Alliance & Leicester / Homecare Putting The Frighteners On Old Ladies!!!

Jacks_xxx

:mad: My MIL was sent a new cash card. (It's a debit card for some reason where previously she had always had just a cashpoint card.)

The bumf said she had to phone to activate it - so she phoned and they told her they'd put card insurance on her account against identity theft, in case anyone uses the card fraudulently and for travelling abroad etc.

She very politely told them that she doesn't sign up for anything new without consulting her son & daughter in law so she'd have to say no for now, but if they'd send her the info she'd look it over with her family.

She then said no politely about 8 or 9 times over the next half an hour whilst the girl on the phone harangued her about all the scary things that could happen if she didn't pay for this insurance.

At her own expense as she was paying for the call

Until they made my mother in law...

who is 78...

and has Alzheimers... cry .

They made an old lady cry.

At which point the girl said

"Oh well I'll sigh you up for it anyway"


And did.

Sorry this is so long but I am so shocked and angry that I can't think straight.

Who do I complain to about this?

Love Jackie xxx

G-G_4

That's shocking! Did she get the girls name at all?

claireabelle_2

:mad:
That has made me so cross!
They should have recorded the call (for training and monitoring purposes, don't they usually say?), I called HSBC back about something they'd promised on the phone once and they definitely had tapes of it. Complain to Ombudsman, too?
Grrr
Go get em Jacks!

RAS

OFT and Trading standards, plus the FO?

Will be back with links - old but should still work.

rayday2

I found it hardwork turning down everything when we opened an A&L account I asked them to send out literature but they were not interested they said it was much easier to put it into place and cancel later. It took a lot of standing ground and listening to waffle to refuse it.

No wonder she got upset.

luckymum_3

how awful , how do these people sleep at night .
most places record phone calls so that may help and also go to trading standards..
GOOD LUCK ...

RAS

Some contact for starters.


The Information Commissioners Office, Complaints page: http://www.ico.gov.uk/complaints.aspx
(note: I chose to complete and download the .pdf form on Data Protection, which I am also sending to the other offices, with an accompanying letter)

Trading Standards, Central office homepage: http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/
-Please note, you can search by inserting the postcode in the top right hand corner, remember to use the postcode of the DCA rather than your own-

Consumer Credit Association, enquiries page: http://www.ccauk.org/consenquiries.htm

Will ferret for the rest

**Amy**

That really is disgusting, and the fact they signed her up anyway and made her cry.

:mad:

kazwookie

I would ring them back up, and explain her age / health etc and that she made it clear she wanted to talk things over first with her family...........then ask to speak to the highest person there, don't get fobbed off with a supervisor etc.

Then report them as another poster has suggested.

RAS

Office of Fair Trading, Contact page: http://www.oft.gov.uk/advice_and_res...ase/legal/cca/

the Financial Ombudsman Service, Contacts page: http://www.financial-ombudsman.org/contact/index.html


Also write to her MP and explain that his is how elderly ladies get into debt. No doubt the insurance charge will not get paid and then she will get charges and charges on charges for something she neither wants nor needs.

That's without saying anything about the sales person's behaviour.

Members of parliament list, (as provided by RAS): http://www.parliament.uk/directories/hciolists/clomps.cfm

MrsTinks

Definitely contact local MP too... earlier this month at least one MP raised a similar issue in the House of Commons and the more this gets highlighted the better!