to cry because of the bank lady

[LoopyLoopsTootTootToots]

We bought a new boiler a few weeks ago. DH made me put it on my credit card. I don't use it and haven't for years, because I am terrible at remembering to pay bills (DH doesn't have one). Because I'm so crap with bills, I clicked the 'switch to paper statement' button.

DH just asked me when I'd paid it off - i hadn't. So I assume the bill hasn't been sent yet. Wrong. I'd been charged. So I phone the bank, pay the full amount and ask to waive the fees as it's their fault. All they could do was reiterate that the 'charge is valid'. The lady clearly didn't understand what I was telling her (when I called this evening I first spoke to a man to pay the amount, spoke to him and he made sure it was switched to paper statements; it hadn't been changed on their system - then passed onto the lady, who kept saying 'yes, you changed to paper statements today, the charge is valid').
I just gave up and cried.

I hate fucking credit cards and I hate fucking banks. Can I complain? To whom. Tis wanky HighStreetBankingCunts btw.

You're right ethelb, it will improve her credit rating.

CC companies couldn't exist if no-one paid interest.

Going in to speak to the manager wouldn't do much; anywhere I've worked before has had a completely different set-up for credit cards independent from regular banking. Yeah they can give you balances, answer basic queries and make payments, but if you have any problems all they do is put you on the phone to credit card services (ie, the number on the back of the card, which you could do from the comfort of your own home). Literally nothing more.

And that's if you get to speak to a manager, you'd not anywhere near one by just rolling in off the street and demanding to see them. Most places have a complaints procedure, there's a few steps to go through before they'll disturb the head honcho unless you're filthy rich or scary

It's only £16, write it off and stop being upset.

For future reference, you can pay off a credit card at any time. As long as they get at least the minimum payment each month, anything else you choose to pay is up to you. So if you do this again, get DH to make an online transfer immediately for the amount you have spent and you don't need to worry about bills.

100% your fault, not the banks.
Pay the interest.

To balance out your error, I once tried to pay my entire bill twice as I didn't realise the full-amout DD was active. Unfortunately it was over £6000 as it had my holiday on it and, unsurprisingly, the DD payment bounced.

The bank refunded me their charges for me trying to go £6k overdrawn and, after I phoned to confess stupidity, the CC company refunded me the £12 bounced DD charge.

I think the fos would find in her favour - the bank did make an error in that her account was not changed to paper statements when she requested it. I was an analyst for strategies and compliance for a bank and have seen plenty of similar complaints like this upheld by fos.

Your credit rating is better if you pay off in full every month rather than minimum payment.

It is only £16 from the banks pov also - they have also had a 2% transaction charge from the retailer - which is how they can offer an interest free period on retail transactions on balances paid in full - being that they made an error it would be good business practice to suck up £16.

I would go straight for the complaints department - you can probably contact via the banks own website - send a message to them detailing your complaint - mention that you are prepared to take up with FOS.

I don't the fos would tbh. When you switch back paper billing it can take a while. The OP knew a payment was due and had an email to say the statement was available. She knew its was available, if she couldn't see why didn't she call? Tbh the OP comes across as though its everyone else fault. OP you made a mistake, don't get so upset. Next time make sure you pay it. Buying large things on your cc is a good idea as you get extra protection.

We went over our overdraft this month with nationwide, (made redundant, awaiting for a large cheque to clear etc...) and they waved the £45 fee, as we never even go into our overdraft let alone, over it, even tho it was our fault, for not managing our DD/account correctly. I could have kissed the man, as I really didn't expect to receive it back.

YABU, if you were on the phone why not ask to see when the payment was due, or why not set up a DD, put a reminder of it somewhere etc...

Just to reiterate what others have said - you can set up a dd to pay in full each month.

They don't tend to advertise that facility, but for all the cards I've ever had I just phoned them and asked them to set it up that way. None ever refused.

why are you blaming everyone else for being crap with money, crap with looking at emails, crap with technology, crap with knowing how to run a credit card account

only one person to blame here

Huge hugs - (a bit furtive as I'm not that regular on mumsnet and I'm not sure they are allowed, but you sound like you need them)

Did you fail to pay anything at all on time? If so, you will have a mark on your credit file for a late payment on your credit file and the late payment fee will probably appear on your credit card this month. And it's a pain.

And it isn't the end of the world

You don't use credit. You don't use or apply for credit cards, you don't get loans, you don't do all the fancy games that those who like credit play. In six years that one tiny mark on your credit file will drop off - and even if you do apply for every bit of credit in that time, you are unlikely to be affected by only one late payment. Seriously. It isn't great, it's better avoided, but it actually isn't that bad.

And if you are avoiding all credit which you don't understand then you have more financial sense than most of the British population. You are not getting into debt. You are not worrying about repayments. You are doing really well.

dh crumples at anything finance related. I am rubbish at this sort of stuff, but he is so much worse - it's like his eyes are staring at this huge, scary brick wall that he can't see past to understand things. So while I am rubbish, I'm all we've got. And he has loads of other things he is good at. I am sure you have as well.

hugs!

OP, I don't think you are being naive or whatever else you are being accused of on here. If I was expecting to receive a paper bill for something, I would put it out of my mind until the bill arrived. And I consider myself pretty competent and organised (on most days). I just figure that if I have in effect asked someone to write to me and tell me when they want money out of me, they have more incentive to do that than I do to remember the date when the payment will fall due.

I agree with everyone else though - you should always be able to set up a DD to pay the balance off in full every month. I have always done this.

OP - you are not incompetant. OH and I have joint credit card that we use frequently (just about everything goes on it) but always get paid off each month (and thankfully we get paper bills). However I also have an M & S card that I rarely use. Even though I get monthly bills I still often forget to sort out the payment (and then have to do it in a mad panic - thankfully I set up online payments). I totally understand why you feel frustrated when you thought you had requested the bill - I hate online billing (which I have for children's phone contracts) as I can never seem to access the bloody accounts

Not receiving your bank statement is in no way connected to whether you had been charged for a service or not. Are you confusing the statement with an invoice? The bank has no involvement with how or when you pay your bills

But it when fos look at it it comes down to what is reasonable and fair to the customer - the customer is usually given benefit of the doubt.

The op asked for a paper statement - the bank did not initiate this on the account as when the op queried it the operator turned on the paper statement - indicating that the customers initial request had not been acted on. It is reasonable tor the op to assume that the next statement after the initial request would be sent on a paper statement unless the bank had gone to lengths to advise otherwise -op - what was the advice when you initially set up the paper statements?

until I had a smartphone I rarely checked my personal email unless I was expecting a message so I would have missed such emails also prior to my techno revolution - I would say that the op missing these emails is not unreasonable - especially as she had asked the bank to communicate by post.

It is reasonable for the customer to rely on the paper statement to arrive before making the payment - especially as a dd was set up she needed to know the total balance minus the min payment to pay the amount in full ( and avoid overpayment)

flogging - she is querying interest - which would not have been charged had she had the statement and paid the amount off in full prior to the due date

Just take it as a learning curve. Tody you have learned

1. You can set up a direct debit to pay the total bill on your credit card
2. It is a good idea to buy 'big' things on a credit card as it gives you some consumer protection
3. You can pay any amount onto your credit card at any time, so there is no reason not to pay once you have the money (unless you are 'playing' the banks and earning interest on that money until the last minute)
4. You need to notify the credit card of the e-mail address you now use or get into the habit of checking the other e-mail address each day
5. You could mark important things to remember on your calendar/fridge / noticeboard / diary / make up mirror / phone calendar reminder thingie / whatever you use, if you have to remember to do something by a certain date.

If you'd not made the mistake, then posted on here, you've never have learned all those things

Also, when we have families, we try to all hold too much in our brains and there's not a person here who can remember everything, so accept it, and use the systems there to help us.