Solitary chicken - need advice

[redfrock]

Rung Sainsburys finance yesterday to cancel my credit card. I simply don't require it any more and I don't like having multiple cards sitting around unused, or accounts open that I don't require. The first person I spoke to was fine and said she was putting me through to an automated thing where I simply had to key in some bits and my card would be cancelled ....

 

..... no, I ended up speaking to Customer Loyalty. I explained I wanted to cancel my card. I was then asked why - explained I didn't need it. Do I have any other cards? Yes - one that I have had for years. He then proceeded to ask me numerous questions about my other card - when I explained that this wasn't relevant and I simply wanted to cancel my card he turned round and said 'it was a perfectly polite question' to which I replied that I had also given a perfectly polite reply, he then had the audacity to tell me 'I don't think so'! Now maybe I am getting crotchety in my old age but I was stunned that he had spoken to me like this when all I wanted to do was close my account. I really don't think my other banking details are of any relevance to this. I have to say I have fired off a complaint and told them to listen to the recording as I am that certain that I was polite.

 

Mind you Tesco weren't much better last year - they point blank refused to close my account and would only drop the credit limit!!! It took me 3 phone calls before I could get the account closed.

 

Yes I admit I am a card tart - we had a small debt that we moved around from when we bought the house and had to get some bits, but the debt is long gone and I simply don't need any cards apart from the one I have, that I use for internet purchases. But surely it is my right to cancel my accounts when I want!!

 

Sorry, early morning rant over!

Edited September 10, 2009 by Guest

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Quite right to complain . That's a shocking way to treat a customer . Of course you can cancel your cards and it's none of his business why (although I know they want to know ).

 

I hope you get a response.

[Egluntyne]

Quite right to complain!

 

I would have thought that he would have been trained to bend over backwards to try to keep your custom, not to be impertinent and make you even more determined to wave goodbye.

[Cinnamon]

I agree, you are quite right to complain.

 

I hate trying to close anything,as they are always so difficult about it.

Like you,I don't see that any other details about me,my life or my finances are anything to do with them

 

Sky are fun to deal with.You tell them you want to downgrade your package & each & every time they say 'Mrs ****, I can tell you don't really want to....can we offer you this instead'

Makes me mad.If I didn't really want to,I wouldn't be bloomin' well phoning up,would I?

[Jules.]

I have stated on the forum before that I don't like talking to companies on the phone

 

I always send a one line letter accompanied by the cut up card saying that I wish the account to be closed.

Had no problems with this.........yet

[Alis girls]

We had same prob when we closed Servicecare Gas thingy as they didnt honour agreement and it was money for old rope. A year later they called to see if we wanted to restart it and keep sending letters. itsall "why" etc - as I pointed out when our central heating broke down in winter and we rang early in the morning expecting as blurb said to get callout same day or at least next we were quoted 4-5 days, i have 2 kids both with mild asthma who in extreemes of temperature are chesty and myself too. Its none of their buisiness - well done you

[henriette]

I am so pleased that I am not the only one who likes to have an early morning rant - have to do it in the morning as I am usually too tired later in the day!!!!!

I have had similar problems in the past and do appreciate how you feel. Do hope the rest of your day goes well.

[Cate in NZ]

I'm sure that you weren't rude. I strongly suspect that companies try to make it as hard as possible for you to close accounts in the faint possibility that you might change your mind and use them again, either deliberately or by accident.

I had to close a whole heap of accounts for different things last year when we moved....unfortunately the line "we're moving to NZ and I really don't think that your services extend that far" didn't work with several of them, and I ended up more stressed with the grief of closing accounts than with pretty much anything else

Good luck with it, I hope the account is successfully closed now and good on you for complaining.

[Space Chick]

 

Sky are fun to deal with.You tell them you want to downgrade your package & each & every time they say 'Mrs ****, I can tell you don't really want to....can we offer you this instead'

Makes me mad.If I didn't really want to,I wouldn't be bloomin' well phoning up,would I?

 

Don't get me started on Sky

 

My Sky plus box broke down a couple of weeks ago, I had to fight to get an engineer out, they kept trying to tell me it was a scart lead problem and I should buy a new scart lead. IT WAS NOT A SCART LEAD PROBLEM!!!!!!!!! Then they charged my £69 for the privilege, replaced my box (as it WAS broken ) with a faulty box that broke down a day later, I then had to wait another 3 days for a new box, and now I can't get the sports channels and this has not been sorted out yet

 

So, I have been charged £69 for a call out, numerous pounds in phone calls, have paid for sky for a week and a half when I couldn't use it, and have been paying for sky sports for a further 2 weeks when I haven't even got it.

 

Do you think that they will refund any of my money

 

AAHHHHHHH!!!!

 

Rant over

[Couperman]

I have always found Sky customer service Ok. I phoned them recently to banjo Sky. The lady I spoke to was very understanding and we actually had a good laugh.

She did ask me if I wished to keep any of the channels to which I replied you can leave them all on if you like as long as the bill is £0 per month.

 

She said 'no problem Sir I can put you on our 'council telly' package, I have it at home and it's quite good value!'

 

I thought she was a bit naughty for the 'council telly' comment which could upset some people, but it was said in jest and I thought it quite funny, Sky probably wouldn't mind you.

 

I have 2 credit cards that I haven't used for years. I tried to close them yonks ago and met the same kind of resistance so I just paid them off and haven't used them since. I have had a couple of threatening letters stating that if I didn't use them they would be closed . They have obviously realised that's what I wanted and didn't go through with the threat. So now they have the expense of maintaining the accounts and sending me a statement of nil every now and then.

 

Kev.

[The Dogmother]

You are so right Claire, and knowing you, you would have been polite and firm.

 

I have had this too and just cancelled the lot.

 

I hope that you get a reply from Sainsos, but that may be a step too far.

[Valkyrie]

Pooh to bolshy pushy staff. We had problems with M&S similar to you. I decided to cut the card up and took it to a local branch because they wouldn't listen to me.

[majorbloodnock]

....He then proceeded to ask me numerous questions about my other card - when I explained that this wasn't relevant and I simply wanted to cancel my card he turned round and said 'it was a perfectly polite question' ......

 

Actually, that's wrong. It's an impolite question however politely he may have couched it. No-one likes divulging personal information, and ANY question that requests it is by extension impolite. It's generally accepted that we agree not to be offended if the person asking has a legitimate reason for making the request (such as a doctor asking about certain personal habits), but "I/we just want to know" is not legitimate, so feel free to be offended. You certainly provided more information than I would have done before pulling him up short.

 

All he needed to know was that you have one of his company's cards and that you want to cancel it. Anything else is none of his business, and it's rude to inquire.

[Clur]

 

My Sky plus box broke down a couple of weeks ago, I had to fight to get an engineer out, they kept trying to tell me it was a scart lead problem and I should buy a new scart lead. IT WAS NOT A SCART LEAD PROBLEM!!!!!!!!! Then they charged my £69 for the privilege, replaced my box (as it WAS broken ) with a faulty box that broke down a day later, I then had to wait another 3 days for a new box, and now I can't get the sports channels and this has not been sorted out yet

 

So, I have been charged £69 for a call out, numerous pounds in phone calls, have paid for sky for a week and a half when I couldn't use it, and have been paying for sky sports for a further 2 weeks when I haven't even got it.

 

Do you think that they will refund any of my money

 

AAHHHHHHH!!!!

 

Rant over

 

Whenever our Sky acts up, we ring up and ask them to cancel the whole package and tell them we're going to Freeview. That's prompted Sky to come out and fix the issue twice without it costing us anything! A tip worth remembering

[Valkyrie]

Ooh Clur - you little devil, you. I like your form of gentle persuasion!

[missuscluck]

Not rude at all. Its sometimes impossible to cancel anything and they can push you so hard untill the only way is rude.

Its not on that you are badgerd to change your mind when you want to cancel anything it makes me so

I have had this experiance quite a few times with insurers and telephone providers.

[Yorkshire Pudding]

You weren't rude, but he was!

 

I hate this type of treatment on the phone. Cold callers are my worst offenders - the telephone preference service is supposed to keep them away and I make sure to re-register with it every so often, but still I get some calls.

 

One delightful (NOT) young man wanted to know all the details of our mortgage and personal finances 'because I am certain that we can save you some money every month'.

 

I gave him my standard reply, that I don't discuss my personal finances with strangers who have cold-called me, that I shouldn't be receiving the cold call in the first place, and I would not be using any service from a company who had done so... he had the nerve to tell me I was 'very foolish' not to take him up on his kind offer. I cut him short and put the phone down. Blooming cheek.

[bluekarin]

I agree - you were not rude. He was. I'd definitely complain. Did you get his name? I hate it when you get calls from utility companies asking if you want to save money so they make you feel daft for saying no. What! You don't want to save money! Makes me mad

 

As for TPS; we are signed up to this but some companies have started doing surveys to get round the TPS rules My sister had one and she waited until the end and called the company. When they asked how may I help you she said I'd like to know how to get my name removed from your waiting list. He then hung up! She is doubly furious about it as her phone is ex directory. Only BT know it and if she buys anything its on her works number. So the only way anyone is getting her number is via BT.

 

I think I shall try re-registering and see if that makes a difference.

[The Dogmother]

I re-register on a regular basis and they still get through.

[majorbloodnock]

...She is doubly furious about it as her phone is ex directory. Only BT know it and if she buys anything its on her works number. So the only way anyone is getting her number is via BT...

 

That's not entirely true. There are two other ways that immediately spring to mind, and I've been on the receiving end of both.

 

Firstly, a number is only ex-directory after you've requested it, and then only for as long as you retain that number. If you requested your number to become ex-directory, any records cold callers have of that number will still be accurate whether you like it or not. If you asked for a new number, and for that number to be ex-directory, the chances are that your new number wasn't ex-directory under its old incument, so any cold callers with slightly out of date records ringing the old incumbent will still get you (that's the one that got me).

 

Secondly, many cold calling companies use devices called war diallers. They're illegal in this country, but they just use them abroad and make international phone calls. Basically, war diallers work by being given a starting number and a range. They then dial the first number and, if they get an answer, connect one of their sales bods to the line to continue the conversation. The war dialler then increments the number by 1 and dials again, repeating the process until it has reached the end of its range. All numbers in the range are dialled, whether they're ex-directory or not.

[The Dogmother]

Secondly, many cold calling companies use devices called war diallers. They're illegal in this country, but they just use them abroad and make international phone calls. Basically, war diallers work by being given a starting number and a range. They then dial the first number and, if they get an answer, connect one of their sales bods to the line to continue the conversation. The war dialler then increments the number by 1 and dials again, repeating the process until it has reached the end of its range. All numbers in the range are dialled, whether they're ex-directory or not.

 

I get these a lot.... if there's no sales person available the other end, then the line goes dead. Very frustrating!

[bluekarin]

...She is doubly furious about it as her phone is ex directory. Only BT know it and if she buys anything its on her works number. So the only way anyone is getting her number is via BT...

 

That's not entirely true. There are two other ways that immediately spring to mind, and I've been on the receiving end of both.

 

Firstly, a number is only ex-directory after you've requested it, and then only for as long as you retain that number. If you requested your number to become ex-directory, any records cold callers have of that number will still be accurate whether you like it or not. If you asked for a new number, and for that number to be ex-directory, the chances are that your new number wasn't ex-directory under its old incument, so any cold callers with slightly out of date records ringing the old incumbent will still get you (that's the one that got me).

 

Secondly, many cold calling companies use devices called war diallers. They're illegal in this country, but they just use them abroad and make international phone calls. Basically, war diallers work by being given a starting number and a range. They then dial the first number and, if they get an answer, connect one of their sales bods to the line to continue the conversation. The war dialler then increments the number by 1 and dials again, repeating the process until it has reached the end of its range. All numbers in the range are dialled, whether they're ex-directory or not.

 

That's really interesting, I didn't know that. I shall pass it onto my sister. We also get the silent calls. If anyone phones now and its an automated one with a recorded message I just put the phone on the table and go off and do something else.

[Cinnamon]

..........and why do they always phone at 9 at night?

 

I have been having a lot from a company I have a store card with,telling me that they have great concerns about card fraud & I should take out an insurance policy with them.

 

I told them that they could stuff their card if they continued calling me (it was every day,for over a week,including Sundays)

I also told them that I did not respond to cold callers, & they said that they were not cold callers as I had willingly given them my details when I took the store card out.

In my book any unsolicited phone call is a cold call,especially when I am in my dressing gown!

 

But I KNOW that I made sure they were not to contact me by phone when I took the card out

[bluekarin]

..........and why do they always phone at 9 at night?

 

I have been having a lot from a company I have a store card with,telling me that they have great concerns about card fraud & I should take out an insurance policy with them.

 

I told them that they could stuff their card if they continued calling me (it was every day,for over a week,including Sundays)

 

I KNOW that I made sure they were not to contact me by phone when I took the card out too

 

Or just as you've got to go and get the kids from school I'm going back to screening calls and not bother rushing for them. Just better make sure I tell friends and family so they know. Otherwise they'll think we are screeningthem. Maybe we are . . . .

[Guest]

Yeah I've done the same with Sky - just threaten to cancel and they will fix it for nothing. Phone every 6 months or so to downgrade the packae too - they usually offer you some free months to stick.