Help with Grattan and my new account!

angelcake

Hi, Hope someone can advise me! - think this is the right board!

I ordered something from Grattan, used the "first time buyer" code which enabled you £15 off your first order. I wasn't aware of the £40 minimum order value and ordered something for £30. When I received my first statement I phoned to find out why the £15 hadn't been deducted, I was told that once I order something over £10 to make it up to £40 then I will have the discount! After all this I pay the £30 owing and go off to order something else. In the meantime my payment is late so I get charged £20. I phone up and ask because of the confusion can I have the charge dropped. They said no - which I understood as my fault and left it. The second order I place doesn't turn up I look on the website, it says cancelled! - first I heard of it so I contact the company by email:

Please can you advise why my last order of a duvet cover was cancelled? I think this is very professional as I was not informed at all but only when I looked on here to find out why I have not received it?!?!

I get this reply:

Thank you for your e-mail enquiry.

Your order was cancelled due to your account being in arrears.

Once your the next statement is despatched showing your payments have been brought up to date, you will be able to continue to order on your account.

Although no letter was sent to you regarding the cancellation, the arrears are shown on your statement.

If you have any further queries please e-mail again.
When replying to this e-mail, please attach your original e-mail to ensure a speedy and accurate response.

Alison Johnson
Grattan Customer Services

I was angry that I hadn't been told it was cancelled! so I wrote them a pooey email:

I had spoken to someone with regards to this! My account is not in arrears I paid the £30 I was supposed to after speaking to one of your members of staff who told me I had to order something else to receive the £15 discount for being a first time customer! I waited to receive confirmation about the conversation but was slapped with a charge for £20!! I am absolutely disgusted with the way I am being treated so will pay the £20 because I have to but I hope it is worth losing a customer and "word of mouth" friends over it who will be too scared to order anything in case they get charged £20!! Shame really as I had bookmarked a whole load of items from your "nursery range" for my new baby!
I could have been ordering all this stuff and not receiving it!! A letter would have been courtesey to explain why, you send enough junk mail out to have been able to include a little note!

I received this:

Thank you for your email regarding your account.

To be entitled to the £15 off your first order, a minimum order value of £40.00 is required.

The above information is stated on the Terms and Conditions on our website and in the back of your catalogue.

The reminding fee will not be removed from your account, as previously advised.

Reminding fees are issued to Customers who do not keep up with repayments, on goods ordered in good faith.

If Customers fall behind with payments, we reserve the right to impose an administration charge, to cover the costs of any action we may take.

The item was despatched on the 31/05/05, you were first billed for the item on 03/07/On statement 2 you were advised, the account was in arrears and if a payment was not made, a reminding fee of £20.00 would be added to your account.

We received your payment on the 02/09/05.

Am I wrong to feel angry about this email, (I am asking advise as I am pregnant and hormonal!!:rolleyes: ) I wasn't told my reminding fee was going to be cancelled but now she has said that it will now not be as advised?? also I can detect a tone of attitude which is annoying me!

so I sent back this:

After speaking to a member of your staff I was made aware of the fact that you have to have a £40 minimum order spend! that is not the issue! I had maintained that and was told that if I made another order to the value of £10 or more then I shall have the discount - which I had agreed with. I also agreed that I would have had to pay the charge as the payment was late. I was never told that the charge will be removed so how can this have been previously advised?? and if you are now saying this The reminding fee will not be removed from your account, as previously advised. Then why is it not being removed now?? I know what I ordered and know what my account is on, the payment of your charge of £20 is Not overdue as I have not received my statement, the last payment I made was for £30 when the minimum payment could have been £12!!

The fact I ordered under £40 and expected the £15 off was clearly a mistake for which I understood once I had been told. My only query recently was where was my order next order? my account was not in arrears when I placed the order.

What d'ya think? I know I have been attitudey with her but I was annoyed and she gets paid to keep customers happy without attitude!

IvanOpinion

angelcake wrote:

I was never told that the charge will be removed so how can this have been previously advised?? and if you are now saying this The reminding fee will not be removed from your account, as previously advised. Then why is it not being removed now??

I think this bit is all in how you read the sentence. It is clumsily worded but they are saying the charge will NOT be removed - which is what they advised you (whereas you seem to be reading it as contrary to previous advice we will NOT be removing the charge)

What d'ya think? I know I have been attitudey with her but I was annoyed and she gets paid to keep customers happy without attitude!

You could keep going round and round in circles for a few weeks here and getting yourself all upset or you could chalk it up to one of lifes little experiences and move on. The other alternative is to send a POLITE email to the CEO explaining facts and figures, including the text of previous communications and asking him/her to remove the £20 reminding charge as a gesture of good will.

Ivan

angelcake

hi, Thanks for taking the time to read it! I haven't sent the last email yet, I stopped because I don't know if I am looking too much into it! I thought her to be rude! shall I print the earlier communication off and send it to head office with a letter (hopefully someone can help me word?) or just leave it?

I am not bothered either way....well not too much but just feel annoyed at her tone!

hjb123

If you can I would send a copy of all correspondence to the head office or whoever you are sending it to. Its not on what they are putting you through!

Good luck for the baby!

H

angelcake

Thank you H, I can usually deal with things quite well but I must blame the hormones for something! its good to get a few opinions!

What should I put in the letter? not too good at wording things!

Epiphone

Pay it and move on, there's lots more catalogues out there. Concentrate on your baby and buy some clothes from a company that deserves your custom

hjb123

Just put in the letter everything that has happened and what you want them to do about it. One thing that might get them donig something about it is saying that you are also sending a copy of the same letter to trading standards and the local paper!

greenwich

Angel, I'm sure you know deep down that, however angry you feel now, this will all seem trivial a few weeks from now. So don't let it get to you and enjoy your pregnancy (yes, you can guess I'm a man ).

As for the £20, I'm pretty sure they're not allowed to get away with that. There have been several discussions in the past few weeks since I jonied up here about banks charging fees for late payment and the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999. Do a search (which I am sure you know how to do as you're a long-standing member) and read up about that. I'd be surprised if you can't get your £20 back.

angelcake

thanks everyone! it won't take long to print it out and type a letter. It wasn't the £20 I was disputing but it would be good to get not have to pay it!! I have not sent the last email yet so will leave it and surprise the silly idiot who thought it ok to talk to a customer like that with contact from the head office!

RichyRich

Just in case you need it Grattan's address is:

Grattan plc
Anchor House
Ingleby Road
Bradford
BD99 7XG

I used to work in the Grattan call centre - slavedrivers they are. They care about as much about their staff as they do about their customers.

loobyloose

I had the same problem with them, i opted for 50 weeks, they charged me for 20 weeks, i couldnt afford it and told them, they said pay the said amount equalling for 50 weeks and we'll sort it out this end. Well they didnt and charged me £15 for being in arrears, they are bloody !!!!!!! they wont listen. good luck.