Complain about a product or service

Barclays Bank/Juniper Financial

Lynette of Califon, NJ October 15, 2009

I have had a Midwest Airlines Mastercard for several years, prior to it being taken over by Juniper, and then, later, Barclays. My husband is self employeed, and I work for him, so I generate no income of my own. Our son entered college and a card from our account was issued to him since he was 1200 miles away. I had been a good customer, often paying off the monthly balances. For the five years that my son was in school, he was not extremely cautious about using the card, and the balance started to rise.

At one point he used it to pay the semester's tuition, not smart, but we were working and continued to make payments while they continued to raise the credit limits. Suddenly they started raising the APR to a whopping 28.8%, which meant for every payment made almost 1/3 of it went to pay the finance charge. Although struggling, we were getting the bills paid, although the card has not been used to make purchases for a year. A year ago I had to have surgery on my foot that left me totally incapacitated, forcing us to hire someone to take my place.

Right on the heels of that, my husband was stricken with severe back pain, incurring medical bills and losing the ability to work. He had several weeks of PT, which did little to help, and has since been seen by at least 4 other doctors. My husband is a horse vet, and we have been hit by the economic constraints, more so because horses are a luxuty, not a necessity. Coupled with the fact that he was physically unable to work as before and the fact that clients are getting rid of horses instead of buying them, our income plummeted.

The phone calls started, and as long as possible, I continued to make the payments I could, but eventually there was no more money. We are holding on by a thread, but they do not care. I had an account with MBNA that I was struggling with, but they didn't go of sucking the corpse dry, rather, choosing to close the account, reducing the finance charge to 5.15%, and allowing me to make a monthly payment that is in keeping with our reduced income. In addition, with the automatic direct payment I institued in return, my credit now shows that the account was closed by me, and payments now are punctual.

It will take about three years to clear the debt, but they will get their due, and I can feel that I have done the right thing. I was told, apparently mistakenly, that all of the credit card issuing companies have a program such as this, but despite tearful explanations about our circumstances they insist I am not eligible for any programs they have to help people. I have made small payments in good faith which was supposed to make me eligible for their help, but the next caller from Barclays informed me that no one could expect that.

I have made payments as I could, spoken to them on the phone about our situation on a regular basis, having to tell the entire story to every single one of the callers, which should not be necessary if the information is being documented from our conversation. During this time I also lost my father, making trips to the midwest during his final days on earth. If they honestly think that I would choose to pay them instead of being at my fater's side, then they are sadly mistaken.

Although I have tried to set up a payment plan with them at a lower, more reasonable interest rate, the pat statement/answer is that I do not qualify for any relief programs they offer. The hounding is emotionally draining. I want to pay them, but I need help along the lines of MBNA's program. My husband, a year later, is only doing a fraction of the work he was doing two years ago, a combination of his health issues and an ailing economy. We are now seriously considering filing for bankruptcy, almost entirely because of the Barclay's account.

I want to pay what I owe, but if I can't find someone in their company capable of compassion, someone who can be responsible for the company recouping all of the amount due simply by giving me a reasonable plan where they earn a reasonable interest rate, whicle assuring the payment of the debt, then bankruptcy will be our only option. I am not trying to get them to cut the amount due in total, but simply asking for help now that our financil circumstanes have changed so drastically.

With Barclays it seems all about inflicting as much damage as possible, then berating the customer in any way possible. I am fighting an ulcer from this stress, my 62 year old husband cries from the strain of the situation, wishing on a daily routine that he could just die, things are so bad.

I know that this is not how it has to be, but, rather, what they want to inflict on anyone impacted by diminished income. If bankrutcy is our only option, then they lose it all in one fell swoop. I can't fathom a company that would prefer to take this as a loss just to penalize those who are struggling at this time.

MICHAEL of torrance, CA October 14, 2009

The Juniper credit card I have is issued by Barclays bank. It started on 10/02/09 which was the due date of my payment, I went online as I have done since I got the card to pay my bill it was 15 minutes before the 4PM cut off time. I entered the payment and tried to submit it but their web site was acting up and it would not take it so I tried a few mor times it didn't take it by this time it was 3:55PM so I went to pay it by phone which I never had done, any way by thee time I finally got through all the steps it was 2 minutes past so it made me late and it submitted for the next day the 3rd.

I immediately called Barclays and told them the problem was with thier website and the person Raine told me he would make a note and to all back the next day and the late charge would be removed because it took a day to show up. Well I did that and they would not remove it saying I had no proof it was their website and charged me 39.00 unfairly when it was their fault I couldn't submit it in a timely manner one of their rip off tricks to get fees because of the new laws coming in soon.

Anyway I got my statement on 10/11/09 and now they have added a over the limit fee on 10/6/09 for a transaction that was submitted by mistake on 9/17/09 and corrected on 9/19/09 these are the transaction dates they could see clearly that these transactions wer'e done in error because they wer'e reversed as soon as the businesses one "Shoppers Discounts" and the other "Reservation Rewards" both for 12.00 totaling 24.00 which after the bogus late fee off 39.00 put me over the limit of 9.00 for the 2 day period before they corrected their error. Anyway Barclays saw this and still would not reverse their over the limit fee even after they saw that the businesses made an error and corrected it within 2 days now they have charged me 39.00 twice within a few days both un fairly. Please help me with these unfair practice's from the credit card companies who are doing underhanded tactics to get fees becauae they have been regulated.

Lisa of King Of Prussia, PA October 7, 2009

I have had problems w/ my son and he has been in and out of the hospital. On July 9th I spoke to a supervisor in customer service w/ usairway mastercard/Barclay Bank she said that she got approval to reverse the terms of a 10,000 loan to 3.99 percent interest for the life of the loan. This change would take place immediately and would reflect on the next mos statement. This change did not take place. Every supervisor that I spoke to from Georgia, to Colorado, to the overseas call center gave me the run around saying just wait it should appear soon.

The opposite happened. They increased my interest rate to 16% and now they are going to increase it to 24% as of October 17th. Had I known they were lying, I would have cancelled the credit card and not borrowed the money from them in the first place. Customer service people can only say ...the bank over rode our decision. There is nothing we can do about it. Meanwhile I haven't missed a payment. I feel like not paying them a penny more.

KimberLee of Franklin, IN October 6, 2009

It is my understanding that perhaps Barclay Card US Bank (Juniper credit card) is not following federal regulations regarding fair banking practices. I made a payment on September 7th this year, and the bank posted the payment immediately. Their people (several different ones) have told me that since September 6th was a Sunday, that the payment went in on September 7th, which was supposedly the next business day.

I have disputed late payment charges, as if my payment was counted on the next valid business banking day (September 8th), then I would have been showing that I made a payment within the banking cycle. I should note at this time that Monday, September 7th this year, was Labor Day. So this bank posted my payment on September 7th, then has now charged me a late payment fee for the period between my closing date (September 6th and my payment date of October 2). The bank has said that I did not make a payment during this period. In fact, if the bank was following federal regulations, I believe my payment would have been posted on September 8th.

This is just one in a series. This bank does this every month. Apparently if you pay between your due date, which is the 2nd of the month, and the closing date, the 6th, that payment goes in as late, but is not attributed to the payment in the following billing cycle. They continue to claim that this is not a bank error.

I talked to the bank by phone on Sunday, October 4th, and again on Monday October 5th. This evening I began to e-mail with two different people, and their last e-mail requested that I mail my dispute to the Office of the President (of the bank, I am guessing, since it's Delaware). My response to that request was to please update my payment information, since I made another payment on October 4th and my account is not showing over the credit limit.

This account has received my attention since I cannot seem to understand how I can pay over 300 in a 30 day cycle, charge 114, and then be over my credit limit. I do plan to seek other options, but I do feel that this bank needs to be regulated by the Federal Government. It is my understanding that if they are going to be federally insured, that they should be following some standard guidelines set out by the government.

Today when I began asking the customer representative (on the phone) for his reference number, he acted like he didn't know what I was asking. When he finally gave it to me (TPMCIG), he quickly asked me if there was anything else he could help me with today. When I began asking him to notate my account, he hurried me off the phone and hung up on me. The representative knew that I had checked the Better Business Bureau website. From what I could see, the BBB lists this bank in good standing, which is why I was shocked to understand that they do not acknowledge a federal banking holiday.

By e-mail, I asked if this bank was FDIC insured and their reply was that they accept and post payments 24 ours a day 7 days a week. That's odd, b/c I made a payment at 10 a.m. yesterday, October 4th (Sunday) and it's not posted to my account yet. They do show that I made a payment, but it hasn't affected my balance just yet.

I have had good credit over the past 5 years. I have worked very hard to get to the point that I am at right now. I believe that the late payment fees and overlimit fees for this account are negatively affecting my credit on a regular basis. My other accounts are in good standing, so it seems odd that this account is so upside down. I certainly hope that attorneys will file a class action lawsuit before too many people are economically or physically harmed.

corina of las vegas, NV October 5, 2009

I was listed as an authorized user of my husbands credit card. Even though he called and had me removed in January 2008, and I have had this information confirmed on various phone calls, they are still reporting the derogatroy payment history on my credit file. My credit score dropped from 720 to 548, and the only negative history is this credit card.

Junipers website plainlly states that an authorized user cannot not be held financially responsible for any outstanding balance, but even though both my husband and myself have called and written letters, they refuse to remove my name or stop the reporting because the card is delinquent. Cannot get a mortgage loan because of the drop in credit score. Or, have to pay serious rates at the lower score.

James of Sanford, NC October 2, 2009

When my husband and I took a Carnival Cruise August 2007, we applied onboard the cruise ship for a Barclay/Juniper Bank credit card. They offered and gave me and my husband a nice credit limit of 3000 and 3500. We accepted and after our cruise we started making our monthly payments on these cards. Somewhere they assumed the economy would fail more than it already has, and they started down sizing our credit limit. The problem with this is that, they down sized our credit limit below our balance that we owed, and it caused our credit to get ruined. Not only that, but they charged me a 39.00 over the limit fee for being 0.01 cent over the limit, which was not my fault since they down sized the credit limit. I have not charged anything on this card since they started down sizing the credit limit. We were sent a letter early part of the year letting us know that our credit limit would be down sized. However, they have been down sizing our credit limit without telling us. Prior to this bad credit practices, we had very good credit. We have never been late or missed any payments on any of our bills. Barclay Bank is ruining our good credit history with the way they do business. I asked them to please waive the 39.00 over the limit fee, and to no avail, they said no, and I have to pay it.

I paid 100.00 in September to have my account brought current and it was. Now I look into the online account and see that all the available credit is now gone again, and I will be charged another over the limit fee of 39.00. This is unfair and unscrupulous business practices that Barclay Bank is doing. I have been on the following web site, and people there have had the same exact problem with Barclays, and are trying to start a class action law suit for unfair business practices by Barclay Bank. I have closed my account, but they refuse to close my husband's account unless he calls them. Barclay/Juniper Bank has a logo on their web site claiming to be a member of the Better Business Bureau, and when you click the link, the BBB states in their report, that this company is not an affiliated member of the BBB. Something really needs to be done about this company, and if you take a look on the link above, you will probably have enough people to get a class action law suit started, and count me and my husband in.

Sarah of Greeley, CO September 30, 2009

I have been a customer of Barclay's since August 2004. I have always paid my credit card on time, usually right after the closing date. I also generally pay off the entire balance each month. In August 2009, I paid off the total balance of my August statement. I then paid off the balance early for the September statement on August 31. My August statement payment was due on August 28, so this was after that statement period. My September statement closed on September 3.

On September 2 one transaction was posted of 49.99. So my total Septmember statement should have been 705.53. However, since I made the early payment, my balance was only 49.99. On September 29, I was charged with a late payment fee of 39.00 even though I had made a much bigger payment then the balance that was left on August 31.

After speaking with several different customer representatives, I was told that although I had a great credit record, had never had a late payment, this fee would not be waived as I should not have paid early. I was charged a fee that was 80% of my balance. I did nothing wrong in that I paid the balance early and I should not have to pay this fee. This is truly usury that they would charge a good customer such an unwarranted fee. This is horrible customer service and poor business practices.

Monica of Williams, CA September 29, 2009

I received my statement and the due date was 09.11.09 with a minimum payment due 15.04 but i was over my credit line 51.04 so i paid 70.00 to cover my over limit fee and the minimum fee. Then received statement for October with a over limit fee of 39.00 because of their billing cycle for the month of 09.07.09

I spoke with 2 manger and billing tech. they told me i should know my billing cycle. Lara on 09.29.09 at 7:30am,Kenneth on 09.29.09 at 8:03am and Melissa (tech) on 09.26.09 at 8:23 pm. Juniper Bank is legally stealing from their card members. Juniper Bank should honor their billing statement that is in black and white and on their paper. No over limit fee should add on your bill, if u paid the minimum and the over amount of your credit line and paid on time we the card members should not be charge another over limit fee for last month billing cycle.

miriam of hollywood, FL September 24, 2009

I have perfect credit and never send a payment in late and allway paid way over the min due. In the last month all my credit card have send me a letter due to appr our going up. Mind you I am in perfect standing with all my creditor. So when I recieve the so called up out letter or pay a higher APR of course I closed most of my accounts. Was very irritated be couse I KNOW i have a ggod credit score. But with Barclay Juniper I never recieved the letter and when I call I had a lady tell me to right a letter and fax it to corp. So I did and then follow up again with a phone call I was told not to worry that they will close the account and the APR will stay the same. That never happen they send the up out letter to me in september of course with a dead line of August 6 and when I recieved my statement my APR HAD DOUBLE FROM 7.99 TO 15.99. I HAVE CALLED HUNDRED OF TIME I CAN BELIVE THIS COMPANY GET AWAY WITH THINGS LIKE THIS AND IN THE MIDDLE OF PURCHASEING MY FIRST HOME I CANT HAVE MY CREDIT BEEN DESTORED OVER A LOSSE 2.700.00

Carol of Saint Joseph, MI September 24, 2009

I used the Barnes and Noble credit card, issued by Barclays Bank, for at least four years. I have never missed a payment or been late with a payment. I paid online through my checking account at Fifth Third Bank. However, on September 21 I attempted to pay off my Barnes and Noble credit card in full, out of another account my husband and I share at United Federal Credit Union. I went to the Barnes and Noble site (Barclays Bank) and followed their Web site instructions to cancel payments made from my Fifth Third account and authorize them to take the payment out of our United Federal Credit Union Account instead. On Tuesday I went to the Barnes and Noble site and saw that I had a zero balance due, and the payment in full was taken out of our United Federal Credit Union account and in red was the word "paid."

On Wednesday (the next day) I found out on the Fifth Third Web site that Barclays had attempted to take the payment out of my Fifth Third Account, which resulted in me being charged 25 by Fifth Third to return the payment (insufficient funds) and another 25 for an overdraft. On the Barnes and Noble (Barclays) Web site I saw that I had been charged 39 because the payment had been returned by Fifth Third Bank and another 39 late fee. I called Barclays on Thursday morning (today) and explained the error; however, I was told "it's not a bank error, so we cannot remove the returned fee. The rep said she would remove the late fee however. It took three requests to be connected to a supervisor (Chris) who told me the same thing - that it was not their error.

I argued, to no avail, that I had acted in good faith to pay off the loan by authorizing payment out of the UFCU account, was told that it went through and then learned that they had tried to take the payment out of the account I had obviously cancelled. I have the printed Barnes and Noble (Barclays) Web site page showing the zero balance, account "paid" and that the payment was taken out of the United Federal Credit Union. And so, in an era when so many people are defaulting on their loans or declaring bankruptcy, for the 39 the bank could have removed, since it was indeed their error, they have lost a very good customer. I took the matter to Fifth Third Bank, which removed both fees they had charged. Their bank rep agreed with me that Barclays had made and error, and she urged me to continue to fight the charge. It's not worth a spike in my blood pressure, so in protest I paid the 39 for the payment being returned. However, I will cut up the card and never use it again, and I will pass the word along to others regarding how unfairly I was treated.

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