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“Call centre without a clue”

written by on 31/07/2013

I have done many balance transfers in my time, but this was a first one to an M&S card - it will also be my last! Most companies take your details, take the card details, the details of the other card, read some legal script and complete the transfer after confirming with you - 5 mins max these days and almost always a UK call centre. M&S do it differently!

12 mins to even answer the phone (including 3 mins tying to get through their maze of options where 'speak to a person' is deliberately not in sequence with the other options so you can't skip to it. Finally an answer.

5 mins after my call had been answered by someone obviously in the far east or Indian sub-continent, they had not even asked how much I wanted to transfer or done any security relating to the card itself. I had to give details of both other cards up front first. The we went back to card security. Finally we got to the amounts to transfer then he read out the legal stuff. Almost 10 mins in (over 20 mins since ringing number now), processed card one - so far so good, then couldn't find MBNA or Bank of America on his system. Instead he asked me for their sort code and account number??!!

Unable to give him that he went off for another good couple of minutes and came back telling me they don't have that bank on their list - one of the biggest credit card providers in the UK and one of the biggest banks in the world and little M&S Bank have never heard of it - and so he couldn't process my request - what a joke! Eventually call ended after almost 25 minutes, including 12 mins waiting - over twice as long as any other balance transfer I've done with any other bank in the last 3 years and over 4 times as long as any transfer I've done in the last year.

Every other half competent bank can just use the card number and work the rest out from that (you know the same way shops - including M&S retail - do), but not M&S no, they don't have a list of the world's largest banks, so just apologise and say they can't do the transfer.

What a complete farce - will try to avoid using this card in future and one more episode like that and I will close it down because they are clearly clueless. Avoid this bank and its products at all costs - no idea about finances - stick to shirts, suits and food please...