Debenhams

lynzpower

amosworks wrote:

When I get loan or credit applications through the post, I reply with this. I've been doing it for a month and have yet to have any adverse reactions. I think it gets the point accross.

I haven't got time to read this crap

NAUGHTY AMOS, youve made me want something i so blatantly DONT NEED lol

Broken_hearted

I think we all need T-shirts stating the answer is no so don't bother asking. It would save loads of time.

Bossyboots

If you are asked to sign up for a Debenhams card, ask to speak to the store manage to express your annoyance. The pressure put on staff to get people to sign up is immense and the staff themselves hate having to do it as much as you hate being asked. The only way to stamp this out is to take your annoyance higher than the shop floor. Perhaps if enough customers complain about it, they might consider changing their approach because they certainly take no notice of the staff telling them that the majority of customers do not want to be asked about signing up. They will also soon get sick of being called to the shop floor to deal with this issue.

Catseyez

lynzpower wrote:

NAUGHTY AMOS, youve made me want something i so blatantly DONT NEED lol

Same here Lynzpower! Am desperately trying to justify spending £6 plus p&p...it's a one-off right? :think:

pinkfluffybabe

Bossyboots wrote:

If you are asked to sign up for a Debenhams card, ask to speak to the store manage to express your annoyance. The pressure put on staff to get people to sign up is immense and the staff themselves hate having to do it as much as you hate being asked. The only way to stamp this out is to take your annoyance higher than the shop floor. Perhaps if enough customers complain about it, they might consider changing their approach because they certainly take no notice of the staff telling them that the majority of customers do not want to be asked about signing up. They will also soon get sick of being called to the shop floor to deal with this issue.

This is a good idea. The other one is to vote with your feet and just stop shopping there. I find the staff really rude when you say no, as if you are stupid for not wanting a 10% discount that day!:mad:

Ali-OK

Also, some store cards are "revolving credit" - what does that mean?

I think things are about to get worse though...read in the national papers that banks are opening up more branches and instead of people trained in customer service offering other products, they're going to be populated with trained sales people :mad: That's just gonna put more people in debt.

My standard reply now to the shop assistants is "no thanks, 10% today is 6 years on my credit report". Seems to do the trick.

CAFCGirl

Speaking as someone who used to work for the evil that is Debenhams, I really can't stress enough how much pressure is put onto sales staff.

I used to work for a department that rarely ever got store cards, we asked, we were polite if the answer was no we simply said ok thankyou and continue onward.

I know its gets annoying for customers (as it does for me) but I always try not to blame the face whose asking because it's not really them doing the pushing.

I was called into three meetings during my 9 months with Debenhams to explain my departments "appaling" store card record. I pointed out to the then store manager that my staff always asked and on occassion someone did sign up, but we refused as a department to push people into signing up, because they would sign up, pay it off in full when the statement came in and then never shop with us again because we were so pushy! I preferred as a supervisor to promote my department to the repeat customer, who would in theory spend more with us than one who would harassed into opening a card!

The system can be worked and we were never paid commission. It was apparently a "term and condition of your employment within Debenhams".

Quite shocking I know, and above posters are right you should voice your feeling, but often when this happens the store manager does nothing but gives a verbal warning to the member of staff that happened to ask you because they obviously didn't "promote and manipulate" you in the correct manner.(Their wording not mine!)

In short it always falls to the little guy to take the flack on these things. We didn't like doing it, and it wasn't fair on us or the customer, but small voices are rarely ever heard, and if you did speak up, you were quickly put in your place!

If we ever mentionned people just dont want credit these days we were told that was a poor excuse!

It is possible to play the system to save yourself a fair amount of money but you really have to be on the ball and I've never heard of anyone ever really managing to do it!

I would also like to point out that in the store where I worked there was one member of staff, part time who was employed solely to be on the till to get people to sign up to accounts because she was so "good at it", she never did anything else, no customer service, no shopfloor selling, merchandising or tidying etc which just goes to show where the mentality of bigger retail organisations is these days!

Sorry for the rant, but I'm glad I left

juno

I was in Outfit with my dad, and the assistajnt asked if he wanted to save 10%. He said yes, not realising it was an account card and the assistant didn't explain that it was, she just got a form and told him to sign it!

amosworks

Haha you guys, those stamps are cool. Only get one though if you can afford it, don't waste money just to wind up would-be-creditors. You can just as easily and cheaply write it on by hand. The stamp just saves time and with the thud of the rubber on to the paper, knowing that your message will be easily understood, is just that little bit more satisfying

regularsaver1

hewy i used to work in Debenhams too - yes pressured to sell them, that was ages ago

now work in a bank ha ha