Mbna & Chester Trading Standards - Complaint

[boxerdog]

I am formulating a mass complaint about Chester Trading Standards and their total refusal and apparent inability to do anything about the mass of complaints they must receive regarding MBNA.

Yes, this is on 2 other sites - but there are times when I feel we must join together in order to get some people power behind our complaint.

If you have had any dealings with EITHER Chester Trading Standards OR your local TS regarding MBNA - and PARTICULARLY if you have any correspondence, could you please either post on this thread or PM me??

THANKS - WE NEED TO DO THIS

[Amethyst]

Re: Mbna & Chester Trading Standards - Complaint

Sounds like a plan

What kind of complaints in particular ? or just anything ?

Are you after Trading Standards for failing to act with regards MBNA?

[mistie]

Re: Mbna & Chester Trading Standards - Complaint

Hey boxer,

just started to deal with MBNA, so will keep you posted.

mistie

[Amethyst]

Re: Mbna & Chester Trading Standards - Complaint

MBNA sponsor Young Consumer of the Year Competition.

Along with the FSA/OFT etc - http://www.cheshire.gov.uk/PR/2005/June/175-05.htm


Not that it bears any relation to this whatsoever of course. Just made me laugh.

[Perseus]

Re: Mbna & Chester Trading Standards - Complaint

Sounds like a plan

What kind of complaints in particular ? or just anything ?

Are you after Trading Standards for failing to act with regards MBNA?

Hi Amethyst
I Believe Boxer Dog refers to anyone having contacted Trading Standards anywhere in relation to MBNA, and especially if a local TS office has referred you to the Chester Trading Standards as the 'Home Authority' for MBNA.

Any copy correspondence, or notes/logs of calls regarding or from TS will help immensely!

Best regards

[Amethyst]

Re: Mbna & Chester Trading Standards - Complaint

Rightio...will keep an eye out

[thephoenix]

Re: Mbna & Chester Trading Standards - Complaint

but what in particular is the complaint about?

MBNA not providing CCA?
MBNA customer service?
MBNA not sharing out their profits? :shush:


I'm a previous account holder of MBNA and never had any major problems with them. They even paid my unlawful charges back on first request.

:okay:

[Perseus]

Re: Mbna & Chester Trading Standards - Complaint

Excellent - thank you.
Boxer is attemtping to drum up cross-forum support on this, so it's hoped to receive quite a few responses... let's face it - where-ever there's a forum regarding charges, MBNA always has had a full thread! lol

[mistie]

Re: Mbna & Chester Trading Standards - Complaint

arghhh dont say that im just starting with the buggers,

sent for cca, statments and thrown the acccount in dispute for good measure....lol

[Amethyst]

Re: Mbna & Chester Trading Standards - Complaint

aye Phoenix they tended to be pretty good early days paying out on charges claims, even added their own contractual interest on for you

I'm assuming theres something specific being worked on and not too much is being let on publicly ...... probably the best way TBH.

[Perseus]

Re: Mbna & Chester Trading Standards - Complaint

but what in particular is the complaint about?

MBNA not providing CCA?
MBNA customer service?
MBNA not sharing out their profits? :shush:


I'm a previous account holder of MBNA and never had any major problems with them. They even paid my unlawful charges back on first request.

:okay:

I'm sure Boxer Dog will explain more comprehensively.

[thephoenix]

Re: Mbna & Chester Trading Standards - Complaint

:okay:

:bath:

[Amethyst]

Re: Mbna & Chester Trading Standards - Complaint

lol u just like the bath smiley

[boxerdog]

Re: Mbna & Chester Trading Standards - Complaint

I've posted below the press release which we put out from Consumer Credit Support regarding Chester Trading Standards. This should further clarify what the complaint is about. It's not about MBNA per se (that we could write a book about~!) but IT IS about the appallingly lax and apathetic service consumers receive from Trading Standards.

Contact: pressoffice@consumercreditsupport.co.uk


TRADING STANDARDS REFUSE MEETING WITH DISGRUNTLED BANK CUSTOMERS


The Consumer Credit Support group have today revealed that it has been battling with Trading Standards to arrange a face-to-face meeting. They are anxious to meet with senior Trading Standards officers, first, to present a large dossier of complaints to them regarding alleged dubious practices by a large provider of credit cards, and secondly, to be able to question Trading Standards as to the level, consistency and accuracy of advice their members have received from Trading Standards throughout the country.

Despite putting forward their case to the Trading Standards “Home Authority” office who would deal with one of the companies, their requests have been refused.

Dave Matthews, spokesman for Consumer Credit Support explains:
“It has now become apparent, not only to us, but to other Consumer Groups, that there are one or two credit card providers who are absolutely notorious for the manner in which they treat – or perhaps mis-treat – their customers. Not only do they flout regulatory guidelines with impunity, but they appear to have a total disregard for the law. Whether this is through ignorance or arrogance, I cannot say, but we do have many members who have been the recipients of extremely mis-leading and inaccurate statements from this credit provider with regard to the law and in particular the Consumer Credit Act, which is the legal instrument under which credit providers are, by law, able to operate and which Trading Standards have a legal obligation to enforce”

Despite their appeals, Dr. Paul McGreary, County Manager (Stronger & Safer Communities) at Cheshire County Council under whose authority Trading Standards operate, claims he cannot see any benefit in meeting with representatives of the group. The group have been baffled by some of Dr. McGreary’s responses to their appeals. He has told the group that “…this authority only has jurisdiction to deal with offences that have been committed in Cheshire”, and goes on to say that “This service does act as the Home Authority contact for (the company)…..if cases relate to a non-Cheshire resident, these would have to investigated in the areas where these offences have been allegedly committed” As the group have pointed out, the offences ARE committed in Cheshire – the company involved do not send staff to other local authority areas in order to send letters to, or contact their customers.

Members of Consumer Credit Support are told by their local Trading Standards officers that their complaints will be forwarded to the credit provider’s local Trading Standards office. This local office allegedly hold monthly meetings with the credit provider. To date, researchers from the consumer group have not been able to identify one person who has taken up their issues with Trading Standards and have had them resolved. In one instance, a member received a letter from their local Trading Standards in which they were told that Trading Standards had no intention of taking up their complaint against the provider.

“Why is it then” asks Mr. Matthews, “that Trading Standards have to have monthly meeting with this provider? Not only do we have no evidence that any complaints are actually resolved via Trading Standards, we now have evidence that Trading Standards are refusing to take up credit provider complaints, whatever their validity. So our members are curious to know why these regular meetings are necessary and what they achieve”

According to Dr. McGeary, Trading Standards advise and support businesses. However, Cheshire County Council’s website says that “Trading Standards promote a fair trading environment for consumers and honest businesses in Cheshire….we aim to protect the consumer from rogue traders and to support honest businesses”.

So it appears to CCS that not only are Trading Standards not upholding their remit to the consumer, but they are denying the consumer the same rights which they afford to the credit provider. “If the financial industry can exchange ideas and deal with issues face-to-face with Trading Standards, then we now demand to know why the consumer is not offered the same rights” says Matthews. The group find the response by Trading Standards somewhat alarming in that consumers are not complaining about technical breaches of the Act but are in fact alleging criminal fraud.They assumed, wrongly it transpires, that Trading Standards would have at least agreed to meet consumers if only to put paid to these very serious accusations.

Dr. McGeary has offered to have an officer “review” the dossier of complaints held by Consumer Credit Support, if they would send it to him. Matthews and his members consider this to be an unfair way of dealing with these somewhat exceptional circumstances, whereby not only are a large number of consumers involved, but there are so many differing and potentially extremely serious issues to deal with. They feel the only way of clarifying and expanding upon them is to meet across the table, which has been refused. The group consider that they mayhave evidence of falsified or conjectured documents being supplied to customers, and if this is proven, then it may be classed as criminal activity

Dr. McGreary told the group that no investigation could take place based on accusations and unsubstantiated claims. But it was the dossier of claims that the group wanted to discuss! They nevertheless sent Dr. McGreary details of one of the complaints, together with remarks by a judge presiding over a recent and ongoing case which backed up their findings. McGreary still refused to meet with the group representatives.

Consumer Credit Support point out that Trading Standards fall under the auspices of local government, and are publicly funded. They should be made to stand accountable to their paymasters who are - ultimately – the tax payers.

The group, undeterred, are now planning representations to MP’s, MEP’s government ministers and the local government ombudsman

[Amethyst]

Re: Mbna & Chester Trading Standards - Complaint

Well why didn't you say that to start with ! lol