Here is the email I have received from the National consumer agency;
Thank you for contacting the National Consumer Agency (NCA) with your query regarding switching credit card providers.
The aim of the National Consumer Agency (NCA) is to defend consumer’s interests and to embed a robust consumer culture in Ireland. However, please note that the NCA does not have a statutory remit in relation to individual complaints and has no powers to award individual redress.
You may wish to make a formal complaint about this, initially to Tesco Personal Finance and if necessary to the Financial Services Ombudsman in the UK.
Firstly, we would suggest you review the application form that you sent Tesco Personal Finance when applying for the credit card. If you have received a confirmation email from them it may show that you had requested a balance transfer. This may be useful to attach to your formal letter of complaint to Tesco. Tesco Personal Finance is regulated in the UK by the Financial Services Authority and regulated entities must have a complaints handling procedure in place.
As you have already contacted them over the phone and have not found satisfaction from speaking with Tesco Personal Finance, we would suggest you send them a formal written complaint. You can send this by email or post. Their contact details are as follows: The Manager, Customer Care Team, PO Box 6050, Southend on Sea, SS99 1WL
If Tesco Personal Finance does not resolve the issue to your satisfaction you may then escalate it to the Financial Services Ombudsman. The FSO is a statutory officer who deals independently with unresolved complaints from consumers about their individual dealings with all financial service providers. The service they provide is free of charge and you can write to them at,
Financial Services Ombudsman
3rd Floor, Lincoln House,
Lincoln Place,
Dublin 2
Email
enquiries@financialombudsman.ie
Website [broken link removed]
You can read more information on how to make a complaint on our personal finance website,
www.itsyourmoney.ie. I attach a link for your convenience: making a complaint.
If you are switching credit card, make sure you close your old credit card account so that you are not tempted to spend money using both cards. Remember that you have to pay stamp duty before you close your old credit card account. Ask your old credit card issuer for a Letter of Closure, which proves that you paid the stamp duty for that year. Give this letter to your new credit card issuer as soon as possible so they do not charge you stamp duty or interest on the credit card again. Don’t assume a credit card account is closed just because you have stopped using the card. Even if you don’t use the card, you will be charged stamp duty every year, until you tell your credit card provider to cancel your card. Make sure you cancel, in writing, any direct debits you have set up on your credit card, such as a magazine subscription or membership of a club.
We trust you have found this information useful and if you have any further consumer related queries please do not hesitate to contact us on Lo Call1890 432 432 or 01 4025555. ;
As you would be making a complaint to a company regulated in the UK I would suggest the you contact the Financial Ombudsman in the UK as opposed to the Financial Service Ombudsman in Ireland. You can get contact details for the Financial Ombudsman in the UK on their website
http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk.
Hope this is of some help to others that find themselves in the same position.