Claiming Charges from Argos Card

Ex-Spendaholic

2nd offer from Argos was £120. I wrote back saying I wouldn't accept it. They wrote back saying it was their final offer. I have now referred it on to the ombudsman. Anyone went this route with Argos?

lozzer1701

hello there,
sorry for butting in and hijacking this thread, but i'm in the process of reclaiming charges off my argos card. i received a letter off them today, and as well as needing to know how best to proceed/ other peoples thoughts, i thought some of what they have said might be of interest (i'm assuming similar providers will come out with the same sort of thing-and so it will be helpful for anyone who hasn't had a response to their query yet to know what they are likely to receive, and how to deal with it...well, that was the plan, anyway...:p)

As referred to in your letter, the OFT has issued a statement following its review of 8 credit card provided. The OFT's statement sets out its view of the principle credit card issuers (not store card issuers) should follow in setting default charges. As a store card provider we have not been involved in the discussions between the credit card companies and the OFT

.......As part of having an Argos card....we have the right to recover the costs incurred by us dealing with your default if you fail to make a payment when it falls due....

......We value our relationship with our customers and always endeavour to resolve enquiries and complaints as positively as possible. Having reviewed your account we are unable to offer a refund of feeshowever as a gesture of goodwill we are prepared to offer you £12 to be credited to her (their words, not mine!!) account. Our offer is made without admission of liability and in full settlement of all claims you have against us in relation to the default fees on your account...

...If you accept this offer please sign and date the attached copy letter and return within 14 days....

At this point i'll put my hands up and admit that i simply forgot about a couple of payments- but when you've got a mass of huge household bills to pay anda partner who's dumped the responsibility of sorting it out all on your shoulders (different story), i'll defy anyone not to let the odd thing slip. my main beef with Argos, however centres on the following-

-my minimum payment was less than £2.50 on both occassions, so charging £12 seems even more excessive and disproportionate. a bit of extra interest i could have lived with, but this?
-the payment was made as soon as i realised what i'd done- so proving i had every intention of paying
-the entire balance is small, compared to what credit limit i have

so...
-if argos aren't (or are at least worried by) bound by any discussions the OFT are having, why did they drop their charges to the £12 level in the first place?
-i've already emailed them on several occassions about this (i didn't ring customer services as i'd only end up yelling at someone-which seeing as i'm a bit fragile, would'nt have done me and my health any good at all), only to be told that they could do nothing about it as the charges are 'system generated'. does this mean their staff gets paid more than a solicitor for stuffing a computer printout into an envelope?
-if they cannot refund the charges (2 x £12 = 24), how can they come up with a £12 'goodwill' gesture (as if by magic), which also happens to match in amount their fee?

i'm not saying i've done nothing wrong, but charging me the amount they have for the minimum amount i owed seems utterly ridiculous. i know i'm not in the same league as people who owe hundreds if not thousands- but if this helps to highlight the ridiculousness of these fees, then all the better. as if the interest rate on the argos card isn't high enough!! I was under the impression that the only reason that any legislation that allowed charges was in principle to penalise people who ran up huge debts that had no intention of paying them. don't think i'm one of them....yet i'm being treated in exactly the same way, which seems completely unfair (i'm sure there are plenty of others here in the same boat, with other store cards).

sorry for going on a bit. if anyone suggestions or thoughts to add....

natweststaffmember

Some people are under the impression that the OFT asking the Credit Card companies to drop their charges to £12 or they will take regulatory action is in fact a legal obligation and that £12 is the legal amount they can charge. It is not.

lozzer1701

it's getting silly now. i sent a payment to clear off some of my balance like they requested, but it looks like it's crossed with their stupid system, so they've now effectively charged me a total of £36 for 2 missed payments of less than £2.50 (not one after the other, i might add.):eek: it's effectively doubled the balance that was on the card. them wanting to claim back any fees they might incur is one thing, but this seems heavy-handed in the extreme considering the amount of money involved as far as my balance/minimum payments are concerned. i feel like i'm being treated in exactly the same way as someone who owes hundreds, if not thousands of pounds, who has no intention of paying. as i've already said, it may not be much money in comparison to alot of other people's claims, but every little bit matters to me at the minute. this is starting to make me feel sick with worry...surely they don't have the right to do this?

Ex-Spendaholic

Success at last!

I first asked for a list of charges back in April. They messed me about referring me to different departments etc.

Finally got a list in August.

Sent various letters and got offers of £80 and £120 - accepted none of them.

Set the Ombudsman on them and they have come through with the full amount of £248.50. :j I did ask for interest which they haven't offered but I'm delighted to accept as this one has been kicking about for long enough.

So for anyone dealing with Argos don't give up.