Next Store Card: Can't believe the way I have been treated.

Baveno

Hi, I have just found this forum & I'm hoping someone may be able to give me some advice. To put it in summary, I've had a Next store card for over a year. Last October my elderly (& widowed ) mother had a serious stroke. I live 4hrs away, she wasn't expected to live so most of my time was spent there as well as trying to hold down my job & care for my children.

In January I realised I had missed 3 x £12 payments to Next. I immediately phoned apologised & explained my circumstances & paid, I have no outstanding credit on it. I don't have any other store or credit cards & have never missed a mortgage payment in my life. These missed £12 payments weren't because of money but down to the trauma of everything & just not thinking about Next.

Now, my mother is completely physically disabled, she can either stay in a home 4hrs away which she hates & distresses her or come & live with me, I told her I would arrange it all. I doubt she will live until the end of the year, all I want is her with us. I need to make some adjustments at home eg downstairs toilet & provide for care (& the cost of that) for when I am at work

I went to remortgage as I have plenty of equity BUT Next had put in the late payments & because of that my application was denied. I was absolutely distraught. That would leave me with the choice or just leaving my mother where she is on her own or me having to give up my job in order to care for her which would mean losing my & my childrens home.

I phoned Next, they didn't want to know. I contacted Experian who were very sympathetic & explained that Next could do a Goodwill Adjustment to remove the late payments, that it's perfectly legal & lots of companies do it. I phoned Next again, again they refused. So Experian contacted them on my behalf stressing the seriousness of my situation, again they refused. I tried ringing again, begging telling them that this is destroying our lives, they didn't want to know.

The following day they contacted Experian & closed my account, never notified or explained to me, I rang to see why they refused to take my call & said if I rang again they would just put the phone down on me. So I wrote pleading with them to appreciate the seriousness of the matter, I don't want my mother dying in a home she barely knows because of a stupid mistake over £36. Everyday she asks about coming to live with me, how can I tell her that I'm unable to help her because of this! I can't take in how cruel Next are being, it's beyond belief & I don't know how much more I can take of this intolerable situation, it's just killing me.

I had an e-mail from Experian (who have done everything they can to try & persuade Next) today stating that Next (who have now got my letter) contacted them saying the late payments MUST stay on my record & they will not agree to anything else. What can I do, I think I'm in shock at Next I can not believe how nasty they are, as I said to them this is, literally, a matter of life & death & all over £36!!

Please, any advice would be welcome.

looby-loo_2

A truly horrible situation.

The only thing I can think of is to write directly to the chief managing director and see if he has a heart - I suppose the people you get through to on the phone are just following their inflexible guidelines.

Could you go to another lender - I'm not sure if they are all the same

Any

That is very nasty, but you did miss payments and they have a right to put it on your file.

I feel for you. Maybe contacting newspapers could help? To bring them bad publicity?

Did you get your credit report, is it O.K. otherwise?

Baveno

Thank you for your replies, they are appreciated.

I both wrote & phoned, pleading, they are under no illusion of the seriousness of my situation. I honestly didn't even think of Next during the initial stages. If I was owing hundreds or thousands of pounds I probably would have thought of it, but £36. I did not appreciate the damage of late payments as I've never had them before. They are the only damage to my credit report, Experian have told me that in time, months, the damage will lessen but as I have stressed to Next neither me nor my mother have the luxury of time, everyday is crucial to us. This is just breaking my heart I can barely look her straight in the eyes as I can't help her.

CLAPTON

Have you tried getting an appointment with your mortgage lender and explaining exactly how it all happened.

ElkyElky

Isn't there grants available from the NHS or other charities who can help with making the home disable-friendly?

Surely there is someone out there who could help you in this awful situation.

I'd love to know how these people can sleep at night.

Baveno

Yes I have but, it seems, unless the computer says yes they won't budge. Believe me I have tried everything. I took full responsibility for being late but I really don't feel the punishment we are now suffering is in proportion to the mistake. Next COULD do a goodwill adjustment they just WON'T. & was basically my only hope.

Baveno

I should add grants are mean tested, I wouldn't qualify, & the time involved, as I said I've tried & looked into everything. Next are, or were, the only ones who could have helped. As you can imagine the very word Next now makes me feel ill. It maddens & upsets me so much that we all have worked all our lives, paid our taxes never had any benefit, never been in or caused any trouble & have never owed anyone (except mortgage ) a penny & this is how we are treated, & my mother at the end of her life.

Baveno

Thank you, I did not realise I could get someone to come in while I was at work, nobody in the health department has ever mentioned that to us, I presumed I would have to cover everything, I will look into that tomorrow. Thanks.

PNPSUKNET

if its only x3 missed and everything else on file been fine, send the lender who declined a copy and appeal

big_Daddy_Dave

i would have said go for a mortgage company that searches Equifax or something (theres a thread around saying who searches who)

but youve probably thought of that already so i dont really know what to suggest

i dont see why next just wont adjust it theyre just being stubborn for no reason

as someone stated try the papers, maybe thatll be a good kick in their backside