Buying from Next online - you HAVE to open an account with them

[Mrs E Blackadder]

I have just tried to purchase an item from Next online, and am appalled to find that, even if you want to pay by debit or credit card, you HAVE to open an account with them. They give you no option. In the end (as I need the item for a gift quite urgently) I have had to go along with them, but wonder what will happen to my order if they decide I am not credit worthy.

 

All I wanted to do was pay for the goods by debit card. Although I have done this, I expect they can still refuse the order as, by opening an account with them I could now choose to put things on my account rather than credit/debit card in future. I can't imagine that I am anywhere near credit worthy enough for the likes of Next !

 

I will also be expected to fork out £3.75 twice a year for a Next Directory catalogue that I just don't want, and apparantley I will be expected to return the forms they send me for choosing to open an account (if I'm not declined that is). As I haven't CHOSEN to open the account I will be sending the forms back with a letter saying quite clearly that I did not choose to open an account, so here are the forms back, unsigned. I will also point out that they have lost a customer. I doubt that they will care though.

 

Anyway, rant over. But I just thought it was awful that if you want to buy from Next online you can't just put in your credit or debit card details because they force you into opening an account.

 

Mrs B x

[phoenix11]

This exact issue was raised on Money Box last week by an irate online customer and it's supposed to be coming to a close, although I don't remember them realising the issue about having to then agree to pay for a catalogue in order to buy a simple item online.

 

One of the presenters pointed out that Next are selling a financial service by doing this and misleading people into exactly how an online retail purchase can even have a serious adverse affect on their credit rating.

 

If you search for Radio 4's recent Money Box topics it may give some helpful advice on what to do.

 

Personally, I would never sign up for a company that pulled tricks like this no matter how much I wanted any item as there's always another choice out there with a bit of searching.

[Mrs E Blackadder]

Thanks for telling me about the Money Box thing, will definately have a look at that.

 

I was so close to not buying anything, but I need the item for a gift (my nephew has requested it specifically) and I can't get to a Next shop in time.

 

As far as I am concerned it is just a money making scheme on the part of Next, and it definately states in their T&Cs that once you have opened an account they will send you 2 catalogues a year and you will be billed £3.75 via you account for them. I won't be signing anything they send me, and I will be sending their 'agreement' back, crossed through, with a letter of explanation. It almost beggars belief that they cannot just offer you the option of paying by credit or debit card. I have never encountered any other on-line retailer who expects you to sign up to a credit account before letting you pay for something. Infact, I was amazed the other day to find an on-line retailer I use who is now taking Paypal, which is a very easy way to pay.

 

It will be interesting to see though whether Next will let me have a credit account, or whether they will accept my debit card payment and then turn me down for the account. My credit rating is pretty poor! Nearly 24 hours on I have heard nothing one way or the other and the order is due to arrive tomorrow. Watch this space

[2Grumpy]

Isn't being forced to buy their catalogue that you don't want as a condition of getting credit somewhat similar to being forced to buy PPI that you don't want?

 

Maybe a complaint to Trading Standards is in order ... maybe the FSA should be made aware of this.

 

Maybe Next haven't realised the troubles this could cause them.

 

Why would you want their catalogue anyway if the stuff is on the net?

[phoenix11]

If you can get find the Money Box programme and have the option to email Paul Lewis, it may help to do so and add this bit about being forced to agree to accept having to pay for a catalogue as part of the ability to purchase an item.

 

I have no idea if this is covered by the Distance Selling Regs either - it may also be worth checking out what their returns policy is because if my memory serves me correctly, a few months ago, Money Box also highlighted the fact that companies such as Next (along with others I cannot remember) were found to be falling foul of the DSRs on their online trading.

[Mrs E Blackadder]

Well, the gift arrived today, so they are obviously happy to take money from my bank account! No news yet on whether or not they will actually offer me a Next account. I suppose the bright side of it is that if they do then I know my credit rating must be better than I think. Still don't want a flaming account though because they are nothing but a hassle.

 

Their returns policy is that you can either ask the courier to come and collect it (cost of £3.99) or it can be taken back to a Next shop for free. Not sure if you can take it to the Post Office and pay, but I expect you probably can.

[Kitten1]

If you want to see if you have got an account, log onto the site with your email addy and the password you chose when registering.

 

I thought it was just me bein thick but no, there isn't any way of just ordering items and paying for them upfront!! Wish I'd never got involved with them!!

[Mrs E Blackadder]

Thanks Kitten, will give that a go a bit later. See if they consider me credit worthy!!

[Kitten1]

Mine was set up almost instantly. So my credit mustve been ok at that point! It certainly isn't now thanks to them lol!!

[Mrs E Blackadder]

I go to the Next website, but all it will let me see is things like contact details. It doesn't show anything like an account status where I could check what I might have bought or what I owe.

 

By the sounds of it Kitten, Next managed to catch you with their ploy of making people sign up for an account. I'm sure they would argue that we all need to be responsible for ourselves, and I would agree with that, but they are not giving people any choice. Also, what worries me, is that the age group their products are aimed at is probably made up largely from the 18-25 age group where most will not have had any great experience of handling finances so are more likely to make mistakes.

 

The only use one of their accounts would be to me would be in helping to rebuild my credit status. Long gone are the days when I would be tempted to buy on it just because I could but I still don't want to be forced into having an account of theirs when I have other ways of paying. I can cope with one debit card, I know what goes in and what comes out!

[Kitten1]

They have a habit of dropping and increasing your limit monthly too which does your credit rating no good so just watch out if you do get one and use it x

[hightail]

Many online retailers play this game - La Redoute, Marisota etc. I didn't even know I had an account with La Redoute as I ordered over the phone and gave card details for payment. I closed the account as soon as I found out.

 

What would happen to my credit rating if I did this many times ie every time I want to order from one of these companies I let the order go through and then close the account they set up?

[Mrs E Blackadder]

I certainly won't be taking up the account with Next, and I'm not paying them £3.75 for the privilege of being sent a catalogue twice a year. I won't buy from them online again and will take my business elsewhere to a retailer who is quite happy for me to pay by whatever means suits me.

 

I shouldn't think it would do your credit rating much good at all to keep opening and closing accounts. I found myself in the same situation with La Redoute, that I didn't even know I had an account with them. It was at a time when things were good financially so it didn't bother me and thankfully I owed them almost nil when my financial situation changed, but it would have been very easy to run up a huge bill with them.

 

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[Kraken1]

I'm sure this was on BBC breakfast or something a year or so ago. I think that the problem is that Next don't sell stuff online - Next Directory do. They are two separate beasts.

[Mrs E Blackadder]

The website is just next.co.uk, it doesn't say anything about it being Next Directory when you go to the site, that only seems to crop up later if you want to order something. Either way though, I don't see that it matters who they are, they are still expecting you to have one of their accounts if you want to buy their goods online!

 

I think the BBC thing you are referring to is Radio 4's Money Box, as mentioned further up the thread. I am still trying to find the details relating to this subject as I would like to read what it says.

[sillygirl1]

This was on TV very recently, Next are doing a 'soft option' check that allows you to buy one item. I think the whole credit checking thing is crazy, even employment agencies are credit checking people now for the least job, it really stinks.

 

Next have lost my custom, as have some of the other catalogues mentioned above. I don't want their credit and do only want to buy one item.

 

I have a couple of places I get stuff from which now do a payment over 4 months (or three months) which is good for a larger priced item, and they don't open any kind of credit account.

[hightail]

It was at a time when things were good financially so it didn't bother me and thankfully I owed them almost nil

 

Mine was always a nil balance because I ordered goods over the phone and paid in full there and then. I didn't ask for credit, didn't use it when it was foisted upon me. It was only when paperwork subsequently arrived with the goods that I realised it was a credit account and I closed it immediately.

[Mrs E Blackadder]

No wonder so many people are in financial difficulties when they have had these account shoved at them. The temptation to use them when you don't really understand how they work is lethal.

 

What is the point of them doing a 'soft option' credit check so that you can buy one thing? You might want to buy other things from them online in the future because it is more convenient than having to go out, pay for those items upfront with a credit or debit card, but then they won't let you because they haven't found you credit worthy.

 

I thought that maybe they didn't want people using their credit or debit cards because they have to pay the companies a fee, whereas if they made you use their account there was a good chance they would make a bit of interest out of you not paying it all off in one go. However, they let you pay your account with a credit or debit card so where's the difference? They are still having to pay the credit cards companies a fee. All a bit daft if you ask me, after all I can walk into one of their shops and pay for something with a credit or debit card.

 

I'm still waiting to see if I have got an account with them. When I go online it will only let me change my contact details, it won't let me see any details of anything that I have ordered (even though I have received it and paid for it!).

[Kraken1]

A google tells me it was bbc breakfast a couple of years ago.

 

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=2062757

 

The website is just next.co.uk, it doesn't say anything about it being Next Directory when you go to the site, that only seems to crop up later if you want to order something. Either way though, I don't see that it matters who they are, they are still expecting you to have one of their accounts if you want to buy their goods online!

 

That is the point - next directory is an account only business. There isn't an online version of the Next shop you'd otherwise go to. The t's and c's (which you can access at any time) are reasonably clear about this: "the supplier of the goods featured is Next Directory.' Although they are less clear about what this actually means, it does explain what is happening. It should, in my view, have some sort of fairly obvious sign saying 'this isn't next, it is a credit based catalogue company'.

[maddiemay]

I had the same prolem with VERY, I was browsing for an outfit for my daughters wedding and signed up to many different on-line stores for their 'WISH LIST' its just a tool to save items you may or may not decide to purchase at a later date, except when I did this with VERY it atomatically credit checks you for a credit account (only very basic info was asked, name, address and date of birth) without any warning at all! I complained to them because I would never have attempted to open any kind of credit account. I wrote to them, they replied with a whole load of rubbish about me having done it wrong, so to prove to myself, I went through the whole process again using my husbands name, the same thing would have happened had I not stopped when I did. They refused to remove the footprint from my credit file

[phoenix11]

Hi Maddiemay - I would say contact Paul Lewis on Moneybox as I mentioned above and raise this to see what he and the team have to say.

 

This surely must be some kind of breach of Consumer Law.

 

It seems they're just another online catalogue store that does brand names. However, they should alert you to exactly what you are signing up for and warn you that they will conduct a credit search before you go any further with registration.

 

AFAIK, Amazon does not do a credit check when you create an account with them and use the Wish List facility.

[phoenix11]

Hi Maddiemay - I would say contact Paul Lewis on Moneybox as I mentioned above and raise this to see what he and the team have to say.

 

This surely must be some kind of breach of Consumer Law.

 

It seems they're just another online catalogue store that does brand names. However, they should alert you to exactly what you are signing up for and warn you that they will conduct a credit search before you go any further with registration.

 

AFAIK, Amazon does not do a credit check when you create an account with them and use the Wish List facility.

[DaisyMay]

I have just seen this thread. Just last week I wanted to buy an email gift voucher from Next for my granddaughter and when I went onto the website I was told I would have to register for an account and given the option to either pay £3.75 for a catalogue or a similar amount for postage on my first order. As I had no intention of ever buying from their catalogue I chose the second option even then I was told that as a new customer I would have to pay upfront (this was what I had been expecting to do in the first place).

The following day I got a phone call from Next saying they were checking my credit file and as my granddaughter was sat next to me and I was caught unawares I agreed. The more I thought about this I got mad about it as my credit rating is first class and I didn't want any searches marked so I fired off a letter of complaint about the this. I got a reply back saying it was "procedure" and which had to be done but they have marked my account with them that I won't have to pay postage on my first order. Seeing as I haven't paid for the catalogue there is no way I will be ordering from them

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

Most companies providing ''gift vouchers'' on line

will want to check the ''credentials'' of the purchaser

and ID search does not impact inany way on your

credit file.