PlusNets credit card information errors!!!!!!

Hi All

I found what I consider to be a major fault with the way the portal 'takes' credit card information.

I logged in to find a reminder to update my CC information as the current one expires on 31st May. For the record my default payment is by Direct Debit but this "fault" could mean that if you pay by credit card around the first few days of the month and are away on holiday at that time PN could declare you have not paid and I wonder how quickly they would cease your service???

I tried to enter the new card details and got a dialogue telling the card was in the future date so invalid. Tried to re-enter the old card details and was told that the card validity runs out before the next due date. Each circumstance being mutually exclusive ~ now is it me or has someone at PN introduced something that is just so wrong???

Now the portal does allow you to enter a second CC in case of trouble with taking payment from the first..................now granted many folk may & do have more than one CC but what about those that do not! Or indeed those that have no wish to pay by Direct Debit and only have the single CC.

Come on PlusNet make this more user friendly for all users It is no good asking users to update their info before the expiry date and then not let the new card info be entered.....................what idiot failed to test the system before it went live :lol:

IMO if the answer is "we allow a wide leeway to receive payment" then still not good enough as it does not take much imagination to see that circumstances could arise where a user is unaware of the problem until it is too late and then how would the CSC handle that one?

The system has been like this for years. It only works properly if there is an overlap of the expiry of the old card and the start of the new. Generally when I've had my card replaced the expiry of the old (which goes to the end of the month) and start of the new (which starts from the 1st) are for the same month so that gives a one month overlap and the system works.

I believe if you ring in an agent can add the new card as a secondary card before it's start date (but you shouldn't have to!).

The "valid from" date of the card can normally be omitted, most cards don't use it for authentication (wasn't it just the defunct Switch that used it?).

In reply to a post by jelv:

The system has been like this for years. It only works properly if there is an overlap of the expiry of the old card and the start of the new. Generally when I've had my card replaced the expiry of the old (which goes to the end of the month) and start of the new (which starts from the 1st) are for the same month so that gives a one month overlap and the system works.

I believe if you ring in an agent can add the new card as a secondary card before it's start date (but you shouldn't have to!).

Hmmmm? I do not ever recall having such an overlap with either Visa or Mastercard based cards.

As you say if an agent can add a 'future dated'' card why cannot the user do it via the portal?

In reply to a post by Oliver341:

The "valid from" date of the card can normally be omitted, most cards don't use it for authentication (wasn't it just the defunct Switch that used it?).

I agree but when I put in just the expiry date of the newest card it threw me out saying something about the start date so I put that in and got the same message so the 'controller' is seeing the expiry date and knows the validity years of the cards i.e. it back calculates.

As I said this is not a very user friendly structure for the single CC holder who does not wish to use Direct Debit

I look forward with interest to a CSC to chime with in their "logic" on the matter???

What is the credit card info for anyway? I thought that sort of thing was just to validate addresses and suchlike when opting for d/d, which is a one-off procedure.

Are they saying that if you cancelled a d/d authority they would use the credit card as if you had given a CCA?

Hmmm.

In reply to a post by Routefinder:

As I said this is not a very user friendly structure for the single CC holder who does not wish to use Direct Debit

I look forward with interest to a CSC to chime with in their "logic" on the matter???

What penalty are you paying for not using the direct debit payment method ?

Wagstaff

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

What is the credit card info for anyway? I thought that sort of thing was just to validate addresses and suchlike when opting for d/d, which is a one-off procedure.

Are they saying that if you cancelled a d/d authority they would use the credit card as if you had given a CCA?

Hmmm.

I always used to pay by CC but a while back I switched to DD and yes the CC is a fallback payment 'protection' and they have the space for entering a second CC if payment cannot be taken for whatever reason from CC no.1

They have a structure that there is a "Default payment method/source" and my concern is not necessarily for myself (?) but for folk with a single CC who do not wish to use DD and could fall into a situation where they were not on the ball with expiry date of CC and circumstances were such that they missed by many days their payment date.............???

The procedure IMO needs to be made more user friendly to mitigate for the way CC expiry dates and start dates 'work'.

Ah right, so it's more than just the input form doing validation checks, the "backend" is also doing checks.

In reply to a post by Routefinder:

Hmmmm? I do not ever recall having such an overlap with either Visa or Mastercard based cards.

There used not to be an overlap, which was very annoying as you could easily get caught out shopping and couldn't destroy the old one when you got the new one, but all the cards I've had in the last couple of years have had a one or two month overlap. Perhaps some banks are still not doing this.

Perhaps he prefers that [credit card] method. None of our business.

Edited by camieabz (Thu 19-May-11 14:44:27)

In reply to a post by camieabz:

Perhaps he prefers that method. None of our business.

[chuckle]
He doesn't use it.

Edited for the pedants.

Er no .

He uses d/d. Just that PN apparently insist on a credit card CCA as backup

Edited by RobertoS (Thu 19-May-11 15:31:07)

Usually the expiry/start dates are just month and year I think, meaning that for that month both cards are useable (though as soon as you use the new one the old one will stop working). If that's June for you then you should be able to add the new card then?

I realise this isn't a solution though and will make sure this is raised internally for you.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

PN apparently insist on a credit card CCA as backup

We don't *insist* on that at all, it's just that the option is available. It's also handy for one off payments (home phone credit top up, etc) but by no means do we require a credit card to be available if a direct debit is set up.

Ok, sorry .

That was just the impression I got from what the OP was saying. So he could just have let it lapse, unless he needs it for incidental purchases.

In reply to a post by orbrey:

I realise this isn't a solution though and will make sure this is raised internally for you.

If you are raising this as an issue, please would you look into another related matter as well.

I had a new number for my primary CC. I did not bother to tell Plusnet as I had a secondary card set up so thought no problem. How naive of me! The secondary card can only be used if the primary card has expired, not if it fails for any other reason.

Can this be sorted?

Hi Matt (and all other posters )

As stated this does not affect me and yes in my case I can simply wait for the 1st June and update the CC info.

FWIW I did think it a necessity if paying by DD that a CCA was required ~ my bad!

I raised this matter on behallf of, for what may likely only a limted number of, folk and potential circumstances but this should have been scoped and made more functional a long while ago. It may be the simplest way is for the CCA #2 to be either a secondary 'backup' card for those that have or wish to use one or the newest card that starts at the future date and that once the #1 card expires the system fallsback to the #2 card seamlessly, with an email auto generated to give the user a heads to amend their records. Makes sense to me :lol:

Hi Nick,

I'll raise that as well, that should be looked at - thanks very much for the heads up.

In reply to a post by Routefinder:

FWIW I did think it a necessity if paying by DD that a CCA was required ~ my bad!

Hi Routefinder,

Sorry about that - did you get that impression from either our staff or website anywhere? If so that'd be something else we need to look at, so please let me know if that's the case.

In reply to a post by orbrey:

In reply to a post by Routefinder:

FWIW I did think it a necessity if paying by DD that a CCA was required ~ my bad!

Hi Routefinder,

Sorry about that - did you get that impression from either our staff or website anywhere? If so that'd be something else we need to look at, so please let me know if that's the case.

Hi Matt

Because the DD was setup long after the CCA method it has been sometime since I have even thought about it so without looking again right now I would say the site page simply left me with the impresion that it was requirement especially bearing in mind that a #2 card CCA is recommended ??? So one thing kind of "leads" to another.

Perhaps the site page needs an explicit statement of payment methods and recommended backup method(s) and a reiteration (as needed) of how lapsed or missed payments are handled...............this more so in regard to my concerns about those using single CCA and not being able to enter a future dated card info.