Hello Everyone! ikea late fee charge?

[sweetgal]

Hello everyone, i'm new to this website and found it by chance in google after posting a question about ikea charges on my sisters card!

She is really stressed out as her job is stressful and its hard for her to follow up this ongoing problem! So I really would like to help her.

Basically in May 06, my sister got a charge of £20 for late payment on a transaction she made the previous month. She accepted that she forgot to pay this bill and sent the extra £20 fee ontop of the payment Of £34.90 for the goods she purchased. Bascially she payed the money into the bank before the request date but as it happens it then reached ikea financial service late as they say!
So they charged her another £20 fee ontop of this!

She refused to pay this further £20 as it is seemed very unfair since she had already sent the money for the first late payment fee! and especially as her items came up to £34.90. so intotal that meant that she would be paying £74.00 for one transaction starting at £34.90. hmmm

The bill now I think she said is over £100 and she refuses to pay this as she has sent letters to ikea, which they claim they never received and also faxes! (jokers) pitty she didn't do recorded delivery.

Anyway she finally spoke to someone with some manners who then told her if she payed the £20 fee they would wipe the rest of the debt.

She agreed she would do this because she was fed up of the whole situation, but after getting advice from a solicitor to make sure she gets this in writing from them (since they claim they have no records of her letters and fax)
another customer service person told her that it wouldn't be possible for them to send her this agreement in a letter and that she must send them the cheque first! (this seems very fishy to me) why cant they just write what the agreement is on paper in the form of a letter?

Ok basically after this my sister says without their letter stating this new agreement she will not pay?
I would love to get some information on what rights she has! Reading other threads they obviously have a problem with their postal address and customer service! its not like she didn't pay first late fee! and her credit history is good!

What action can she take before it becomes court matter!
please any information on how to deal with matter will be extreamly appreciated.

Thanks

Sweet c http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk...ons/icon11.gif

[Rooster-UK]

Hi Sweetgal, welcome to the family.

She needs to write to them.
Send a Data Protection Act SARs letter requesting details of all transactions on the account. Enclose the £10 fee. They then have 40 days to comply with the request. If you don't receive this information within 40 days, write again and point out that they have not complied with your SARs letter and that if they have not complied within the next seven days, you will lodge a formal complaint with the Information Commission Office.

Click in this link for the letter....

Edit the letter to suit your personal requirements. Also inform them that the account is now in dispute and no furtheer action may be taken on it until the dispute is resolved.

While you are waiting for the information to arrive, spend a couple of days reading the FAQs and the step by step guide in the library section. That will answer most of your questions.
Just remember that these penalty charges are unlawful and you WILL successfully claim them back, provided that you follow, faithfully, the well-tried and tested methods advocated on this site.


Good luck with your claim.

[sweetgal]

Thank you very much Rooster Uk! This is exactly the help I wanted!
I think I will have to do this for my sis as at the moment she teaches a year 6 class where 80% have behaviour desorders!

These companies do this because they know that people live stressful lives and don't have the time or knowledge to fight for their rights!

Well with my new found knowledge i intend to act fast! (As Bt says! Its good to talk)

I'll keep you posted with the outcomes!

[Bookworm]

And if you want to see how I did it

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk...highlight=ikea

I can proudly say I was the first!!!

[Rooster-UK]

Originally Posted by sweetgal

(As Bt says! Its good to talk)

Yes but keep your talking on paper. Keep copies of every letter you send to them and every reply you get from them.

It saves you the job of trying to remember what either side said, and you have a permanent copy in case of any dispute.

Good luck.