Tesco CC: Already dissatisfied & it hasn't arrived yet- what do I do?

coyote37

Hi,

I was recently accepted for the Tesco CC with the 16month interest free purchases, with the idea of using it to pay for a holiday and pay off slowly.

They didn't contact me at all after the initial acceptance for quite some time, then eventually sent me a snailmail letter asking to see a recent bank statement as confirmation of address. I get online statements only so rang them to check this and they said for some reason they would only accept a paper statement (not a print out) and not a utility bill. So I had more hassle going to the bank to get them to send me one of these statements so I could then sent it on to Tescos, all via snailmail.

Several weeks later the statement was sent back to me with a covering letter from Tescos saying nothing more than "Thank you for your documents we will contact you shortly". I then heard nothing for two more weeks.

Today I got sick of waiting and rang them to find out what was going on. Guess what- no record of ever receiving my documents! They said maybe someone in the mailroom didn't scan them properly or something, so I need to send them again.

I really don't feel comfortable going ahead with them anymore. They've been incompetent and terrible at customer service (God knows when I would have heard from them to tell me there was a problem if I hadn't rung) and I don't even have the card yet! I want to take my business elsewhere, but now there's a mark on my credit file, which means I may not be accepted for the next best 0% purchases card on the market.

Should I go ahead with the application? Could I insist that they remove the search from my credit file? Has anyone else had bad experiences with Tesco CC?

mynameistallulah

1. Tell them you no longer wish to have the card. No, you cannot tell them to remove the search, you requested it.

2. Save up and go on holiday when you can afford it.

coyote37

Thanks for your reply. I can afford it thanks, but an interest free cc is an even better option as it allows me to spread the cost. I am extrememly organised with finances and am a fairly typical 'credit tart', taking advantage of 0% offers and always paying off in time- treating it in effect as a 0% loan over a fixed term. If you're organised enough, there's nothing wrong with this approach.

I'm more concerned with the customer service angle here. If I'm stuck with the credit search, I may as well take the card, but I'm already disatisfied with the company and I don't even have the card yet. What are they going to be like to actually bank with? It doesn't fill me with confidence.

bigadaj

If you have lost trust in them then cancel your application, one credit search is neither here nor there assuming you haven't gone mad recently, which it sounds like you haven't. Another search for an alternative card should also have little impact on it's own.

RobertoMoir

coyote37 wrote: »

I'm more concerned with the customer service angle here. If I'm stuck with the credit search, I may as well take the card, but I'm already disatisfied with the company and I don't even have the card yet. What are they going to be like to actually bank with? It doesn't fill me with confidence.

You can't have it both ways. Either you trust them or you don't. Either you want the card or you don't. I'd suggest that if you're already unhappy then things are unlikely to improve, first impressions do matter, after all.

CLAPTON

Tesco's financial service is pretty awful; although I don't have a CC with them I did open a savings a/c which took months to sort out.

However I would still pursue the card as once you get it they seem to work Ok (the OH has one) and you have already had the credit search.

chanz4

I have one, slow at apps but good allround