Barclays Bank - AIRTRAN/ BARCLAY CREDIT CARD PROMO, salesman lied about free trip and added an unauthorized mag.
While on a business trip I was approached by a young fellow touting a free one way fare on Airtran for just taking out an Airtran card. He assured me no strings attached.
He asked me if I wanted to add a magazine subscription and I said absolutely not.
Not only did I not get my free air fare but the little *** included a mag subscription to a sports magazine. I called Airtran and raised holy cane and got the free trip but Barclay people say I have to write a letter disputing the magazine charge.
I told the rep I was not spending a minute more of my time on this matter and to have a supervisor call me. This is a good potential for a class action as I know others were lied to if I was.
Robert
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Thank You for Your Reply! We are processing your message.
Comments
Please avoid publishing any personal information and promotional content
I've had a very similar issue. Like many of you, I was scammed in the Atlanta airport (I wonder if it was the same person!), by a young 20-something representative in an airtran t-shirt.
She asked me if I was an A+ rewards member (which for those who don't know isn't a credit card, just a frequent flier thing which is free to join). When I told her yes, she told me there was a promotion for members where for every 8 flights you took, you would get a 9th ROUNDTRIP for free. According to her, all I needed to do was verify my A+ member status and she would sign me up for the promotion. *I DID NOT give her my SSN and to this day I don't know how she obtained it.* She didn't even ask for it.
All I know is a couple of weeks later I had an Airtran Visa in the mail, with $50 charge for a magazine subscription. I contacted the company immediately and complained, and was assured that the account would be closed and all fees would be waived. Fast forward one month, and I'm getting assessed all these late fees. So I called again.
They informed me that not only was I being held responsible for the balance and the late fees, but that the account had never even been closed! So I complained again and made little to no progress. Over the next few months, I called and complained several times, and even sent a letter demanding the account be closed and the balance be waived, as it was fraud. Finally, I got someone on the phone who assured me the account had been closed and the balance had been waived.
And I believed it...
until I got a letter from a collection agency in the mail last week. This is where I currently stand in the fight with Barclays, if anyone has any advice, I'd love to hear it!
Hi,
I posted my complaint a week or so ago about being scammed by Air-Tran and their "allusive" partners in crime Barclay Bank ,Out of Deleware?-(But call center being out of India) Ok ,Knowledge learned , movin -on.......
If anyone is still dealing with this mess I urge you to call (( 1-86*-***-****)and hit (option 3) This is customer relations for Air-tran credit card...So, who ever answers demand to speak to the floor manager,suprv. a (Mrs.Shila)they couldnt give me her last name "for
security I guess ".She was good at calling me back ,escalated the Issue, wrote a formal complaint , and it was finally resolved ,got the charge taken off and *** credit card canceled and destroyed it .
I wasted a beautiful warm day here in Newport News Va. on the phone for 3 hours having no luck speaking and getting depressed from about 6 unhelpful employees and calling a couple different numbers.
You wont have any luck trying to resolve thru barclay itself ,managers probably having a mint jullip in the carribian somewhere.
But be firm and only ask tospeak to Mrs Shila at number I gave , Even if she has to call you back,,She seems honest and Christian.
T%o the person That mentioned my post was a big story ,,,I went back to check the original number I called at first and must have fat fingered the numbers by accident. There was a man who answered , saying that he has had this number for three years and gets call from people thinking they are calling air-tran. So yes I had made a mistake.
But why in the world would I waste good time coming up with bogus stories on a site like such as this ,,,,????
Man the same thing they did to me fortunally I was able to cancel the *** magazine subscription. I called air tran I said to them that they were not honest, and the lady just said oh this young lady who signed you up does not work for air tran she works for barclaycard. How in the *** I am supposed to know that she was wearing an air tran shirt WTF?
Same thing happened to me too. I did fax them a letter to take the late charges away from my account which was originated by the magazine (supposed to be free) and they declined..
I ended up paying $81 frees before i cancel my card...
the worst customer service I have ever faced.... I wish I could do something about this...
Atlanta Airport is where they got me.. There was NO mention of credit card application, only a pushy salesperson pushing a free airtran trip..
Now the card has damaged my credit rating significantly. I am still fighting it. I too, never agreed to a magazine subscription. My next step is the Federal Trade Commission, recommended by my credit union.
Disgusting. Something should be done about these companies.
This organization needs major work. Please see the attached letter written to the President:
Lloyd Warshaw
President
Futuretrust Mastercard
P.O. Box 8885
Wilmington, DE. 19899
Dear Mr. Warshaw:
We have conducted business with your institution for the last three years. Upon opening a Futuretrust credit card in 2007, I was highly impressed with the 529 savings plan that was attached. We have one son whose future will certainly include college. Although the interest rate was high, I opted to keep it due to the wonderful college savings. Almost two years ago, we were able to pay this card almost completely off which was (with any loan payoff), quite an accomplishment. Unfortunately, in the latter part of 2008-**** due to the economy, my husbandรขโฌโขs deteriorating health (cancer of the esophagus), and more than a string of bad luck, our financial situation changed and we leaned on this card. All was well in the beginning of the 2009รขโฌโขs charges. We were even given a รขโฌลreliefรขโฌย of a lower payment for 12months; a step that was initiated by your company. However, in September of 2009, I received a letter giving me an ultimatum of closing my account at 19%, or accepting a rate increase of almost 25%. I called to ask for the rate to be lowered and your CSR said there was nothing they could do to help and maybe I should รขโฌลput the card in a debt consolidation plan.รขโฌย I definitely had considered that option as the interest rate would be about 5%. However, at that time, I closed the account. Next, I noticed my minimum payment per month was putting me further in the hole. I called once again and received the same answer- nothing could be done. This month, I see my balance has increased by $6.00 since last month, all due to interest. I called your customer service again- twice and both times requested to speak to a CSR manager. Amazingly, no one was available and the only option was a 48 hour callback request. Is this a reputable card? Honestly, no one could help me with my issue? In all of the struggles we have endured in the past two years, I have NEVER been late on my payment. Additionally, in all of my experience with credit cards, I have NEVER experienced such poor customer service and run around as I have with this company. So far, your organization has received thousands of dollars in interest from this household. I have received $200.00 in a savings account, and additional stress added to my situation. Is this worth the advertized 529 plan? Absolutely not. Would you deal with a company that acts in this manner? I am willing to bet a Futuretrust Mastercard isnรขโฌโขt in your wallet. Your terms are unacceptable and I am willing to go to the lengths I have to in order to make a payoff possible.
At this time, I would like my interest rate to be lowered to an interest rate that is comparable to a bill consolidation of 5%. This will allow me to pay off the card and end our commitment. My account has been closed and I have ZERO intentions of ever doing business with your organization again. I expect to reach a solution to this matter immediately. I have forwarded this letter to the BBB and to distinguished credit conscious officials. I am looking forward to finding a resolution.
Thank you,
Yep, they got my husband and I too, at the Orlando Airport. We received our cards, no free roundtrip. When I called, they said it was because we had the "NO Fee" card.
Samething happened to me at MCO the salesmen promised no fee a roundtrip and a credit on my fare that I just flew.
similar experience with my wife and me also.
wife applied for airtran sig. visa, they sent the card with the annual fee.
we called them back and asked if they had a "free flite" card with no ann. fee. they said yes, so we asked them to cancel the wife's card, and i applied for the "no annual fee" visa card. they sent a card with "no annual fee" but i only got TWO airtran a+ credits after first use.
am talking to the "executive office" of Barclay Bank about it now, except they haven't returned my calls. also cust. svc. gave me a fax number to fax a letter but the fax no.
has never worked as a fax!
the fax no.
is 1-30*-***-****, given to me by the Barclay c.s. call center in the Philippines.
Same experience. When I got the preliminary info and realized I'd been lied to, I called and made them cancel the account.
All was fine for nearly a year. Now they are telling me I owe "late fees." I never had a card, never charged a penny, and thought I had cancelled the whole thing. And beware of Juniper as an intermediary. They say they can only help me if I go to a website and, in essence, create an account with a user name and password.
I don't think so! Now I have to get on the phone and fight it out all over again.
I had a similar experience with Air Tran at the Atlanta airport saying they were Air Tran offering a free upgrade to sign up for the frequent flyer program. I told them I was already a memeber - "Well you can still get the upgrade -- let me scan your boarding pass.
Up pops on to the computer screen my name address AND BIRTH DATE! They wanted me to confirm my SSn which they daid the airlines already had. Like an *** I did it - then I realized they weer actually having me complete and plication for a credit card! Which I definitely did not want.
Such a scam!!
and how is it that Barclays has accesxs to my personal info from Air Tran? Defiitely a Privacy Act violation
I have to follow up on my previous post, because airTran/Barclay's customer service was very helpful and I was able to cancel the card and have all fees removed without angry tones or rudeness as has been reported elsewhere.
However, I was told by the original rep that I could choose a no-fee card or one with a $39 annual fee. I chose the no fee card but was subsequently told that there was no such thing.
I was not billed for the fee until it was supposedly past due which added a $25 late fee and $1 interest (25% annual APR!).
Had I known any of this I would not have signed up for it. In other words they are guilty of running a scam to fraudulently get people to sign up for this worthless usurous card.
They maintain deniability by hiring 3rd party reps who they can say are responsible for the fraud rather than themselves. No wonder they let me off the hook so easily, they know a class action is brewing.
I signed up for this card at the airport but they only sent me an app and what looked like a temporary card with name & number printed instead of embossed, There was certainly no invoice. Yet a month later I got a bill that not only had several unexplained charges, but a late fee as well!
I had the same experience. I am now ridding myself of the exorbitant fee of this useless card. Southwest is much more honest.