Card issuers in New Zealand have come under immense backlash from both the general public and government officials after cardholders in the earthquake-stricken Christchurch area reportedly received bills with card penalty late fees.
According to local news reports, the Feb 22 quake caused the New Zealand Post to suspend mail services for more than a week, after which mail deliveries resumed in only 60% of the affected area.
Because of the suspended mail deliveries, cardholders could not submit their payments in time to their issuers. However, the latest card bills have reached cardholders, and most contain credit card late charges.
PaymentsSource contacted Westpac New Zealand and ANZ Bank to confirm such charges but did not receive any comments by deadline. Both banks issue Visa- and MasterCard-branded credit cards.
Ruth Dyson, a member of the New Zealand Parliament, told the country’s media outlets on March 18 that she will look into the matter. In a statement, Dyson said she will write to the card issuers and ask them to reverse charges because cardholders had no way to get their payments to them on time following the earthquake.
