To think that Next are totally out of order

[Pennies]

I bought some stuff from Next via their website and they've gone and made a credit account for me without me asking for one.

Apparently I've got a whopping £900.00 worth of credit with them!!! I never asked for this limit or any kind of credit facility at all.

This totally p's me off because I hate having credit with individual stores. I buy stuff on my credit or debit card and that way I can keep close tabs on what's been paid where and when.

This is just a way of exploiting those who maybe more relaxed about buying stuff on store credit and I can see how some people might get themselves into big financial trouble via scams like this.

Anyone else think this is a pretty dubious way of hooking customers into buying from them repeatedly. I can barely believe it's legal.

It is out of order, not least because it means that a credit search is carried out on every customer, even if they don't want credit and too many credit searches can reduce your credit rating.

I ordered with them, and then instantly sent them an email cancelling my 'agreement' with them the day the parcel arrived and I checked I didn't need to return anything (actually you can return in store after that anyway, the companies are not connected up so they have no clue what your online account status is).

I also checked the 'no catalogues' button. They did write to me for about six months to ask if I was sure I wouldn't like one. I complained about this to them since I did not permit marketing on the application form and they said they would investigate and buggered off never to bug me again (hurrah!)

I do agree it's a stealth credit application process though. It's not really clear unless you do read all their T&Cs which yes you should every time, but I bet 99% of people don't.

this was on watchdog last year they had promised to change it

LoveBeingAMummy - it's not clear that you're ordering from the directory - I thought I was ordering from their website. I was in a bit of a hurry and assumed that was all it was nothing more. I'm not particularly au fait with their directory TBH - I just thought it was another way to buy from Next, nothing more or less than that and I also assumed that it wasn't necessarily a credit account situation.

Rockbird - I coped and pasted those T&Cs linked to below. There are 38 pages of them. Do you seriously read all the T&Cs of each and every site you buy from? If you do I'm seriously impressed!

OK I've been through the site again as a dummy customer and I can see that they do actually say, but it is done in a way that it can be interpreted as advising you of the option to open a credit account as just another way to pay. the writing is quite small and you're concentrating on whether you want directories etc at the point when you make confirm the decision to create an account so your attention is diverted. Sneaky stuff.

Will of course close the account immediately!

YANBU - I had the same thing happen to me and it took 15 phonecalls and 3 letters to shut down the 'credit' account. In addition to this the first order I made, they cocked up by not sending everything I ordered, claimed they did, sent a letter saying if I had any further orders with problems I would be liable. Very unpleasent, can't believe that this happens in this day and age. You should be able to pay by Credit or Debit card like most websites. I only buy in store now.

I got stung by this over the weekend as well. A chap in the shop gave me a card to get £10 of my first order, so I just (too innocently) thought they were just trying to get people to use their website. I got to the page where I'd managed to get credit and fumed. No, it's not clear at all on their website, I don't think. And the condition of the card was that you had to open a credit account with them, a part of which was to receive the directories. I phoned them up and closed the account and told them not to contact me again. I hope it's the last I hear of them. God knows how they can do this. No other company does this - you expect to pay in the usual way like any other website.
So, no, you are not being unreasonable at all!

I have had a next directory account for 20 years and have never had any problems - any disputes on the statement have always been resolved immeidately. Yes, I have to pay twice a year for the catalogue, but last year had free delivery to home for 6 months. Normally I have the stuff delivered to the store which is always free.

So I am pleased with them. My credit limit is way more than I would ever need but I always pay the bill each month so kind of ignore that.

It is very unclear as to whether or not a credit account will be opened up. If I had known a credit account was going to be set up, I would not have ordered from them.

At no other time when I have bought products on the internet has a credit account been opened for me, so I don't think it was particularly unreasonable of me to assume that this would be the case with Next. Ebay doesn't open up a credit account, Amazon doesn't, M&S don't, so why would I expect it from Next? Can you name me one other high street brand that does?

I think it's a cynical way to hook people in to buying their silly directories (totally unnecessary now that it's all online), and spend more "money" with them, AKA getting into debt. DH and I are v. poor and we're not in a position to service any kind of credit, yet we were given plenty. I call that very dodgy practice.

Pennies - you could pay by credit card too, but the debit/credit card option came at a strange time in the process, I think you got to the screen that told you your account had been opened, and if you scrolled down there was a paragraph telling you there was another way to pay. It still wasn't clear how to go about it, and it was definitely easier to simply agree to the account being opened.

I think I'll be closing the account once I've got what I've ordered.

YANBU. There's nothing clear about what you're signing up for. When I thought I was just registering as a customer it turns out that I've been registering for a credit account. I was on the phone to them immediately asking to pay it then and there and close it, but no, I had to first wait for the order (which is next day anyway so not too bad), then wait to be invoiced (at the end of the month) and only then can they accept payment! Total rubbish.

I closed the account eventually but I still buy from them. Only I always call, tell them that I want to pay then and there and require no account with them and then place my order over the phone.

I clicked the button which asked me if I'd like a free directory with my first order. I subsequently did'nt order anything but still got billed for a directory with a 2.9% monthly interest rate added if I did'nt clear the account by the end of the month. And to add insult to injury they never sent me the directory in the first place. I wrote them a stroppy letter telling them to cancel the account!

this happened to me too. not only did they then not even send me the thing i ordered, but they tried to charge me for it. when i rang and explained that i never had it and that i wanted to close my account they agreed to

for the next 4 months I had directories sent, invoices for those directories sent (when i hadn't even asked for one), invoices for "service charges" with no explanation of what these charges were

every month i rang them and said, i don'thave any items fvrom you, i don't want the directory, i am not paying any service charges and i want the account CLOSED.

it went on for ages, until eventually I wrote a VERY strongly worded letter in which i told them i was going to involve the police if they didn't stop harrassing me

they phoned me back and apologused profusely and i never heard from them again
but i would agree with pp who said NEVER deal with Next oinline.

it really, really put me off shopping with them at all tbh, and i never even go into the shop any more either