BHS Aggressively and Covertly Trying to Sell OAPs Store Cards – Who do I complain to?

Valli

In fact - title should be

BHS Aggressively and Covertly Trying to Sell [STRIKE]OAPs [/STRIKE]Store Cards – Who do I complain to?

and the answer is BHS in the first instance, then the Financial Ombudsman.

mo786uk

Basically you wont be able to prove they have a company policy of misleading consumers unless you have data to back it up - either lots of other peopel ocmplaining on a forum or access to ocmplaints data made to a regulatory body. In the abscence of either of those it is just an isolated incident.

Complain to Trading Standards that you feel your mother was misled but don;t necessarily expect anything to happen if its an isolated case and you nwo cannot prove anything.

There are rules on affordability and irresponsible lending and pressure selling but you wont be able to prove any of that.

Effectivley from a civil position there is not a lot you can do. You coudl possibly get an apology by complaining to BHS and then the FOS.

Dasa

I had a similar thing happen to me. I was persuaded to apply for one of these cards, spent ages doing it, and then was declined over the phone at the desk, according to them my address didn't exist. I was mortified and embarrassed and the lady felt bad so she gave me the discount anyway. Two weeks later the card dropped on the doorstep. I rang them up and told them I didn't want it and why and they couldn't care less. I would be surprised if BHS last much longer, there's never anyone in the one near us when I walk past.

opinions4u

Shop tries to save customer £30.

Customer gets confused.

Next please.

R_P_W

If OP mum thought she was signing up for a 'loyalty' card only - how were the goods paid for?

withabix

BHS cashiers ask ALL customers if they want a store card.

photome

WD40 wrote: »

I'm sure there are people in their hundreds who are financially savvy (there's a Wall St trader who's 104, according to a documentary I saw). The point is that she was being offered a Barclaycard credit card, the only difference between that and a credit card being that it's only valid in one shop.

It's obviously company policy to deny it being a 'credit card'. The whole setup stinks, quite frankly.

She was lied to, fact. The person who did it seriously deserves a punch in the face. If it had been a man, I would personally do it and take whatever consequences. The bad publicity resulting from any subsequent legal action they might take would be my revenge. I'm just gutted it's not a man.

WD40 wrote: »

She wouldn't be able to discern between a store card and a credit card - to her they're the same thing. In fact, to anyone they're the same thing - hence 'Barclaycard' processing the card.

It's blatant dishonesty. Do you have shares in BHS?

I'm finding it pretty amazing that there are so many here who are prepared to defend BHS's obfuscating behaviour...

Unbelievable that you think violence is the answer.

If she couldnt discern the difference and they told her it was a store card( we only have the word of a little old lady who has no clue about anything financial) why did she sign up?

Maybe a session down the gym taking it out on a punchbag would help

gglaze

There seems to be a lot of focus on the age/gender point of the OP here, and a lot less on the actual point which was that calling a credit card a "store card" can be confusing, not just to old ladies. Just wanted to point out that there are many viable reasons for this to be confusing, and in my opinion unfair, to certain segments of consumers that aren't as easy to identify by just looking at them.

For example, I am a 30-something man, but I was not brought up here in the UK. Like many of your odd terms and customs, it was not exactly clear to me what was meant by "store card" until I read this thread, although I had some clue. Yes, we have the same concept in my country, but I don't think we use that term, and I don't think we would call it anything that implies it is not a credit card. I could be wrong. But I certainly sympathize with the OP - I'm neither old nor a lady, but I can see how this is unfair, especially if the question "is it a credit card" was directly answered with "NO, it is a store card". I can read all the T&Cs you throw at me, but when deceptive and confusing terminology is used like this, it's just too likely some customers will be duped. Those of you who grew up with this terminology all your life take it for granted that this can be confusing and misleading to others. I'm not saying foreigners and old people and whoever else should be able to use ignorance as an excuse - but it's certainly not helpful if the staff of a store are misleading customers. I'm not sure if there are specific regulations/laws in this country to prevent such behavior, but there should be.

_Andy_

Sorry, but I fail to see what is 'confusing' - it's quite clearly a credit agreement which would explain such things as APR.

Whilst I agree that staff should never refer to it as something it isn't, I don't have much sympathy for people that sign something that's obviously a credit agreement, and/or blindly signing something without bothering to read it.

gglaze

Again, I suppose it's no excuse, but... this was in a store, in the queue, checking out, waiting to pay - and as the OP said, the store clerk basically filled the agreement out for her - so presumably there wasn't much in-depth reviewing of T&Cs going on here. Are you the guy who holds up the queue at the store while everyone waits behind you and watches you taking 20 minutes to read thoroughly through the T&Cs before signing up for the store card to save 30 pounds?

Again, yes I know it's really no excuse - of course we should all read everything before we sign.