Tesco Clubcard Credit Card. Cannot recommend this card

“Tesco Clubcard Credit Card. Cannot recommend this card”

Written on: 23/06/2012

Had this card for about a year. Been paying by a regular direct debit on the same day of every month. No problems. Then last month without warning the payment date was moved later by Tesco by 6 days which meant the direct debit did not come out on the usual day. Then they charged me a £12 late payment fee. Then they actually took the direct debit the day after the late payment fee.

I called up to query the late payment fee and also to get the direct debit moved back to the original day for future payments. They tell me the direct debit date has been changed and the late payment fee refunded. A week later the late payment and next payment date are still showing online as before. I call up again and the advisor seems to be looking at a different transaction history. There is no record of the late payment fee either being applied or removed on the Tesco system but curiously the advisor is seeing the same balance as me and my balance is showing that it includes a £12 fee.

At this point I completely lost confidence in the system. There seems to be a complete breakown of basic accounting and adding up. The system moves direct debit dates without notification. It applies late payment fees incorrectly. It shows phantom transactions. Advisors can't really help because they don't see the same transaction history as the customer.

I've closed the card. I've got a horrible feeling this episode will stuff up my previously pristine credit rating - no payments missed on anything ever in my adult life, over 30 years. I'll be chacking my credit report next month.

Avoid this card.