How's This For A Shock?

[lynbrown]

This lunchtime I received my M&S credit card statement and discovered an entry for £4919 for Fuel and Lubrication! We phoned M&S right away but were unable to be put through to Disputes. The call handler told us not to worry and would be back to us within 7 days. We are both pensioners and a bill of almost £5000 makes us feel ill. Not only that, if we needed to buy a big item in the next week, we have very little credit left on our M&S card. Usually our entires are for amounts £20 - £30 for shopping etc. How on earth did no-one think to call us about such a strange large charge? I thought banks did that, to assist customers and prevent rip offs. Is there anything else we should do in the meanwhile?

[boxtops]

I'm surprised too - one of my card companies rang me as soon as they became aware of unusual transactions on that card.

I'd ask M&S to cancel the card now, and issue a fresh one with a new set of numbers, you don't want it to happen again.

[boxtops]

PS - on reflection, I think I'd ring back straight away, you don't want to have to worry for a week until they get back to you.

When one of my cards was stolen, I just pressed the option for lost or stolen, and they stopped the card straight away and sent me a new one. Whoever's cloned your card (if they have) could do a lot of damage in a week. Ring them back now, I'm not happy that they couldn't do something similar for you straight away.

[Buenchico]

>>>£4919 for Fuel and Lubrication

That sounds like a really good night in Wetherspoon's to me ;-)

While financial services companies generally do try to monitor purchases, to look out for unusual transactions, there's no way that it could be done manually; they must rely upon their computers. It sounds as if their software needs a bit of tweaking, which may well happen as a result of your complaint.

My usual moan is when I find that a transaction has been blocked as 'unusual' for no obvious reason. (e.g. I had difficulties paying easyJet about £60 for flight tickets because Barclay's computer regarded it as an unusual transaction for me to make!). It can be hard for card providers to get the software exactly right, so that genuinely unusual transactions start alarm bells ringing, without loads of 'false positives' causing annoyance to customers.

To be fair to the card companies though, Santander did spot when someone withdrew £800 out of my account (in three separate transactions over three days) when I'd not used that account for several years and I lived nowhere near to the relevant cash machines. Fortunately, they were just as good about refunding the money to me!

[lynbrown]

I have googled the name on my statement and think I have found the company who made the purchase. I dont think I need to change the card, I think someone has keyed in the wrong account details. After all, no-one has taken any money from me. I am a fan of M&S but feel let down over their lack of urgency in sorting this out.

[boxtops]

Ring them back then - if the other people put the card number in wrongly, they can do it again. Your card's at risk, IMO.

[Canary42]

7 Days ?

What AWFUL Customer Service.

[chrissa1]

I totally agree with boxtops. You say that no-one has taken any money from me, but as far as M&S are concerned you have made this purchase!!

[pretty_snowdrop]

Incorrect amounts are put on cards frequently, there are whole departments dedicated to dealing with these transactions. Where small amounts are at stake the bank reimburse these immediately, they then claim the money back from the company which has made the mistake. The problem with large amounts is that the bank has to make sure everything is in order, because if they pay you back when an error wasn't made ( remember payments can be to debit cards as well as credit cards) and you scarper, they will loose out.
Until you actually have to pay the balance, the debt is with M&S Bank ( which is actually HSBC). To be fair, it is not really the banks fault, but they should have been more sympathetic to your situation and explained how the problem could be solved to stop you worrying. Call them and ask for an update and ask them when it is going to be sorted out. If you need money for further transactions ask them to increase your limit to cover your purchase.

[FredPuli43]

Agree with boxtops. Keep ringing away. How would anybody run up nearly £5,000 on any single transaction with a firm categorised as Fuel and Lubrication, using an M and S card? It shouts "Error!"

Barclays are crazy the opposite way. Without warning or ringing me, they left me cashless at Heathrow because I tried to use my card to pay a friend's top up for her mobile phone. The computer 'knew' I already had a mobile paid monthly, so deduced that the transaction could not be mine ! Good job I wasn't flying anywhere.

[spudqueen]

Fred - Barclays also left my husband cashless and they refused his payment for our sons University accommodation. As Mr Spudqueen said - it was going to a UK university not one in Nigeria!

[friedgreentomato]

I wonder if it is for £49.19 and has been entered incorrectly, look through your reciepts for one on that day - do you use your card for petrol?

[mikesnook1]

do's anybody know how much the state pension will rise by this year? 2013

[factor-fiction]

Wrong thread mike?

[factor-fiction]

For mikesnook1:
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Business-and-Finance/Question1225008.html

[Peter Pedant]

.

stop the card and change credit card companies
the service you have had is truly c+ap
and is unlikely to get better (that is be a one-off)

Halifax arent bad

Credit card companies do make mistakes - rarely - I havent had one in ten years close looking.

[factor-fiction]

We had an issue with M&S where extremely large mail order transactions were made in a short space of time- they checked with us quickly, stopped the card, replaced it and refunded the transactions- so they can be very good too

[struthMate]

Dude was that in Brisbane?