Bankwest Transaction account [General Discussion]

[Bree Stuart]

yah! Just got my statement today looks as though my 10,000 bonus points are on their way to ff account

 

[thehound]

Do yours show the number of points that you've earned?

No, always says 0 points.

 

[TomVexille]

No, always says 0 points.

Okay, so not just me then.

 

[NoName]

Just got a phone call from a supervisor who I will call "orange" - her real name is a fruit - anyway she advised that fraud department has "blacklisted" my account and refuses to unlock the account for credit card payments - I advised that optus will have a good time with debt collection of the account if they are refusing to let me pay it. I requested a letter advising of the blacklisting and reasons why - explained I would that the to the Telco Ombudsman to discuss if under the terms and conditions of the contract if they can refuse my payments. She was very pushy until I said I was going to take this to the ombudsman. Optus are really starting to piss me off now I can't even pay the bill.

Just had a similar phone call with the same info communicated to me. Repeated virtually everything you said to them and has been escalated to the highest level of that area apparently. Will take several days to get back to me but I won't be resting until I'm allowed to make CC payments again.

 

[burmans]

Just had a similar phone call with the same info communicated to me. Repeated virtually everything you said to them and has been escalated to the highest level of that area apparently. Will take several days to get back to me but I won't be resting until I'm allowed to make CC payments again.

Depending on the state you are in may be worth a complaint to the local consumer or fair trading organisation. It is in my opinion misleading or deceptive conduct to make representation about how you can pay your bill (e.g. on websites/statements) which they then dont allow. The whole line about fraud is clearly rubbish, if you have a bill you have a legtimate reason for paying by their website, if they want to impose a minimum they can do so but that's not your problem (as they are attempting to make it).

 

[rocket256]

The standard card appears to have been cancelled, I think the guy who took my request was quite alert. He said specifically last week that he would contact me today to arrange to cancel the card. No one contacted me however.

I'll go to a BW branch tomorrow and ask to be downgraded to the standard card again

Also, did anyone else get there statement today? I haven't been issued it yet.

 

[Cephalopod]

I accrued around 8.5k on my account and 7k on the other.

Considering I am meaning to put through 100 trans a day I am forgetting a lot. Lol. I checked and they have credited the right amounts. Even covered some from last month that were issed due to my QFF dropping off.

I might write a python script to do this automatically for me each day from now on.

 

[NoName]

Well this is an interesting turn of events. Just logged into BW to see if I could work out how to activate my platinum card when it arrives (don't want them to do it in the branch incase they deactivate the regular card at the same time - easy to activate it seems) and I find that I actually have two cards (different numbers) for the regular account. When I first opened the account there were issues sending out the card and they ended up receiving two cards at the branch where it was sent. I had assumed only one was activated and the other disposed of. Unfortunately I don't have possession of the other card so don't know the security number but I'm wondering if they will replace it if I ring and say I have lost it. Could be a potential 3rd card to run through each day.

 

[umzinator]

Well i just got off the phone with Optus and they have advised me my account is blacklisted indetinately as they think its fraud. They have also advised me that the bank may also consider these transactions as fraud but BW have never contacted me or sent me an e-mail about the 1c transactions. Anyways off to the TIO

 

[rocket256]

Well i just got off the phone with Optus and they have advised me my account is blacklisted indetinately as they think its fraud. They have also advised me that the bank may also consider these transactions as fraud but BW have never contacted me or sent me an e-mail about the 1c transactions. Anyways off to the TIO

What a bunch of Muppets.

 

[rocket256]

Well this is an interesting turn of events. Just logged into BW to see if I could work out how to activate my platinum card when it arrives (don't want them to do it in the branch incase they deactivate the regular card at the same time - easy to activate it seems) and I find that I actually have two cards (different numbers) for the regular account. When I first opened the account there were issues sending out the card and they ended up receiving two cards at the branch where it was sent. I had assumed only one was activated and the other disposed of. Unfortunately I don't have possession of the other card so don't know the security number but I'm wondering if they will replace it if I ring and say I have lost it. Could be a potential 3rd card to run through each day.

My regular card was deactivated within a week of receiving the platinum card, from the sounds of it though it is a manual process and depends really if the staff memeber remembers to follow it up.

 

[burmans]

Well i just got off the phone with Optus and they have advised me my account is blacklisted indetinately as they think its fraud. They have also advised me that the bank may also consider these transactions as fraud but BW have never contacted me or sent me an e-mail about the 1c transactions. Anyways off to the TIO

Did they explain exactly how and why they think paying your bill is fraud? The only way I can see this would be regarded as fraud is along the lines that making multiple small payments is intended to "abuse" the system. I can see this point IF making small payments was against the T&C's but its not.

Indeed there is a case to suggest they are the ones acting farudulently here, they have advertised a service as being available then stopped you using it, micleading and deceptive at best and fraudulent if the never intended you to be able to make small payments but did not make any attempt to stop it either by the T&C's or the website.

 

[deejo77]

Ok - update sorry should of done it last night but time..

So I received 3 calls from Optus yesterday

1) Social media request - Stanley was great he advised me that he could already see on the account that it had been referred to the CRG (customer relations group)

2) Someone from the CRG - she went down the fraud line also, as I stated to her when Optus called me around the start of August I had already advised that it was my account, it was my credit card and yes I was making the 1 cent payments - now that doesn't scream FRAUD in my definition. She said that making 1 cents payments cloggs up their payment gateway - I advised that if they employed the same high school students to do their IT support as QANTAS then they really need to be looking elsewhere for those services and what does their IT issue have to do with me. She said that this costs OPTUS - I advised I am sorry that you have not correctly specified in your terms and conditions that if you realise something is costing you money you can just stop offering the service - as far as I am aware my contract states I have this as a payment method. This officer had a lot of attitude and I was being stubborn way more then usual. I said thats ok I lodge a TIO yesterday. She went and located it and said it was assigned to another CRG officer and she would get that officer to call me. BUT she did say that the TIO does not resolve the issue it still comes back to OPTUS and its their policy that will rule (ok paraphrasing here)

3) No proof of identity or any such security questions ask - lady confirmed she had my TIO and once she had a chat to the "fraud" people she will give me a call back. Advised her the bill is coming up for payment and at this stage I doubtful that OPTUS is going to receive the payment due to the delay in them resolving this issue.

Yes I think the next step is to push for the review of what they are advertising vs what they actually offer.


*** ADDED BIT ***

oh and call number 2 - threatened to add all my 0.01 cent payments up and hit me with the 1% credit card fee - I laughted and said good luck with charging that to the credit card because you have blocked it and 2 I would be disputing that as an unauthorised transaction on my account.

And repling to coles525 - yes i have pdf'ed everything I thought on the optus website - however I am still on a contract and those terms and conditions are very detailed.

 

[coles525]

Has anyone gone online to optus and got a copy if all the current rules?

- minimum payment
- ways to pay
- other thibgs that are relevant

 

[burmans]

Has anyone gone online to optus and got a copy if all the current rules?

- minimum payment
- ways to pay
- other thibgs that are relevant

How to Pay Your Bill

Advertising a service then refusing to allow is misleading and deceptive and hence a breach of Australian Consumer Law. Claiming you are not allowed to pay because it is fraud when its really because its costing them money, is itself deceptive behaviour, if not straight out fraudulent in its own right.

 

[Buzzard]

threatened to add all my 0.01 cent payments up and hit me with the 1% credit card fee

That's quite interesting deejo77 considering the card is not a credit card but a savings card.

*Thanks to TomVexille for showing me how to do the balloon thing :mrgreen:

 

[rocket256]

Its scheme debit, so from the merchants prospective it looks like a CC. Fees for debit generally are a fixed rate though however the bank handling the transactions probably charge the same rate (normally a percentage)

 

[burmans]

oh and call number 2 - threatened to add all my 0.01 cent payments up and hit me with the 1% credit card fee - I laughted and said good luck with charging that to the credit card because you have blocked it and 2 I would be disputing that as an unauthorised transaction on my account.

Must admit I laughed at this one. Personally I think they are technically able to do this if they really want to because because a) the 1% credit card fee is in their T&C's and b) the block on their card is only on their optuspay site, its not a real block on you using the card, they can equally remove it easily if they want to.

But really seems pathetic to do this. I dont really know how many transactions you've put through but lets say 2000 at 1c = $20. So they'd really do all that manual work (calculating it all, removing the block, applying the transaction, putting the block back) just so they can charge you 20c, they really dont value their own time/staff much if they think this is a good idea.

 

[anat0l]

I guess for deejo77, what do you want as a resolution? I assume part of the TIO process is that you have made some remedy proposal, even if it is just as simple as being allowed to make payments via credit card again.

Wouldn't be surprised if Optus decide to impose some sort of barrier to discourage small payments, e.g. captcha, minimum amounts (unless the outstanding amount is smaller than the minimum), maximum number of payments in a day (or hour)......

 

[coles525]

STOP PRESS: 10K POINTS OFFER ON TILL OCTOBER!

Just saw an ad through an online site.