My Grand daughter purchased an Amazon Gift card at Tesco Metro store for my Christmas gift. She received - Gift card in display pack and a receipt as shown below. I had several other Amazon gift vouchers as well - so I logged on and started entering the numbers. To ensure no mix up - I put one number in - sent the thank you - put the card to one side. Get to this particular card above and I receive an 'invalid number' message. Checked number and thought perhaps the 2 x 8's could perhaps be 'B' so re entered - still receiving the message invalid. Spent 20 minutes trying to find a way to make contact with Amazon. Click on button for them to ring me immediately. 1 hour + later, I still have not received a resolution. 1st I give him the code - nothing - he says because it has 5 digits at the end of the grouping that there is something wrong. How odd - all the other cards have the same grouping... 4 digits-6 digits-5 digits. The receipt shows quite clearly that the card has been activated properly - the reference numbers in barcodes and receipt all match up - so what is the problem ? I asked if he was telling me that Tesco Metro were selling dodgy cards ? or whether anyone else who had purchased an Amazon Card from Tesco Metro, would be having the same problem as I was ? I gave every reference number off the card/the packaging and receipt - The call ended with the Amazon rep saying he would call me back in a day or so with a resolution ? It was suggested that maybe I would need to get the sender to return to Metro to find out the problem - erm, no way am I going to tell my grand daughter that a gift she has given me has caused so much hassle !! So, in the event that I do not receive a satisfactory resolution within say 24-48 hours - what are my options ?

What on earth is happening with the Metro bank? The new bank which was going to put all the old traditional banks to shame. "Love your bank at last" is their motto but maybe it should be "Love your bank the last". We opened an account with the Metro a few years ago because they appeared to be full of promise and anxious to get away from the traditional model of unfair, inefficient, profit minded, conveyor belt customer treatment. We've had a pretty good experience with them over the years but this year it is all started to turn to a disaster. We are now finding that they are careless with personal data, unable to keep us informed of pin number changes or to send us the necessary bank cards with PIN numbers that work. Try to call them and you get bombarded with apologies – and "we know how you feel" and, do you mind if I call you by your first name – and "how do you feel today" as well as promises to call you back – which never seem to happen. We've now been without an active card against our account for over a month and still just getting promises. Right now, I received a promise that they would call me back within three minutes – but that was pretty well 10 minutes ago What a shame.. It was such a hopeful project. Maybe they become tired of being a good bank. There must be some explanation for this system's failings..

Hi All I opened an current account and cash card account with Metro bank in February 2013. The bank then chose to close the account without warning in summer 2014. I then had a refund from a retailer go back into that account around a month later so they opened up the account in order for me to have them transfer the refund to my account which they did with no problems. The account I assume would then have been closed again, as thats what the customer service rep told me. When checking my credit file, Metro bank is still showing - is this correct or should it be removed from my credit file? There are no defualts on the account it is just marked as closed.

I popped in to a Metro Bank branch in South London recently to open a business instant access deposit account. Their website says "No Metro Bank Business current account is required." They tried to sell me their business current account, which is not free unless you have more than £5,000. When I refused, they asked me why I wanted an instant access account, and I told them that I just want a basic account. They said that you cannot make an online transfer out unless you have another Metro bank account, so I opened a personal current account, and I was accepted for that, but a credit check was made, so it affected my credit rating. The business instant access account needed to be approved by a business manager. I called him the next working day. I work as a professional but I am not a member of a professional body (it is not illegal in the industry that I work in). He said they can't open an account because of this reason. I submitted further paperwork to his colleagues by visiting the branch (which is not in my home town) and waiting for about 25 minutes, after convincing him over the phone that would be acceptable to open an account. He then called me the next day saying that the account will not be opened because I will be using the business instant access account as a business current account and that I will be using it to deposit payments from customers He also said that they have a right to close it if I do. Nowhere does it say in the terms and conditions that you cannot use it as such. Also, their Account features state that you can use it as follows: • Receive electronic payments (CHAPS, BACS, faster payments, SWIFT, standing orders and internal transfers) • Pay in cash and cheques He also said that I cannot use the account to make an online transfer to my personal current account, even though I was informed by the customer service adviser who opened my personal current account that I could. To add insult to injury, I asked him to send me a letter or email saying why he is refusing to open the account, but he wouldn't do that, saying "we don't send out these letters." They have wasted my time. The business manager didn't say at first that a business current account was required. The excuse he gave me for not opening the account at first was that I was not a member of a professional body. Now he says you can't use the business instant access account as a current account, even though their website says that you don't need a business current account to open an instant access account. I made a formal complaint by telephone to the business centre. I explained what happened, but they defended him. They said he had the discretion to refuse to open an instant access account if it was to be used as a business current account. I challenged them to tell me the exact clause in their terms and conditions, but they couldn't find it. This is ridiculous. Why does he have full discretion? What if someone made a complaint against him? Now I am left with a credit check, which was made for a personal current account that was missold, and no business instant access account. Please do not trust anything this bank says about this account. They will try and sell you a business current account to make money out of you from charges, and they will refuse opening the instant access account by saying you cannot use it as a current account, even though there are no restrictions as such in their terms and conditions.

Hi there, A few days or so ago I received a £60 parking charge while parked at the Metro Centre, Gateshead. The charge will be reduced to £30 if paid within 14 days. The ticket was received due to parking in a disabled bay apparently with no blue badge visible. My girlfriend is actually registered disabled due to arthritis and has a blue badge which we always use and we visit the Metro Centre approximately 4 or 5 days a week. On this occasion our 5 week old baby was restless and we quickly parked up in order to see to her needs inside. I`m not sure if I left out the badge or not, but when we returned back to the car we had a parking ticket, but the badge was on the floor, again not sure if I left it out on a hurry and it fell off the dash or not. As previously mentioned, the ticket was for £60 or reduced to £30 if paid within 14 days. Having looked on their website the pictures do show our car although I must admit the quality of the images are really crap. They have a pic of the signage which again is crap, blurred and pixalated. As most of you will probably know, the car park is owned by Metro Centre and offers free parking. I would like to challenge this so I would appreciate any input. Thanks in advance.

So yesterday i took the metro in Newcastle to get to the mainline station to get a connection to edinburgh. However i only had notes in wallet and although with a full intention of buying a ticket i couldnt as the metro only has coin operated ticket machines. i was also travelling at 9.15 in the morning thereofre no shops were open where i could have got change from. subsequently while travelling ont he metro i was asked to show a ticket, obviously i couldnt and was given a £20 penalty notice. this also caused me to miss my connection and fork out £40 for new tickets even though we had set off with loads of time to spare and i got the feeling the attendant was being particularly slow on purpose causing me to miss my train. what are my chance of appeal against the fine and getting any sort of compensation? many thanks