Wildly off-topic mini-rant about Egg

Fuckers have detected a "trojan" which appears to be based on a string
of transactions that I've been able to confirm were me, using my card,
to pay for items or services that I've purchased.

Yet the fuckers want to cancel my card and issue a new one. But they
expect me to go through the arse-ache of notifying anyone with the
details of the old card for recurring payments, and I've got to deal
with tickets that can only be collected by presenting the card used to
pay for them.

It's nice that they're trying to prevent fraud but I'd rather they
weren't such a bunch of paranoid, unhelpful fucknuggets.

Still, only to be expected now they're part of Barclays.

 

how long before the 1% cashback disappears on Egg Money?

I've stopped using the Goldfish & MSDW cards since they went to Barclays.

 

I've just taken delivery of a shiny new Post Office card, since I
discovered two of my cards had expired through lack of use, leaving me
with a Barclaycard and a Soon-to-be-Barclaycard.

It's not like I use them much, but I like to keep a preposterously large
line of available credit in case I ever spontaneously decide to buy a
Ferrari or something.

 

Could you gently suggest that it might be somewhat more convenient for
them, and certainly no more inconvenient for you, to move your business
to a financial institution which was fractionally more attuned to the
requirements of, and the provision of service to, the people who pay
their fucking wages?

 

ditto

I have the PO card as it does not charge the 3% currency conversion fee on
overseas transactions. Saves quite a bit, what with French petrol prices
being what they are.

 

That's why I opted for the PO card, particularly since the Nationwide
have decided to bring in a slightly wonky system for offsetting foreign
transactions against domestic ones.

 

Speaking of which, I've just logged into the Barclaycard web site, and
once logged in it's popped up an overlay asking for the following as
part of "security verification"

Card number, cardholder name, security code, start date, end date, ATM
PIN, DOB, place of birth, mother's maiden name, memorable word, blood
type, shoe size and inside leg measurement.

OK, maybe not the last three.

I've just had to phone them to check that's normal and their site hasn't
been taken over by some shifty Nigerians. I can understand doing a quick
check, but putting that much information in one place is absolutely
fucking ludicrous!

And then once I'd talked to the call centre monkey to check, he tried to
flog me fucking identity theft insurance! The irony was completely lost
on him.

Gadzooks.

 

Jesus, you ain't kidding. Key-logger heaven. If that was my bank I'd be
sending a screen print to the FSA.

 

Oddly, a scan on the machine I was using promptly turned up a browser-
related trojan, now quarantined and disabled.

Logging in to the same web site produces no such "security
verification" screen.

I'll be dropping an email to Barclays suggesting that they teach their
call-centre monkeys not to be so fucking stupid. I'm glad I had my
paranoid hat on today and refused to believe what they told me.

 

The demand for the ATM PIN made me wonder.

 

The bloke at Barclaycard was even more baffled when, as part of his
pitch for the fraud protection, having asked me "what would you do if
your card details were used fraudulently?" received the answer "not a
lot. I bet you'd be busy though, it'd be your money they're stealing."

It reminded me of this:

 

In hindsight, that was a bit unfair. Egg are the only party in this to
be totally on the ball, and kudos to them for that. Their web site
spotted a trojan on the machine that the local security software didn't.
Christ knows how they managed that, but it shows they know their stuff.

Barclaycard's chap in the UK was rather more on the ball than their man
in India, the latter being on the receiving end of some imminent
training and a kick up the arse. All sorted.

The Post Office (aka Bank of Ireland) otoh, left me rather underwhelmed
with their response. Still, cards cancelled, PINs changed, should all be
OK and if it isn't, it's their money, not mine.

 

$randombank put a block on my card pending verification when they
detected suspicious activity recently.

The suspicious activity in question was buying parking at an NCP car
park on a Monday morning.

Just like I do *every* Monday morning.

Fucking pointless.

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And I regularly get my MBNA card blocked, plus occassionally (but
less of late) my Lloyds card because of 'suspicious use'; the
suspicious use being use abroad and since I go to Germany most
weeks... you'd have thought their risk profiling systems were sort of
tuned by previous use, wouldn't you?

However I've very, very rarely had problems with my Amex card. Well
apart from the "We don't accept Amex" problem...

 

I was talking to Barclaycard a few weeks ago and the topic of foreign
trips came up. So I figured I'd give them a list of places I'd be
visiting over the next few months - France, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy,
San Marino, Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, maybe Switzerland in a
crisis.

If anything gets blocked, I shan't be impressed.

 

No one loves Amex. They charge to much to the retailers for the privilege
it would seem.

I had a <nameless> card cancelled for suspicious use. I asked them what
that use might have been. Apparently someone was using my card in
(foreign). But for the sharp eyed observations of my bank I could have been
taken for thousands they explained knowledgably and confidently.

I then asked them to read my address back to me from the account.

Phone Droid: <silence>

Phone Droid: Err.

Phone Droid: <silence>

Phone Droid: You live in (foreign).

Me: Yes.

Phone Droid: <silence>

Phone Droid: I'll just pass you to my supervisor.

 

I love Amex. They give the best cashback.

 

I've pretty much given up on Barclaycard. It just isn't practical for me
to call them everytime I go abroad. If you don't you get those stupid
automated messages telling you to call an 0870 number *which often is
impossible to call from abroad you morons*

I've switched to Amex now. Travelled all over, no query on anything, and
often you only have to sign, no PIN.

 

Carrying only one card is just daft.

Especially when you leave your card in the pin reader at WH Smiths at
Gatwick and only realise when you get to Turin with a single ten euro
note in your pocket.

 

Pretty much why I use them for work trips.