Homebase store card - beware!

Lucifa42

Just want to warn people about the Homebase card should they be offered it.

We recently bought some garden furniture from Homebase and was offered a 0% interest buy now pay later deal with their card, along with £60 of vouchers.
While I'm always wary of these things, I thought 6 months of no interest was nice and we could definitely use the vouchers so we signed up.
The card arrived and it went straight in the drawer, we have no plans to use it. I set a reminder in my calendar for 5 months time to pay it off and they do send a letter telling you the deal is almost up and what happens next any way. All good.

The first statement arrives and I check it to find it's not been put through as a buy now pay later deal at all, it's been put through as a normal credit card purchase requiring monthly payments at 29.9% interest.

Also the vouchers that arrived were not as described. They were said to be like gift cards, I could spend £60 in store, use these and not have to pay anything.
They are not, they are just a variety of "spend 150 and get 25 off" vouchers which are only a tiny bit better than the 10% off everything in the store deals they always do!

So in the end, I've just paid off the balance, cancelled the card and will probably bin the near useless vouchers.

rock-on_2

I had a similar problem with Currys a while ago. Bought a laptop on what was supposed to have been a 'buy now, pay later' deal. The salesman assured me I paid the deposit and there was nothing further to pay for 6 months and as long as I paid before then, there would be no interest and no direct debit payments.

I went away on holiday but when I checked my bank statement online, I was horrified that some credit company had taken an instalment for the laptop. If I had been at home I would have gone hotfoot back to the shop and asked what they thought they were playing at.

The whole thing went into dispute. I was getting harassing calls from the credit company who were Creation Finance so when I got back I formally complained in writing, although I had already complained verbally while I was on holiday.

Currys eventually paid £75 as a gesture of goodwill, Creation eventually had to pay £100 compensation for the harassment but only after the intervention of the FOS.

If you get the chance, call into the shop again and query everything you were told. If they tell you something you know not to be true then make a complaint. I know it can be lengthy but these people making misleading offers should be queried and should be made to pay for the aggravation caused. If you have paid anything extra as in interest, then claim it back you do have the right to do that.

piemaeu

wow! I'd complain. You were mis-sold the product AND this will have left a credit inquiry on your credit reference files. You wouldn't have had the search if you knew the truth.

I would complain and have the searches removed, and ask for compensation. not shoddy gift vouchers at a shop which is going down the sh*tter

RichL74

I take it you have all the paperwork which says you have six months interest free from when you originally signed up in the store?