that currently text messages are not sent and they don't know anything about preferences related to using texts to contact me.

cardservices will not show a card as blocked. It should be inferred that arrears will cause a blocked card.

When my payment goes through and the arrears clear, I will have to infer that the block will clear, but I will have no way to be sure other than using the card.

The agent will pass on my suggestions on notifications.


I am a little torn on this discussion. Obviously the initial fault is mine, and you are quite entitled to block the card. However, I am still feeling that your policies on notifications are not customer friendly to say the least.

I will pay a small fine and arrears and really I don't care about that. What is annoying me is that you are sending your warnings by paper mail (ironically at a cost to you) instead of using the electronic means at your disposal.

All I can ask is that you also pass on these suggestions:

If you insist on only paper mail then change the line in the letter "may be blocked" to "will be blocked on xxx" and send it immediately after the arrears start. In my case it would seem that by the time I had got the letter the card was already blocked.

• If a customer falls into arrears, e-mail them with that information. Preferably text them also.
• If the card is then blocked, email with that information. Preferably text also.
• When the card is unblocked, email with that information. Preferably text also.
  
  
  

[*]

Ix.

[*]
Hi Ix,

Thank you for your feedback and I will pass this on straight away.
Thanks again for your messages.

Darren.