Has Anybody Heard of the Babeecard Prepaid Mastercard?

[tamaraotter]

I should perhaps have asked this before I purchased one.
I'm just a bit worried about them as I paid some money onto a card I have (a few hundred pounds) via bank transfer and they haven't paid it onto my card yet.
Has been over a week and six working days (they estimate up to four). I've phoned twice and been fobbed off with them contacting the financial dept as they can't trace it.
I heard other people in their call centre (not very private) with similar queries and am worried about my money if they are in difficulties.
many thanks

Well I'll let MNHQ decide if they want this sort of thing on their site.
I wanted reassurance that they were not in financial trouble or running an interest scam.

'this sort of thing on their site'?
So basically you want to criticise this company and not allow them the opportunity to answer your questions and resolve any problems? A bit one sided?

They haven't given me answers 1.as to why funds are not loaded onto cards a fortnight later, or 2.why I had been given three conflicting reasons for the delay, 3.why I haven't received promised call backs and 4.why I have received assurance my money will be available, then for it not to appear.
If this was for E.g a Virgin prepaid card, I would not expect to have somebody from that company on here.
It is decidedly unprofessional. Yet they have new and the same posters jumping to their defence, starting new threads about babeecard and asking how "they too" can acquire one or load funds. Even though the op was about possible financial difficulties etc
Like I said, I have reported to MNHQ and also intend to get my money from them (somehow on Monday) then leave.
It's all a bit somehow.

@tamaraotter

I am trying to give you reassurance by providing you ways to contact me to get this matter resolved as it's important for me that you are happy.

If you won't at least tell me your name I am not sure how I can help you. I am giving you my word as the founder of the company and also a mum myself that my intentions are to help save mums money, I have no interest in running a scam and we are not in financial trouble.

If you would like a refund I am more than happy to give you one but you need to tell me who you are so I can provide this option for you.

Questions have been posted on this site and it is my duty to answer if I have an unhappy customer, I am sorry if you feel my offer of help has inflamed the situation.

I feel if you are going to act negatively on this forum then I have a right to reply. It is not uncommon for companies to have a presence on the internet, we get alerted when there are posts and references about our company.

Perhaps you see it as intrusive but I see it as having my finger on the pulse and am able to respond real-time to situations before they escalate.

With regards to advertising, I haven't. Does that mean mums mentioning an unhappy service with other companies would put the company at risk of blatant advertising accusations. I thought this forum was for people to discuss anything they felt they wanted to?

Barclays Bank do not always send through the reference numbers so we have to monitor the money coming in by name, amount and date. There are many instances where banks do not record a reference. We process every load manually so we can double check it is credited to the correct details. If there is one digit wrong it can cause a delay.

Tamara before you continue critising my company and making accusations will you please give me the opportunity to help you? I will contact MNHQ tomorrow and explain the situation.

I will also put all my call centre staff on alert for your call tomorrow as you have mentioned you are phoning on monday and I will personally go through every call until I find details the details I need to assist you and will post on here that the situation has been resolved.

A big thank you to the other mums who understand that I am trying to help.

I am posting anonymously on here, how could you possibly know who I was going through the call records? I don't intend to mention Mumsnet when I call.
Wouldn't it contravene data protection to be discussing an indidviual's case and then posting it in an open forum. I intend to let mnhq know that you intend to do this as I find it very worrying.

Also I wasn't the only one, I heard on one of the occasions that I called somebody being given the same reason for the delay (ie reference numbers). One of the call operators also told me that a few people had phoned in with the same problem as me. Another reason for the delay was a data protection issue, when I queried this with somebody else they said that they didn't know why I was told this as it wasn't true.

I'm quite shaken up by this now and will leave it in the hands of mn.

@tamaraotter

I find it strange that you won't accept my offer of help. You couldn't possibly go any higher in the company so why won't you take it? you either don't want help or have an ulterior motive.

You seem to have a lot of reasons to critise BaBeeCard, re: Virgin, how would you know if they had someone on here or not until the question or complaint was raised about their services?

Tamara, please can we resolve this? you can email me right now and I will email Customer Services ready for Monday morning for your case to be urgently attended to, so you can save yourself the call and time explaining the situation again.

"you need to tell me who you are"

No she doesn't need to tell you anything. I think this is hugely unprofessional too.

@tamaraotter

ok, that seems the best solution. I will call MN tomorrow and we can go through this thread.

I know you are posting on here anonymously, what I meant was I will speak to my call centre tomorrow to make sure your case is dealt with.

When you decide that you would like my help, I am here for you as suggested a few days ago and I will sort out whatever problem you may have.

There is no need to be shaken up, simply drop me an email.

Regards

@SoupDragon

Tamaraotter needs to send my COMPANY an email or call again so we can help her. I would not expect her to tell me on this forum.

You said you intend to go through phone records on Monday and guess at who you think I may be so that you may post about it being resolved on this open forum.
That is absolutely ludicrous and I hope MN act quickly on this.

OMG. Am shocked!
If I had a problem with a product and was offered this level of help to put it right I would be extremely pleased. I can't believe that this is being thrown back in BaBeeCard's face!

Wish more companies were this proactive. Good on you BaBeeCard!

I totally agree ididn'tdoit. I think the main critic simply doesn't understand that it is extremely common in this day and age for companys to search for information on their own company on the internet. Clearly this is what Gemma/BaBeeCard was doing, and has attempted to sort out your problem.

I have on several occasions on the travel threads answered questions with regards to people seeking recommendations/information on holiday homes abroad. I have referred them to my management company website and on one occasion the owner of the company posted on the thread after I had and provided more information. Clearly, she had done a search on her company, seen the thread and assisted in answering the queries.
I do not see that as her blatantly advertising when someone was asking for recommendations/availability of villas.

I'm wondering if people understand what libel is?

I personally am grateful for the recent threads about this card as I had not previously heard of them and it could be useful for me with my DS returning to the UK to study and could be a way of me 'limiting' his spending.

I concur with previous poster's comments and wish more companys would take an interest in their product, particularly over the weekend!

The point is, BaBeeCard, that she doesn't want to email you following your post on a parenting forum, she has clearly stated that she wants to phone the customer services number she already has. You should stop harassing her and leave it at that.

Far from being "pleased" at this level of "service", the OP appears to feel threatened/spooked by the talk of searching through phone records etc and said early on she had no intention of contacting the poster called "babeecard". At that point, real good service would have been to say "OK, the offer still stands should you wish to take me up on it." and to have left it.

I'm not entirely sure what you think constitutes libel on this thread.

libel = slander in a permanent form, ie in writing.
various allegations/implications are being made with regards to this particular company. Just a word of warning as some people do tread on dangerous water on these threads

SD, I totally agree that posters, in this case tamaraotter should not be harassed but Gemma appeared to start out with good intentions, that was to try to resolve as quickly as possible tamaras problem. I think the comment regarding searching through phone records was badly worded. I agree for someone to say that they would do this would be extremely unprofessional and almost 'stalkerish' but I get the impression that is not what she meant.

Tamaraotter, I hope that you manage to resolve your problems with your card.

I've given all of this to MNHQ - reported the whole thread and raised my concerns.
ididntdoit only posted twice in 2008 her first post in 2009 is defending babeecard
mumoverseas seems rather keen to keep mentioning them also
I've just called again (not mentioning mumsnet of course) and apparently other people are having the same problem (again?still?) and they promise my card will be loaded today (we shall see).
Yes, I am spooked about the threatened phone records search and being accused of having ulterior motives because I don't want to out myself as the mumsnetter to babeecard via email.

It's not slander if it's true or have I missed something. These are the problems I have had, they are true. My account records would bear this out.
I merely asked (because was concerned) if babeecard/blueberry services were having financial troubles or operating some kind of interest ploy (I didn't say this is what they were doing)

what a weird thread

i for one wouldn't touch babeecardyblahblah with a barge pole after reading this so if it is an attempt at marketing..er...it isn't working.

tamaraotter, I'm only pointing out that Gemma has not blantantly advertised as you keep saying on both threads, and attempting to explain to you, as others have, how it may be that she saw this thread.

I hardly call that 'keen to keep mentioning it'
As I said earlier, not that I need to justify myself to you, I was interested as I'd not previously heard of these cards and thought it may be useful for my teenage DS when he goes to sixth form college. I am not employed by this company if that is what you are implying and have no idea who Gemma is.

By the way, perhaps you should read posts properly. I did not say it was slander, I said that potentially posters COULD be accused of libel if they made extremely negative comments about a company without evidence.

It is true that I don't often post, but I am a long time lurker. Studying/working FT and raising kids usually take over! The very fact that I posted on this thread highlights how suprised I was.

Insinuating that I must be linked to Babeecard because I don't agree with you is

Absolutely nothing on this thread is libellous or even close.

There's nothing about stating that it looks suspicious that someone who has posted twice in the last 12 months but suddenly comes out in support of a business poster. It does look suspicious.

How does it look suspicious? Is it likely that I signed up last year just so I could defend something this year? It just seems to easy to jump on someone who does not quite see your point of view.

I was not aware that I had to post regulary to have any validity on this forum. I am a mum of 3, Teacher training under the graduate teaching programme (so working full time!) and juggling life. Whilst I enjoy reading mumsnet and have used lots of advice, I only post if I want to. It's about choice.

Whilst I appreciate the OP has been made uncomfortable, I am just pointing out that with the general busyness of life, I would be pleased to have this offer of help. That's all.

I emailed her after Gemma posted on my thread about the card and she has been fab. If I had a business of my own and someone on here had a query I think I would have done the same. Its called being helpful.

Im glad I didnt listen to the crap on here and am looking forward to using my card.

glad you got it all sorted laura. However, no doubt you will now be accused of either being Gemma or working for her

I think I already have been accused on the thread I started about the same card! Thats MN for you!