Next Directory.. bunch of incompetent idiots and keep trying to steal my money! Help!

Bexm

Hello!

Please excuse the title and the forth coming rant, I am beyond caring whether I name and shame these idiots.. as they have now pushed me over the edge..

Ok from the beginning..

I saw a mobile phone on their web site that I had been looking for everywhere so I decided to order it..
When going through the payment process it gave no option to pay by card and automatically set up an account for me, which I did not want..

Problem number 1.. I called them on the number for orders, which apparently was not the right number and was transferred.. eventually I asked what had happened and they said there was an option to pay by card and I should have chosen it, so now an account had been set up for me (I went back to the site and checked and there definitely was not an option anywhere, I told hem this and they called me a liar!!), either way they said there was nothing they could do about it now as the order had been placed and wasn't showing on their system yet and the only thing they could try was to ring the courier and cancel the delivery and hope I didn't get charged.
They said I may as well get the phone delivered, pay off the balance and then close my account.. I agreed as I really wanted this phone and it wasn't being sold anywhere else..

So my phone arrived..

Problem number 2.. it was faulty, so I called them on the number given for returns, which again was apparently the wrong number, so I got redirected twice in fact eventually they said they'd send out a replacement, and I'd just need to do a straight swap with the courier..
The courier arrived but didn't know she was picking up anything but said that was ok and took my old phone anyway, giving me a receipt and gave me the new one..

I tested the new phone and it was all working so I called Next up and said I wanted to pay off my balance and close my account.
The first person I spoke to said my balance was £33.75 (the cost of the phone + postage). he had a strong foreign accent, so I misunderstood him first time, so I confirmed that it was definitely only £33.75, he said yes and took payment.. he then transferred me to another person to close my account, which again was the wrong person, I was transferred again, I confirmed with that person that it was definitely only £33.75 had been taken and my account was now clear.

So I was happy, got nice new phone and account closed with no money owing..

so OK here comes problem number 3..
few days later I checked my bank statement, and they had taken £63.35!! (price of 2 phones plus postage)
Immediately I got on the phone.. and asked what was going on, the person spoke to was very apologetic and confirmed that my account had been closed and yes they had over charged me.. so refunded my £30!

So Ok, again was annoyed but now quite happy, and checked my bank and money was there!

So now last week I got a statement off them saying they had reversed my refund and I owed them £30 again and they would be taking it out of my account soon..!

So on the phone again.. was actually put straight through to a manager without even having to ask!
This person told me the reason I owed £30 was they had no record of the phone I had returned..!!!
I explained the last person spoke to confirmed the phone had been returned and it was all cleared..

She asked if I had the proof of return with me.. I hadn't as I have actually moved house in between all this, so it was boxed up somewhere..
So she said she'd need to send out a letter that I'd have to sign to say I had returned the phone..
I must admit I went mad! I told her what was the point in that.. I could sign it regardless of whether I'd returned the phone or not so why not take my word on the phone? She said it was procedure and it had to be done... so begrudgingly I agreed.. because she promised it would be sorted..
I told her I'd moved house so she took my new address and said it would definitely be sent there..

So this morning I get a phone call from my old address (my husbands still there at the moment) saying I'd got a letter from Next asking me to sign to confirm that I had returned TWO phones!!!!!

OK 1, the letter should have come here, and 2, TWO PHONES????!!! !!!!!!!

Ok, I am not amused!

So now to be able to sign this letter it has to be posted to me down here.. by which time the due date for the payment will probably have passed and they will have taken money from me! :mad:

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!! Ok rant over..

But what the do I do!??!
I am very annoyed.. and don't see the point in phoning them again as they are completely incompetent!

Thanks for any advice!

Bex

missymugwump

Totally incompentant I agree
However if you had got some kind of paperwork to prove return AND crucially kept it your trouble would be less

Bexm

missymugwump wrote: »

Totally incompentant I agree
However if you had got some kind of paperwork to prove return AND crucially kept it your trouble would be less

yes I know this.. and it is around somewhere.. but they's confirmed they'd got it!! So annying!

Bexm

missymugwump wrote: »

Totally incompentant I agree
However if you had got some kind of paperwork to prove return AND crucially kept it your trouble would be less

yes I know this.. and it is around somewhere.. but they's confirmed they'd got it!! So annoying!

sp1987

Can you just write to them, recorded delivery (get your husband to give you the address they wanted their letter sent to) and state the facts correctly (i.e. write what they wrote to you bar stating one phone instead of two) and sign it? Then you don't have to wait for their inaccurate, sent-to-the-wrong-place form.

At least then, you can track that they get it and you can get it there quickly.

Plus, you'll have had practice ready to send the imminent complaint form when they mash it up again.

kazzah60

you think thats bad................. my friend was employed by them - her stupid branch manager deleted her employment details from the system by accident ...........said it would be OK

the fiasco that ensued was not remotely funny- my friend was re-instated alright- but at a lower pay grade than she was previously, she had worked overtime that month and was not paid for it because "new employees" had to work a month in hand and so she wouldn't get her money until she left the company (!!!!!!)
despite MANY phone calls to their payroll department in INDIA ( why not the UK??) and despite many assurances they would sort it out- it went on for 7 months and in the end my friend left and got another job as she needed her overtime payment to meet her bills ( which she had run up, fully expecting to be able to pay them at the end of the month when she was paid)

after she left it took them another 9 weeks to send her the money she was owed and then the only reason she got it was because she threatened the area manager ( who kept assuring her she would sort it out) with court action - 2 days after serving them notice of court proceedings she got a cheque
the whole thing was due to staff incompetence and my friend lost all her benefits - and as far as the company was concerned she had a broken employment record - despite the fact she had actually worked there for 3 years.
we don't shop at next now on a point of principal

adam.mt

Probably more suited to the 'vents' forum. Seems they're trying to sort you out, it's just they're a bit incompetent!

Hopefully, you manage to get it sorted finally.

wealdroam

kazzah60 wrote: »

...we don't shop at next now on a point of principal

Yes, I have heard that Principles clothes are/were better.

Bexm

sp1987 wrote: »

Can you just write to them, recorded delivery (get your husband to give you the address they wanted their letter sent to) and state the facts correctly (i.e. write what they wrote to you bar stating one phone instead of two) and sign it? Then you don't have to wait for their inaccurate, sent-to-the-wrong-place form.

At least then, you can track that they get it and you can get it there quickly.

Plus, you'll have had practice ready to send the imminent complaint form when they mash it up again.

Think I will try this.. prob only way else more phone calls

Bexm

kazzah60 wrote: »

you think thats bad................. my friend was employed by them - her stupid branch manager deleted her employment details from the system by accident ...........said it would be OK

the fiasco that ensued was not remotely funny- my friend was re-instated alright- but at a lower pay grade than she was previously, she had worked overtime that month and was not paid for it because "new employees" had to work a month in hand and so she wouldn't get her money until she left the company (!!!!!!)
despite MANY phone calls to their payroll department in INDIA ( why not the UK??) and despite many assurances they would sort it out- it went on for 7 months and in the end my friend left and got another job as she needed her overtime payment to meet her bills ( which she had run up, fully expecting to be able to pay them at the end of the month when she was paid)

after she left it took them another 9 weeks to send her the money she was owed and then the only reason she got it was because she threatened the area manager ( who kept assuring her she would sort it out) with court action - 2 days after serving them notice of court proceedings she got a cheque
the whole thing was due to staff incompetence and my friend lost all her benefits - and as far as the company was concerned she had a broken employment record - despite the fact she had actually worked there for 3 years.
we don't shop at next now on a point of principal

:mad: Idiots complete idiots!!

Bexm

adam.mt wrote: »

Probably more suited to the 'vents' forum. Seems they're trying to sort you out, it's just they're a bit incompetent!

Hopefully, you manage to get it sorted finally.

Probably actually.. but also wanted advice..
They don't seem capable of sorting it.. hence the request for advice..