G E Money

[Topsie]

My mum has an evans card and a few of weeks ago she got a statement she thought was her evans statement as it was in th same type of envelope ... however when she opened it it was a statement for �2000 for GE money ... my mum doesnt have anything at all to do with them.

On closer inspection she found that it was addressed Mrs E rather than Mrs B E and the surname ended slightly different as Nor rather then ner. She rang them and explained and they apologised and said she wouldnt get anything further if she returned the statement with a covering letter.

Two days later she got a letter addressed to the same person saying a Direct Debit had been returned but as it was only 2 days she left it and thought it had already been sorted.

Two weeks later she got a nasty letter about the balance so she rang again and asked to speak to a supervisor. She was very firm and wanted to know what was going on. The supervisor advised that they were having difficulty finding this Mrs E so had looked on the Evans list and Found Mrs B E and thought it must be her because of the similarity in name. She apologised and sent a letter of apology saying her details had been removed and she wouldnt get anything else.

Lo and behold a week later she got a telephone call from them chasing up the money but she wasnt in and my dad answered who explained again (erm forcefully).

Problem is my mum is finding it difficult to find a English call centre or number. India call centres are all very well but they dont actually understand what she is saying. What can she do to stop them?? She has tried writing a letter as well as phoning but they didnt answer

Sorry its a bit long but would be grateful for any help

Thanks

[pagey]

Sounds like a major headache. Ive had problems with banks in the past where it has been very difficult to contact the appropriate person to deal with such a significant issue.

The key should be in writing to them - is GE's address not on the statement?

As for the Indian call centres - with all respect to the employees who are doing all they are permitted to do - they simply cannot provide the same level of service as a UK call centre that is closely tied in with the company itself.

Keep copies of all correspondence and don't be afraid to demand compensation if you beleive you have been significantly inconvenienced - it sounds like you have.

Good luck!

[pagey]

Sorry, just realised you have written.

Try and find out if they are governed by the Financial Ombudsman and if so write to them directly. You usually need to go through a company complaints procedure first, but if you haven't had a response then explain this to the Ombudsman. It really depends on what sort of financial institution (if any) GE is.

[Eels]

I might be wrong, but I believe GE operate the stoee cards for Evans (along with Burton, Dorothy Perkins, Principles, etc). I suggest you make sure the card hasn't gone missing and been used by anyone else!

Assuming this isn't the case you need to write a letter explaining that they are supplying somone else's details (and debts) to you and if that's how sloppy they are when they handle your business they won't be getting it any more!

[Killerschick]

GE Money is part of a huge American corporation and name under which GE Capital Bank Ltd operate. They operate a large number of store card schemes and they are really who you are running up a debt with when you use the card.

I would think the statement you are referring to is for her Evans account - cross reference the number on the card to the one quoted on the statement to check. As Eels suggests, your mother should check whether someone else is using her account fraudulently and report it to the police immediately if that appears to be the case, whether because the card has been stolen or someone has got hold of the details.

The minor spelling mistakes you refer to could mean she's getting someone else's statements but it's unlikely. As applications for store cards are usually filled out by harassed shop assistants spelling mistakes are common but won't get your mother out of liability. The fact that they had your mother's address and phone number kind of suggests it's her account. The other thing you could check is whether the failed direct debit was on your mother's account.

Lastly if the spending was your mother's and she just didn't realise it was incurring a debt to GE rather than Evans, she should make some arrangements to pay before they get heavy!

[UsAndStuff]

Take all the relevant documents etc to the local C.A.B. and see if they can help.

[erimus1]

Hi. Have had problems with call centres myself. Go to their web page and look for a company structure - Find a reasonably high placed individual and send them an email explaining everything - e-mail is great and usually goes directly to that person - not a mail room.

I got instant results.
Good luck,
Steve