Asda nightmare

[macaroni]

In Asda yesterday spent £80 odd on groceries. Didn't know pin no. which I told cashier ( I usually sign it). She said pin was blocked and I coulndn't use card. Didn't und erstand as it has been doing this for about a month and I can still use it. Asked for another form of payment which I didn't have. Manager refused to override it and said I could stand there all day if I wanted to. Ended up in tears with my 2 dds sitting in trolley. Then said they would phone bank and returned to say they are retaining my card. Phoned bank when I got home, who say they had no right to keep my card.

The latest chip and pin leaflet it says if you don't know your pin not to expect to be able to sign not that you can't and if your pin is locked there is nothing saying your card will be ket just to contact your issuer and get them to unock it. I'd remind Asda of this if your going to write to them.
Must go to bed now.

Still waiting....

Phoned at 8pm to 'ask me a couple of questions'.

1. What is your first name?
2. Do you have a note of your card number?

Apparently trying to find out why my card was retained by getting in touch with 'streamline'???

So I'm still waiting for it to be sorted out plus they don't seem to understand that I am unhappy about the way I was treated ie reduced to tears in public.

i have found ASDA very good when complaining - usually get something out of it so hold out for a good apology & vouchers or something.

Where in Scotland are you macaroni? I'm in fife.

Well, so far I have sent 2 letters- in the last on e I asked for a full explanation and some kind of compensation- still no reply. I simply refuse to shop there ever again. My letters are being ignored. Has anyone else experienced this with Asda? What should I do now? Should I just continue not shopping there?

Thats shocking that it hasn't been resolved .

Don't know what you can do next other than maybe write again threatening to take it to the press /Watchdog or something?

Thanks for your reply. I think that may be an option: a newspaper could print it, but don't really want the publicity (don't mind Asda getting bad publicity though)

Any other suggestions? Should I forget it and move on? Sould I ever shop there again? Do they care? I think not.

I think sometimes you have to accept that they just don't give a sh!t - and unless you are prepared to go to the newspaper or Watchdog (tbh, I don't think they'd be interested so long after it happened) you just have to let it go. I had appalling customer service from Comet when ds2 was a new baby. Briefly: we bought a new washing machine, it broke 6 weeks later when ds2 was 2 weeks old, it was 8 weeks of hassle, aggravation and being fobbed off and passed from pillar to post before we got a substitute machine. In that time I had to give all our washing (and you now how much you have with a new baby) to friends and family - and spend hours on the phone trying to get it sorted. I wrote a huge letter to Head Office to complain...and got nothing, not even a response They then had the nerve to badger me after a year to take out an extended warranty so I could 'enjoy the benefits' of their marvellous repair/customer service teams Cue another letter from me, with original attached...this time I got a bog standard reply "hope this doesn't put you off shopping with us again, we pride ourselves on our customer service" etc.

Send a final letter (this is what I did, and even though it probably went straight in the bin it made me feel a bit better) saying you were appalled by the original event, but even more so by the complete lack of concern or apology...and that you will never shop with them again and will tell everyone you meet about Asda's dreadful customer service. I diss Comet to everyone now (like this post!) and have never shopped there again.

Marthamoo- that is appaulling. They could have sent you some vouchers at least, by way of an apology. That's really what I was expecting from Asda- but so far nothing. Thanks for the advice.

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Marthamoo, your 'we pride ourselves on our excellent customer service letter' really cracked me up - I had a similar thing with Tesco Online who failed to deliver my order on three successive nights and then charged me three times for £80 worth of food that never turned up at all. They eventually refunded my money but I never ever got the slightest apology, only the standard reply about how they prided themselves on their customer service (what?) and hoped it wouldn't put me off shopping with them again - er, yes actually.... that was three years ago and I haven't used them since!
The big companies don't give a f* IMO - they know that most people who shop with them don't have a choice.

I can't let things lie - I'd try one more shot, another letter, how disgusted you are, how many friends you have told who would not wish to shop somewhere that ignores its customers etc. State in there that you have sent the letter recorded delivery (I think that's the method - costs about 70p + postage and it means someone has to sign to say letter received), and that you have sent a copy to .... (choose your person - local MP, citizens' advice bureau, consumer assoication etc...) But then I jsut can't stand being ignored in an argument (it took me several letters like this to get some money back off a credit card co who were refusing to pay up under a claim where we had purchased a fly-a-plane voucher for a friend's birthday and the company went bust - they tried to say that as it was bought as a present we weren't covered!!! Total b***ks and we got the money back in the end)

macaroni- complain in writing direct to their head office. The least you should have got was a prompt reply and explanation. The consumers association are really helpful - ask them. Where in Scotland are you?