M&S credit card - how long does it take?

JayZed

So, they called me today to quiz me:

M&S Money Lady asks me the usual security questions, and I answer them. Then...

M&S: Can you just confirm to me your the initials of your middle names?

Me: Yes, it's [X]

M&S Lady: Ok, thanks

Five minutes later the phone rings again, it's the same lady and I have to answer the same questions again, then...

M&S: Mr JayZed, have you ever had different middle names?

Me: No

M&S: Or is there someone at your address with different middle names?

Me: Huh?

M&S: When we checked your credit file, we found someone with the same first name and last name, the same date of birth, and the same address history. But the middle initials were [XXX]

Me: Yes, that's my middle name. That's how you spell it.

M&S: Oh, I see, fair enough. I thought it might be a twin or something.

Now, to be fair, my middle name (a three-letter name) is quite unusual, but even so I found the whole conversation a bit bizarre. The bit that really got me was the fact that she thought I might have a twin brother with the same first name as me, but different middle names.

nzseries1

Funny!
Yes, I have a twin brother who has lots of middle names, and the initials of those middle names just happen to spell my middle name. What are the chances :-)

JayZed

Now, nearly four weeks after I applied for the card, they've sent me a credit agreement to sign and send back to them. If I'm lucky it might reach them just before Christmas, but presumably it will be another couple of weeks before I actually receive the card.

So I'm looking at something like six weeks between applying for the card and receiving it - I think that's a pathetic level of service.

JayZed

Just for the record, it arrived on Saturday, five and a half weeks after I applied.