Store Card from Hell - Help!

missycapper · 11 July 2009 at 12:30PM

I am in urgent need of some advice please.
I have had a Dorothy Perkins Store card for years now an whenever I purchase anything on it (which is hardly ever) I pay it off straight away.
November 2008 I purchased some trousers for £25 and they said that if I paid on my store card I would get £5 off. When I gave them my store card it was inactive as I hadn't used it for so long so I had to complete an new customer form to re-activate the card. This form included my current address, phone number etc. I had to confirm my address over the phone to the card complany. I was advised I would recieve the statement through the post...
With this being just before Christmas and so much money coming out af my account in all directions, I didn't realise that this statement never arrived. 25th June I recieve a threatening letter from Santander Cards saying I had £100 outstanding on this store card with interest charges and tracing fees to find me at my new address!!! After a few minutes thinking about it I advised them that I had re-activated the card on that day with my new details, to which they replied 'oh, yes you did, apologies, if you pay the £20 we will wipe all the other charges' to which I replied 'cartainly,and can you close the account afterwards please' to which they replied 'yes, you will recieve notification in the post'...sigh of relief....
A week later I recie ve another threatening letter saying there is still £80 outstanding on my account :mad: I phoned them up and was informed that I wasn't advised that my account would be closed and I wasn't told that the charges would be wiped and there is no proof that I completed the address change form in the store :mad::mad::mad: It was a very rude woman who kept implying that I was a liar!
To cut a long story short(ish), we spent 3 hours on the phone to them trying to sort this out (we have now found out this has cost us 10p per minute!!) and each person we spoke to told us a different story! We have got nowhere except to be referred to the complaints department who will contact us within 7 days, and the 7 days passed yesterday. :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:
Meanwhile, more charges have been added to the account and have been going against my previously spotless credit rating every month since January. I have even phoned the store in Bristol, who seem to have conveniently lost the paperwork! I am so angry and frustrated, and in my condition (15 weeks pregnant) this is not doing me any good.
PLEASE, PLEASE HELP! I don't know what to do.

PNPSUKNET · 11 July 2009 at 5:31PM

First thing never call a provider, always do things in writting to avoid the above. Second write to them by recorded del stating the above addressed to the head of customer realtions advising that if it is not sorted you will refer it to the fos.