Painful experience (Halifax Platinum Credit Cards)

Name: jenningsn

Hello doyoo user, You have to be logged in to use these functions... Login or register Close window

Send message to member

Product:	Halifax Platinum Credit Cards
Date:	29/06/04 (400 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Shiny card!, Cash back (don't they all offer this now?)

Disadvantages: Poor customer services, poor processes, inexperienced customer agents

This bank appears not to pay attention to maintaining courteous professional customer communications. I bank with First Direct who are excellent at customer services and put Halifax to shame. Also Halifax seem very poor at structuring their processes and systems to make things easy for the customer & I would not recommend them.

I have had my Halifax Platinum Card for about 6 months and have experienced a number of frustrations, all down to poor marketing processes and written customer services. These include but are not limited to ?

Security is overtight & setting up the online statement was very frustrating. Once you have your card you apply at the relevant web page, choosing a user name and password. Then they write to you with access codes to insert at the log in screen along with the user name. Trouble is they don?t e-mail you the user name you selected and the letter with access codes took 2 weeks to arrive, by which time I had no idea as to my user name. They had to send out another letter with more access codes, causing more delays.

Another time I called to make a query on my account. The agent who answered had to take me through security ? I was asked all the usual post code, date of birth, mothers maiden name and memorable questions / answers & the agent (more likely their computer) was still not satisfied, so they asked me where I used the card last and how much I paid last month. These details I provided did not meet the agents script /satisfaction & we reached a deadlock! ? the agent had no more questions, but could not let me in. I said it was over secure to the point of being a joke and the agent replied ?I know, I bank elsewhere and I agree with you. I have heard many people make your comment??

Customer Services and payment departments numbers are revenue share 0870 & 0845 numbers so for every minute you?re on the phone they make a few pence! No wonder they take 10 mins + for an agent to answer (many
times I have called it has taken over 10 mins to get through). Since this is not primarily an online account I think this is wrong.

Another time I asked to take out a 2nd card (to keep my work expenses and private expenses separate) and was told I could only have 1 card. It was the way I was told that annoyed me, rather than the rejection. Halifax have used the kind of language and tone with me that you might expect if you were an unruly 16 year old. I wonder if this is their target audience? As to having a 2nd card, Halifax have given me a £7k limit that I don't need on the 1st card, I have every bank in Europe bombarding me with mailers offering me seemingly unlimited credit cards and I have no other debt other than a small mortgage and yet Halifax said "NO" with no real explanation.

This month I missed my payment date by 4 business days (statement didn't arrive) and received a rude letter saying I was in arrears and they were reducing my credit limit to £3k "to reflect more accurately the present position on your account.." The full payment due was only £500. The tone of letter was like they were "slapping me on the wrists". This is the straw that broke the camels back. I'll close my account once I get a new card.

Finally they are not the worst and the customer agents are courtious and pleasant. I still would not recommend this company. From my experience they appear to be poorly run and do not deserve business.

Summary: