Originally Posted by
Wildcatz1
Nick
Interesting how the thread over on Barclaycard is being 'condensed' looks like a number of pages and comments have suddenly been shrunk
I noticed
Originally Posted by
f0xx
People have to have something to cry about.
Nah, I'm too busy to engage petty stuff. I initially didn't even care but since all new applicants get World Elite, I decided I do.
Originally Posted by
Wildcatz1
The benefits are good if you use them (again mileage varies based on individual of course as with all cards and benefits). The real issue here is the principle and the approach being taken by Barclaycard which based on info provided here by others and elsewhere appears to be focusing on new applicants that are getting approved with low credit lines and receiving the full new card (annual fee arrival plus world elite mastercard). No sliding scale just yes your approved or no you are not.
On the flip-side, existing customers (already approved many with good account standing, good history, and substantial CL's, many higher than the $250 and $1700 CL's mentioned here) are being told you 'may be upgraded' if you qualify (hence indicating a sliding scale or hidden criteria) even though they are also annual fee paying cardholders of the same card !
They are also being told that only option is to close account and re-apply whereas others are again being put through an upgrade process.
As stated above there is absolutely ZERO risk that I can see from Barclaycard's perspective if they took the approach that ALL current Arrival (annual fee paying customers) were moved into the new card of the same name with the world elite benefits in tow and the same annual fee.
This move may originally have not intended to alienate existing customers but it doesn't take much to see how it has and can be construed as a hit to existing customers IMO. Treat existing and new customers of the same card fairly, with the same approach and no one would be complaining.
Yeah, it's a really bad way to handle it. As someone posted on the travel site, why is this distinction between existing and new? It would be different if new applicants were only approved for World and also had to earn World Elite via an upgrade. However since everyone either gets approved for World Elite or declined, there's no justification to require existing accounts to earn something that's handed out to new accounts. And the community manager hasn't addressed anything other than repeating the process that some accounts are getting upgraded and more may get upgraded with planned campaigns in 2014. And then she's busy answering questions no one has asked, meanwhile ignores questions being asked by everyone.