New Day Card Services

Totanus

Not sure where to go with this one so any advice would be much appreciated;

I purchased a chair from Laura Ashley just over a year ago and took out a credit card to take advantage of a discount. I paid the full balance off before incurring interest and haven't used the card since.

The chair ended up being returned and I eventually received full credit from Laura Ashley (although not before having to get the Furniture Ombudsman involved, but that's another story!). The full £750 had to be credited back to my Laura Ashley credit card.

I have been trying since the 28th August to close this account and have the £750 credit balance transferred to my current account. Despite calling the 0844 number at least 7 times I am making no progress! The company involved is called New Day (based in Leeds).

I have confirmed my bank details every time I have rung. Bar one time, every other call has elicited the promise to have the money transferred "within 5 working days". The exception was when the rep said that as this was an exceptional circumstance, he could "ensure that my case would be moved to the front of the queue the next working day" and I would have my money "within 24 hours". Needless to say, absolutely nothing happened.

Another rep trotted out the usual profuse apology and offered £12.00 by way of compensation (my balance is now £762 so at least this has happened!). She finished off with the usual promise to have the money transferred within 5 working days.

The second time I called, the rep asked without prompting if I would like a complaint to be logged. I said yes. I subsequently received a letter from New Day a couple of weeks later which, in effect, acknowledges the complaint. There is no reference number on the letter (which is actually dated 3rd October).

I put my complaint in writing on the 16th October. I have had no response to this letter.

I rang the Financial Ombudsman yesterday. Basically, they will do nothing without a reference number having first been issued and dated by New Day. They will then only get involved if the issue has still not been resolved 8 weeks after this date.

I have just put the phone down from ringing New Day again (another 27 minute call!). After going through the usual rigmorole of explaining what the issue was, I tried to get a reference number relating to my complaint made on the 11th September. Unfortunately, the rep could not find one for that date. He did say that an official complaint had been logged on the 21st October and gave me the reference for this. He also said that the issue had been referred to the "complex services department" for resolution and he could do nothing further.

I'm at my wits end with this and I seem to be getting even further from resolution as I'm now in New Day's bureaucratic complaints procedure!

What they are doing has to be illegal? I need the money to pay off another card balance (we bought a replacement chair on my M&S card). I'm now incurring interest as a result.

Has anybody come up against this New Day outfit before? They are utterly incompetent....or completely without morals (probably both!)

Archi_Bald

Why not just spend £762 on the card?

Totanus

Because I wanted to get the benefits associated with spending on my M&S credit card. Anyway, why I did it is irrelevant. I should be able to close an account and have any credit balance transferred immediately. That's the point.

edit...I can't make a payment against my M&S card by using the credit balance on my Laura Ashley card. M&S will only accept payments via debit card, not another credit card.....if that's what you're getting at.

scott_lithgows

I,m with Arch on this,use the card for organised spending eg Shopping,petrol etc and use the cash you would have spent on these items to pay into M&S,you can pay large amounts into your CC over the counter in there.
Or balance transfer it out of m&s and give yourself 12+ months to sort it out

You have a point but it,s costing you interest.

EarthBoy

Totanus wrote: »

The chair ended up being returned and I eventually received full credit from Laura Ashley (although not before having to get the Furniture Ombudsman involved, but that's another story!).

I never knew there was such a person as the Furniture Ombudsman! What sort of complaints do they deal with?

scott_lithgows

EarthBoy wrote: »

I never knew there was such a person as the Furniture Ombudsman! What sort of complaints do they deal with?

And who is the chair-man?;)