Littlewoods Direct

[Freakin' Out]

Hi everyone. Having a problem with Littlewoods Direct. In July of 2007, we ordered a laptop on BNPL (November 2008). This was a birthday present for my wife but the delivery date altered twice. Because the delivery date was unnacceptable, we cancelled the order and bought one from high street store cash 0 same one in fact and £150 cheaper!!!

 

The problem arose in November 2008 when we noticed this had been added to our account??? We telephoned and was told it was on its way - this was in 2008!!!!

 

We asked the person on the end of the line to check again - "Oh she said, that was 2007!!" - she then saw that we had cancelled it and confirmed this.

 

The next month, there it was again, added to our balance, interest added per month and minimum payment increased (we always paid off more than the minimums anyway)

 

Another phone call and we were told it was ok again!!!

 

Next month the same thing - only this time we were told to put it in writing to their accounts section - we did.

 

Had a standard reply in early December saying they are looking into it - heard nothing since!!!

 

Januarys bill arrives, its still there, interest ion this fictitious £499 debt still being charged, min payment higher than it should be.

 

We wroteanother later giving Littlewoods Direct until 21st January to sort it or we would be taking this higher. 21st January has arrived, nothing from Littlewoods so any suggestions as to where we go next?

 

At our wits end here - we only owe a couple of hundred pounds but they say we owe almost £700??

[Freakin' Out]

this forum doesnt seem very helpful - so many requests with so few replies!!! We only come to these places because we are seeking help.

[kiptower]

sometimes posts get missed , it has been brought to the attention of the site team , just keep checking for a response

[Freakin' Out]

Thank you

[ukaviator]

Hello Freakin'out

 

Apologies for not being answered quickly on this issue.

 

I fear if I start talking about customer services at Littlewoods, I may never be able to stop, but I'll try to control myself.

 

I'd describe the customer service as terrible to non-existant. When you phone them they pass you from one department to another until someone along the line decides to hang up on you. Alternatively, if you do actually manage to get through to the 'right' person, they have no interest in listening to anything you have to say, they just insist on repeating the exact same irrelevant twaddle (which they're clearly reading off a computer screen) at you until either you give up or they get annoyed that you dare try and get a word in edgeways and start shouting at you. Either way phoning them never accomplishes anything.

 

So then there's the option of emailing them. Wait up to 3 weeks for a reply (that's if you're going to get one - sometimes they just completely ignore their emails), which is inevitably an automated email which has nothing to do with anything, get annoyed at the incompetent fools who must work in the customer service department, and try again. If you're lucky you'll get a real non-automated response after the 4th or 5th try, but it still rarely addresses the problem.

 

Writing to them is just as bad. They ignore letters and if you email them or ring them mentioning the letters you've sent they insist that they've never received them, and are sometimes arrogant to the point of telling you you're lying about having sent the letter in the first place. It's all just more and more hassle.

 

When it comes to sorting out problems (and believe me, if you shop with them you WILL have problems somewhere along the line), they're absolutely useless. No-one seems to have a clue what they're doing, they say they've sorted the problem when they haven't, and then the next time you contact them they have no record of you ever having contacted them in the first place. It's a complete nightmare.

 

I have suggested in the past to call into Littlewoods customer services and ask for the accounts dept, and then ask for the person in charge to talk to you. Ask them for their complaints procedure, that sometimes gets them sitting up right in their chairs but not always. Tell them again the problem, without losing your cool. If you can record the call it may help in the future.

 

My worry is now that the confusion in the accounts dept, may escalate into a debt collection company getting involved trying to collect on a debt you don't owe. I know its frustrating, they'd be better off employing a shoal of dead fish for all the sense you get out of them. Let us know how you get on.

[Freakin' Out]

Right, this is long but sorted. I hope sincerely that this will help anyone having a problem with Littlewoods Home Shopping.

 

After contacting a few places looking for help in sorting this problem out, all failed to offer any decent help, I decided to go to the top.

 

I found the names of three "powerful" names in the Littlewoods heirarchy and wrote to them stating the problem, the attempts I have made to sort it, quoting the Mail Order Protection Act and the threats that I am willing to take in order to sort this out.

 

I then sent FOUR letters, all recorded delivery so they would have to be signed for....these were sent to...

 

Mr Alistair McGeorge (Chief Executive Officer)

Mrs Susan Murray (Managing Director)

Mr Alan White (Financial Director)

Customer Services Manager

 

The first three named above were sent to

 

Littlewoods Shop Direct - Skyways house - Estuary Commerce Park - Speke Road - Speke - Liverpool - L70 1AB

 

The customer services one was sent to the normal address which is the Innovations Centre (address can be found online) and was only sent to them to let them know that I meant business.

 

Today I found out that the debt has gone, the interest overpaid has been recredited to the account and the minimum payments adjusted.

 

I am unsure (as this was found out only after phoning them after getting the latest bill and complaining as it is still showing all the incorrect information) as to whether anyone has apologised. The computer got the blame for this latest bill being sent out as the information sorting it has only come through today - so they say.

 

So, if you are having problems with Littlewoods, I wish you well, use the above information and make sure you record the letters.

[LoopyLou22]

Hi there,

 

thanks for the info on my thread, glad you have managed to sort your probs out with them

 

Just wondered if you had a template of the letters that you wrote to these people you have mentioned?

I'm totally fed up with them and really need to get this sorted out

 

Many thanks,

 

Jen

[Freakin' Out]

Hi Jen

 

nope I was just a normal customer who was being treated badly and unfairly so I make my own letters up.

 

I have had cause to complain before to mail order places and so after the initial enquiries fail then I find out the bosses and always go direct to them.

 

I knew I was right and told them I was prepared to take my complaint ANYWHERE to get justice.

 

All I can suggest is, if you don't get any satisfaction then contact local press, local radio, maybe then the nationals and tv such as Watchdog (but in all honesty I reckon the tv shows are not that good unless thee are thousand who complain about the same thing and then they never really follow things through)

 

In cases of companies going bust though, I really don't know what you can do as I have never experienced problems in that field.

 

Just see if your local BBC Radio station have a consumer advice programme and if so, I would try them.