NEXT Directory credit rating warning!

jenp35

I have now had a next directory for just over 4 months, which when I applied for they set a modest credit limit of £250. I have always paid over the minium ammount each month, sometimes a lot more since opening the account and low and behold my account credit limit went up to £850 (just in time for Christmas and their sales)

I did place some orders over for christmas and thought I would save myself the sales crush and got a couple of sale items (which I was told where out of stock at time of ordering and would be sent asap).

My amount on credit didn't even come to half of the £850 credit limit they had set, so I was a bit shocked to get a letter asking to call them urgently about my account. When I rang I was told I was over my credit limit (???) and that if I wanted my order I would have to pay x ammount striaght away over the phone. I questioned this as I thought I was no where near my credit limit to be told they had now reduced it, due to new credit information. Apparentley they check your credit rating monthly and had decided to reduce it?? got knows whats that is doing to my score!! - I have not missed any payments in the last month (or indeed months) with any of my bills and as it was less than a month since they upped my credit limit I was quite anoyed and miffed at this terrible lack of customer service and just how they can to do this how the hell are you ment to responsibly manage your credit and finances if they go up and down like a roller coaster !

Of course I told them to stuff it pointed out that if the items had been in stock when ordering I would of had them as at the time of ordering my credit limit was way higher.

This is Next Company policy apparently and I was told there was no one to complain too etc etc - very bad and unhelpfull attitude all round :mad:

I have since checked online and it seems like a comman practice with Next, some people have even spent up to a certain credit limit to have it then lowered and then have Next demand the balance how to do this to people? and how they can get away with it I dont know! So please be warned

Jeff_Bridges_hair

Can you not cancel your orders under the DSR then this will not show up as goods purchased and thus not make you go over your credit limit and thus ruin your credit file with a non payment on there?

Then never use them again

Mark_C_3

Is there anything in the contract which states you must be told when a change is made to your credit limit? I wouldn't think that would be very fair telling you it's £850 one minute by letter only to then lower it again without even a letter of confirmation.

donnaessex

My limit changes really regularly. It could be £800 one week, then £3200 the following week - it seems to have no rhyme or reasoning to it whatsoever.

andyguk

Sorry to hear about your problem OP. My old Next Directory account credit limit used to fluctuate monthly. Upon querying it, they'd fob me off with some crazy explanation about the limit you see on your statement not reflecting the 'actual' credit limit. Talk about misleading... but these guys will always get away with things like this. I only had about £30-£40 worth of purchases on at the time so I cancelled the whole thing. What a carry on that turned out to be as well... sigh

jenp35

Thanks for all of the feedback, I have canceled everything I had outstanding, and sent back a couple of unopened orders that did arrive and will pay them off at the end of the month and not shop with Next again. Only thing you can do when faced with bad customer service is vote with you feet/wallet I guess