Customer Services Manager; 
MBNA Customer Service
P.O. Box 15720
Wilmington, DE 19850-5720

Re: Online Account Access System

To whom it may concern:

	A good thing has been ruined. As an unfortunate result, MBNA is 
looking at losing a great many customers over it. I am one of those 
customers. 

	Since I was old enough to have a credit card, my first card was an 
MBNA credit card. I still have it, and have used it it regularly over the 
past six years. It is now pretty much my dedicated account for online 
purchases and transactions (of which there are many), so it's 
understandable that useful and reliable online services would be important 
to me. I'm always pleased when I have the opportunity to use such 
services, and I usually make continued use of them. MBNA used to have one 
of these services. Things have recently changed, however. 

	Last month I signed in to http://www.mbnanetaccess.com to pay my 
bill, and I noticed that the interface in the "Pay Bills" section had 
changed slightly. There was now an extra step to get to the payment 
system. This was annoying, but tolerable. What was to come next, however, 
is completely unacceptable. When clicking the "Pay Online" button, I am 
presented with the following:

	"Browser Upgrade Required. We have detected that your browser is 
an older version of Netscape. You must upgrade to Netscape Navigator 6.2 
or later."

	As someone who is a web application developer and a proponent of 
cross-platform compatibility and web standards, this appalled me. The 
reasons are simple. First, my browser is not an older version of Netscape. 
I use a browser called Firebird, which is actually far newer than the 
suggested Netscape 6.2. In fact, all release versions of Netscape since 
Netscape 6 use the exact same engine as Firebird. Second, if you are not 
using Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape, this exact error is 
displayed regardless of what browser you are using. I received the same 
error while attempting to access the payment system on my Apple iBook 
using Apple's Safari browser, which is also clearly not an old version of 
Netscape. The error is also displayed while accessing the site with the 
Mozilla browser, which also uses the same engine as 
Netscape and Firebird. Finally, this is an artifical and pointless 
limitation placed in the system by whatever developers created it, as 
there is absolutely nothing in MBNA's online system that will not work in 
any of these browsers. Proof of this lies in the workaround given to me by 
MBNA's customer service representatives. Simply changing a single entry in 
Firebird or Mozilla's configuration (which tricks the server into thinking 
the user is using Internet Explorer) makes everything work just fine. 
Safari users, however, are apparently out of luck. Clearly this is a 
pointless "feature" of the payment system, and should have never been 
included. As I told one of MBNA's customer service representatives, I 
should not have to force my browser to pretend to be a different browser 
just to make it work with MBNA's system. 

	Unfortunately, the problems don't stop there. Last week I decided 
to pay my bill again, using MBNA's new and frankly bad online payment 
service. When submitting a payment to be scheduled on February 1st, the 
system informed me of the following: 

	"We're sorry, you have exceeded your maximum number of payments 
for your billing cycle. Please try again later."

	Now the system is denying me the ability to make payments! This 
error implies that I can't give MBNA money because I've done it too many 
times in a given time period. That has never been a problem before, which 
is one of the many reasons I liked the old system. This new limitation is 
completely absurd and is another ridiculous inclusion in the system.

	It appears that MBNA has chosen CheckFree to create this new 
online payment system, and they've done an absolutely horrible job. MBNA's 
former payment system was excellent. It was easy and friendly, worked in 
every browser on every platform, and was a pleasure to use. This new 
system however, is completely unfriendly, awkward to use, extremely 
frustrating, and obviously broken in several places. The worst part is 
that changes like these give the impression that the company doesn't care 
one way or another about the user's needs. That's something I sincerely 
hope is not the case, however it is also something that happens all too 
often in corporation versus customer scenarios. I guarantee CheckFree 
doesn't care one way or another, as long as it receives its contract fees. 

	In speaking with MBNA's customer service representatives, I've 
been told that there have been many users calling in with these same 
complaints. One of the reasons we've been so happy with MBNA's online 
service is because it worked on our systems and was easy to use. With 
CheckFree's solution, this has changed. Speaking as an active developer of 
web applications, a technology enthusiast, a user of alternative operating 
systems and browser software, and finally an MBNA customer, I am extremely 
disappointed in the new online payment system. The restrictions placed on 
the user by this new system are incorrect, unnecessary, and only serve to 
frustrate. And if customers get frustrated, they will take their business 
elsewhere. 

	My Star Trek Mastercard is a very unique card; I love the picture 
of the Enterprise, I enjoy the individuality of such a card, and I like 
the "zoop" noise it makes when it is run through card readers. I like the 
fact that I still have my first ever credit card account. I also enjoy 
having MBNA behind my account, ensuring it is secure and usable while 
offering me the financial freedom I have continually enjoyed while having 
this card. Now as much as I enjoy all the benefits that come with this 
account and this card, I would be willing to give them up because of the 
problems with MBNA's online system. Compatibility in online applications 
is important to me, and if I have to jump through hoops to use a system 
that once treated its users with respect, I will give it up and go 
elsewhere. Others will do the same.

	The question is, is MBNA willing to give me up? How about the 
numerous other users and account holders with these same issues? We can't 
change the system; we can only let you, the representatives of that system 
and the company, know what's wrong with it, why it's bad, and what needs 
to be done to fix it. It's the company's decision if anything will be done 
to remedy the situation. The old payment system worked fine, while the new 
system is actively frustrating and angering its users.

	I cannot stress enough how this new system, with its demands on 
users to bend to accommodate the unreasonable and ignorant expectations of 
its developers, is contrary to good business and happy customer 
relationships. I sincerely hope MBNA is willing to change this strategy 
for the better. 

	I look forward to hearing your response, and I would be happy to 
discuss this further. 



Sincerely,



Christopher R. Curzio
Cardholder Since 1998