REPLACING OUR AARP CREDIT CARDS WITH BARCLAY BANK CARDS - SEE POSTSCRIPT WRITTEN 09/21/21 and 09-24

[notsoyoung]

Has anyone else been concerned about the closing of our current AARP credit cards and its effect on our credit scores? We've had our VISA for many years and have built a lot of history with them. Now AARP is going to CLOSE those accounts and replace them with a new one that won't have any history. Just closing the account will lower our scores significantly. We, for one, don't want to use the Barclay cards, which offer significantly less rewards, so the total amount of our credit will be reduced, another factor in the building of our credit scores.

What do you think?

POST-  Postscript 09-21-21: To head off what I was sure would be a catastrophe, and after looking up references on Barclay, we created a new Chase CC account (on August 12th, received it on the 15th), set up our auto-pay bills, and set up the new account for auto-pay from our bank. We paid off the balance on the old AARP account by 09-08-21, and cashed in all our rewards. Then today, we activated the Barclay account (online) and immediately canceled it (by automated phone call). We're in the process of setting up a second Chase card to compensate for the first CC account lower credit limit. Guess we're  lucky to have managed to get through to our Barclay account. Keep trying, folks, and don't hold back on your comments to both companies. They certainly could have done a better job of planning all this. Giving their customers a voice in the choice should have been STEP NUMBER ONE.

AND yet another POSTSCRIPT on 09-24: Today Barlcays was daring enough to send us a 'welcome' email with a reminder to activate our card, to which we replied,

"Thanks, but no thanks!

We didn't, and don't, want your card. We have already activated and immediately cancelled our Barclay cards.

For those poor folks who are, to this day, still trying to activate their card or just talk to a live person at your company, we extend our sympathy. Your company has made what should have been a direct and automated process so overly labor-intensive for so many seniors that you won't soon be forgotten or forgiven.

Shame on AARP for choosing you and shame on you for being so ill-prepared to handle the conversion.

Signed, 'notsoyoung'

[as25323663]

Well you made a dreadful mistake.  

[LakeishaT901230]

AARP Member Benefits Team here to help. We certainly understand your concern regarding the service provided by Barclays. We’d be happy to forward your concern to the Escalation team we work with at Barclays for their thorough review and investigation if you’d like. To do this, we will need more information. Please send me a private message in the AARP Online Community by clicking this link and entering my username, “AARPLakeisha” into the “Send to” box https://community.aarp.org/t5/notes/composepage. Please provide the following details in your message:

• Your first & last name
• AARP membership number (or home address)
• Best contact phone number

We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate you informing us of your concern. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

[as25323663]

They put me on hold and then after 15 minutes the call gets disconnected! Abysmal customer service 

[AARPJanelleM]

@as25323663 Barclays is experiencing an outage that affects customer-facing channels as well as hold times. We are deeply sorry for this inconvenience and we appreciate your patience while Barclays works to get to the bottom of the issue. 

[ronaldl615664]

As directed through AARP and Barclays, on 9/20 I activated my new credit card.  I checked my profile information and discovered that the bank I used for payments with the Chase card had been changed and showed an account belonging to someone other than me.  I called to speak with Customer Relationship Manager and was on hold listening to their recorded message/music FOR OVER ONE HOUR AND THIRTY MINUTES.  No one ever answered.  I called back today, 9/21, and have the same problem.  I've now been on hold FOR ANOTHER FORTY-FIVE MINUTES!  STILL NO ANSWER.  THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!!!   NEXT STEP IS TO CANCEL THE CARD AND AARP!

[LakeishaT901230]

AARP Member Benefits Team here to help. We certainly understand your concern regarding the service provided by Barclays. We’d be happy to forward your concern to the Escalation team we work with at Barclays for their thorough review and investigation if you’d like. To do this, we will need more information. Please send me a private message in the AARP Online Community by clicking this link and entering my username, “AARPLakeisha” into the “Send to” box https://community.aarp.org/t5/notes/composepage. Please provide the following details in your message:

• Your first & last name
• AARP membership number (or home address)
• Best contact phone number

We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate you informing us of your concern. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

[WayneJ906531]

On music-hold for 3+ hours yesterday trying to reach support from AARP/Barclay's/MasterCard for issues caused by the switch from Chase card to Barclay's. Total mismanagement by all parties. Suggest AARP Members complain to the press/news media to get visibility so resources are allocated to solve the problems. Total fiasco. Utter customer service meltdown. Should be a PR nightmare for all guilty parties.

[PatriciaR647027]

This is beyond ridiculous!  Been waiting on the phone, tried multiple times on line to activate the AARP card.   Called a different helpline talked to someone with a heavy accent to put me on another loop hold.

After locking the activate for the 3rd time, called that number put on another hold.

When I log into Chase all they have is my address no personal information was retained so that I could get a new card without starting over.

I just want to pay the balance on my card and be done with the AARP credit card.

[AARPJanelleM]

@PatriciaR647027 We understand how this can be frustrating for members which is also frustrating for AARP. Unfortunately, Barclays is experiencing an outage that is affecting their activation system and causing extended hold times. We sincerely apologize for this less than ideal situation, please try to contact Barclays again later today or tomorrow for assistance. 

[ceecee0417]

Can someone at AARP please help me? I’ve been dealing with three fraudulent charges since August 2021 and now they have contacted the credit bureaus because I won’t pay my dispute balance. I finally got fed up two months and cancelled the card. I have calling for the last three days trying to get this straightened out which I’ve been doing since August 2021. I have quite a packet of documentation of all my calls. It’s now May 2022 and their systems has been out again for the past three days. I just hung up again with them. Please support our seniors and help us with these messes! Thank you.

[AARPAngelaC]

Hi @ceecee0417, you can always contact us for help if you have an issue with an AARP provider or benefit. AARP would be glad to help by reaching out to Barclays on your behalf to thoroughly investigate. Please call us at 1-888-OUR-AARP (1-888-687-2277) or send me a private message to provide the following information:

• AARP membership # or home address
• Phone # and email address
• Description of your issue
• Please mention that you are requesting an escalation

We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate you informing us of your concern. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

[NormaS567291]

Your circus goes on! Kindly remove me from your mailing list. I have settled in Small Claims Court and NOT WITH your help.

Thank you for putting everyone through living hell.

GOOD RIDDANCE!

[mlafayet]

I'm sorry but your answer is as bad as Barclay bank and their customer service.  Frustrating for AARP - really.  This was AARP's choice not all of your members. This is not a less than an ideal situation but an insult to all of us and a total waste of our time.

[lisaonthegoco]

@AARPJanelleM - I appreciate how hard your job is right now - but please understand - your actions need to be directed at Barclays to clean this up - the problems you describe are unacceptable in this day and age and show Barclays blatant disregard for proper system testing and implementation procedures. - Asking members to be patient, tray again, in other words putting the assignment on them to fix a problem not of their own making is really not fare. WE DID NOT MAKE THIS PROBLEM. The team between AARP and Barclays did. We have all tried once, an din some cases many times already - Barclays created the problem, they need to own up to it, and clean it up..

So don't take this all personally - support staff in this type of crisis have a very very though job. Escalate to the leadership team in AARP responsible for this, and to Barclays who need to own up to this %100.

Thanks

[hw6585]

I couldn't agree with you more.  I cannot log into my AARP account at Barclays because the only phone number that shows is my land line, even though I put in my cell number.  When they ask me to verify with a code the only option that is provided is the land line number which cannot receive at text.  Neither my cell number or my email address are provided as options.  

Now one would think this is a simple fix, but I have spent over six hours on hold trying to talk to a "Relationship Specialist" at Barclays.  Am currently waiting 55 minutes.

This  roll out is a disaster. I am so sorry that AARP decided to move on from Chase.  I never had any problems and found Chase to have an excellent website.  I am now so frustrated that I am going to cancel this card.  It is just not worth the hassle it has created.

[AARPLakeisha]

@hw6585 

For the conversion, Barclays transferred all of your personal information that was available from your old account. If not recently updated, some of this information may be outdated.  When attempting to activate with Barclays, the information you entered may not have matched what they have on file, which resulted in not being able to complete activation.  If you have not already, please contact Barclays directly to review and update your information so that you can finish activating your new card and register your online account with no issues. Please note, Barclays is experiencing higher than normal call volume and extended hold times.

[hw6585]

Lakeisha, the problem is that you cannot contact Barclays.  I and many AARP members have stated they have spent hours upon hours trying to get through to Barclays.  Your asking members to try something that just does not work.

[AARPJanelleM]

@hw6585  The transition is still finishing up so all of your information may not be loaded into Barclays' system at this time. We apologize for the inconvenience of the long hold times you are experiencing at Barclays, but you will need to contact them for assistance with logging into your online account. You may want to try calling later in the afternoon when folks are less likely to call.

[DavidK642095]

Absolutely Amazing! A clear admittance that the transition has been totally screwed up. I just got off the Barclays website to see how it is working today and it is STILL an epic fail. My list of 10 issues from yesterday has not been responded to in any way. The issues that I had yesterday still exist and I added 3 more on the bottom. At this point the 3 strikes and you out rule has 4 outs and counting. I will NOT reward Barclays OR AARP with my business. Back to researching a replacement. Who knows when Barclays will be capable of cleaning up the mess. Enough "fertilizer" to cover my whole state of Iowa 10 feet deep. Every one of us needs to figure out what Federal agency we need to file complaints with and bury Barclays and AARP so deep that they never see daylight again. End of story.

[RichardN254662]

Say WHAT!!??  "We did not make this problem."  What a disgusting cowardly cop-out - you most certainly DID CREATE these problems for all of us since all AARP had to do BEFORE choosing Barclay's was to VET their customer service reputation which any 3rd grader can google the overwhelming massive negative customer ratings going back years not counting several of their other nasty attitudes like when they lowered most of their customers credit limits one time to just $250 pounds causing a customer reaction firestorm.  I found all this out in just 15 minutes of googling when I saw I had NO choice in your choice.  Admit your mistake and upgrade they way we all feel about you cause what your lame response was just way way lowered your reputation to dark dark degrees.

[elayne24]

I just read the reviews you are referring to and I am appalled. I wish I hadn't gotten through to get my card verified now! This chaos is not limited to this situation; apparently it is standard operating procedure. AARP has entrusted the financial well being of its members for the kickback this company provides to them. I would have happily accepted an increase in membership fees over this. Undo this AARP!

[AARPAngelaC]

Hi there, the response above you are referring to was not posted by AARP. We are not placing blame on anyone and understand the frustration this has caused for members. We are working with Barclays to fix the issues, but it does take time to do that. We are asking our members to allow that time and be patient by trying to call at a later time and/or date, as many people calling at once is resulting in extremely high call volume and wait times. Many members have reported activation is now working and it has been easier to get through. Thanks!

[hw6585]

Angela, so many people are calling because this transition is a total failure to plan and execute.  Yes, the high call volume is a direct result of that failure.

[intersan]

I never had to wait over 2 hours to talk to a credit card agent and then have to hang up because my cell phone was getting low on charging. Barclays should have set up a separate phone number for AARP customers knowing there would be a high volume of calls. We were all directed to call on Sept 20 which makes no sense. 

[AmyJ307031]

 I want people to be aware that after spending 2 days, hours on hold and dealing with dead phone batteries that I finally talked to a real Barclay's customer service person today to help my mom w/ her new card. The person was very helpful and after 15 minutes assured me that my mom's card was activated and I could go online and set up her account, etc.  I was not completely convinced all was well and sure enough, just as before I could not set up her account due to Barclay's claiming I entered inaccurate information.

  The big test was trying out the card..it to FAILED. 

 Please do not assume all is well if you manage to get through and activate your card. I strongly suggest doing what I did to double check things

[LindaR681364]

AARP really messed up by changing from Chase Bank to Barclays! What a fiasco trying to activate card, I've been trying for 3 days to get a person on phone. Recording says my birthdate is wrong??? So upset with all of this mess!

[JoyfulTravel]

My exact same problem! "Incorrect birthday" and I have been on hold for over 3 hours last week and over 2 hours this week. I think that I will just pass on this card. Thank goodness that I had the foresight to move all of my automatic payments prior to the cutoff date. Good luck, all.

[AARPJanelleM]

@JoyfulTravel 

Did you open your open your Chase-AARP credit card account before 2001?

If yes, there may be delays or an error message due to birth date verification, related to the US Patriot Act.

This verification is for the security and protection of your identity to ensure you are the only person who can access your new credit card account.

Please keep trying to connect to a Barclays Customer Care Agent to perform the activation by calling the number on the back of your card. We appreciate your patience as Barclays works through higher than normal call volumes. 

[baddhombre]

I had the "incorrect birthday" fun. Finally got the card activated after 1 1/2 hours and I will be cancelling the card after getting straightened out... This was clear abuse by AARP, who initiated this move from Chase. 

[AARPJanelleM]

@LindaR681364 We apologize for the inconvenience of long hold times you are experiencing at Barclays. We appreciate your patience as Barclays works through higher than normal call volumes.