Five Stars for MBNA -- Great Customer Service, Great Benefits, Great Company!
Written: Jun 29 '04
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Pros: Spectacular customer service
Cons: Rates could be lower
The Bottom Line: Excellent customer service. Highly recommended to anyone who is financially responsible and pays their bills most of the time.
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| basilisk4's Full Review: MBNA Platinum Plus (Mastercard and Visa) |
I saw a number of poor reviews of MBNA's Platinum Plus Mastercard and Visa, and being a holder of both cards, I felt obligated to write in an attempt to bolster their reputation. The University of Georgia Alumni Association affinity MBNA Platinum Visa which I obtained in 2000 was my first credit card, and I have been happy enough with it to stick with it. I recently decided that I wanted to earn merchandise/airfare rewards for the purchases on my card, however slowly, so I dropped the limit on my Visa to a very low one and opened a new Atlanta Braves MBNA Platinum Visa account.
Now, it appears that a chief complaint that people have about MBNA (and many other card issuers) is that their rates are not particularly low. Okay, that's true -- my APR is 14.99% on the Visa and 12.99% on the Mastercard -- but then that's much more an argument against carrying balances of any significance on ANY credit card than it is a knock against MBNA. Let's face facts -- if you use credit cards as a long-term loan, you're just asking to be gouged (and you will be).
That having been said, with MBNA you actually get something in return for what you pay them (or if you don't carry balances, for free!). Although they recently ended their double manufacturer's warranty feature on the Platinum Visa card, their cardholder protections are second to none.
For example, there have been a few occasions where a merchant has failed to deliver something related to a charge, or where a charge on my card was entirely unauthorized or fraudulent. When that has happened, all I have had to do was place a quick call to MBNA's Customer Service to straighten things out. I cannot recall ever having had to wait more than five minutes to speak to a customer service representative, and I have always been treated courteously by a customer service representative who speaks clear English and knows enough to take care of the problems or concerns about which I have called. On those rare occasions where I have had to be transferred to someone else, the customer service representative who originally answered my call has stayed on the line until it became clear that everything will be cleared up.
I have never had to get into a significant dispute with MBNA about a false or unauthorized charge; they have not asked me to send them ridiculous or nonexistent items "in support of" my "claim" as some credit card companies are known to do. When I request a credit increase, they promptly get back to me with an answer, as well as an explanation for their decision.
There have been a couple of occasions where MBNA's computer algorithms determined that certain charges on my credit card were "suspicious," and they have called me to discuss them. This has always gone smoothly, confidentially, and quickly, and has never caused me any problem the way I have heard about others having (e.g., card being disabled for a weekend because credit card finds "suspicious charges" on Friday and is unreachable until Monday).
Finally, MBNA is truly gracious in the flexibility they give you in paying your bill. I have been a little bit late on more than one occasion, but because I almost always pay on time, they do not generally assess finance charges unless I am quite late in settling for the month.
MBNA is a great customer with superb customer service. Let me summarize my opinion on them in one sentence: if you want a loan, go to your local bank; if you want a credit card with great customer service, call MBNA.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
basilisk4
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 - Top 500 |
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Location: Atlanta, GA
Reviews written: 233
Trusted by: 215 members
About Me:
Soon-to-be married 26-year-old lawyer who likes electronics, computers, and cars.
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