ManicMammy’s Blog

29 Comments Add your own

• 1. Thomas  |  August 23rd, 2007 at 1:10 pm

  It looks as if you were the cause of the problem in the first place. You stated that you were asked to either go into the store to refill your form or send your copy to ge money. “The first to say that Debenhams have not yet forwarded them the completed copy of the application form and could I go in to a Debenhams store and re-fill one in or send them my copy. WTF? Have I nothing better to do than follow up on their paperwork? I ignored it”

  Its no wonder you ended up with the problem that you got. How many times have we all been told not to ignore things as it only makes them worse. Some store cards I beleave and iIm sure Debenhams is one of them give you a 10% discount for opening an account. If that be the case did you return your discount as well.

• 2. manicmammy  |  August 23rd, 2007 at 1:37 pm

  I ignored the first letter as I felt, as stated, it should not have been up to me to sort out internal paperwork problems between Debenhams and GE Money. If GE Money didn’t receive my initial paperwork, surely they should contact Debenhams directly and sort it out without getting me involved.
  My life is busy enough without compensating for other people’s laziness or lack of competency at their jobs.

  Your suggestion to return any initial discount is bizarre. I gave them plenty of custom, they gave me 10% discount. Big deal.

• 3. tom Kelly  |  January 28th, 2008 at 5:33 pm

  I agree that GE are difficult. I received my first statement for my new Debenham’s Card and paid it within a day or two. I used the card over Christmas, and last week received my statement that showed that I had not paid my last statement. When I checked, it turns out there was a second statement that didn’t reach me. I was away on business for a week and my home received constant calls from GE. Today, first day back in work, I phoned Debenhams card services. They were extremely helpful. Apologised about the error, removed the interest charge and took my payment there and then. I am now in the clear with them, but I have highlighted to them that whilst I am very happy to shop in Debenhams, I will consider ever using my card again as long as they use GE Capital as the issuer. As an aside, I had a car loan with GE Capital many years ago, and at that time I said never again. Now, I really mean it. They lay on charges and fair play to them if they get away with them. They just won’t have a chance with my hard earned cash in future.

• 4. jdm  |  March 18th, 2008 at 4:33 pm

  You say on a whim and against your better judgement, would you say that you were bullied into applying? I don’t have any credit cards, and I am unemployed. I went into Debenhams today and came out with a card I didn’t want after an extremely hard sell in the shop. I told the man “no” four times, but ended up signing for the thing after trying to get out of it for a minute or two.

  At first I thought it was just a loyalty card. Then he said it would be cheaper with the card that using my tokens and cash. That turned out to be untrue. Now I get home I find out it is a credit card. Arrgh, I’m so angry.

  I’ll cancel it as soon as possible, I guess it will have to be issued first. Funnily enough I’m never going to shop at debenhams, or debenhams online ever again.

  It’s appalling to come up against this sort of tactic in a high street store. I thought I was the sort of person who would be immune to such tactics, but I was stressed and tired and the salesman was like one of the door-to-door conmen you see on watchdog. He’d already got a young mother with screaming kids to sign up, I saw her signing something when I was queueing.

• 5. Manic Mammy  |  March 18th, 2008 at 5:16 pm

  Hi JDM,
  Sorry to hear you were badgered so much.

  I cant say I was bullied into applying for the card but the sales pitch is fairly unrelenting in Debenhams to apply for their credit card. I havent bought anything there since, theres enough choice thankfully on the high street to avoid shopping in a particular outlet should you choose to.

• 6. Sebastian Weetabix  |  April 10th, 2008 at 5:11 pm

  GE Capital / GE Money ARE a sharp bunch. Their latest scam is to fail to follow a customer’s instructions to close a store card account and then bill the same customer for something a year or so later. It’s a big waste of time writing to their accounts office - they simply send you another threatening letter & irritate you further on a Sunday morning with a “request for payment”!

  Steer clear of this bunch of shysters!

  Seb.

• 7. Gems  |  June 4th, 2008 at 3:18 pm

  Wow, I went online to find out about a Debenhams card and apply for one tomor in store, thankfully I came across this site, can’t believe it but am sooo glad I did!

  Cavan lady you are right!

• 8. JJ WALSH  |  June 28th, 2008 at 9:56 pm

  Went into Debenhams in Galway Ireland 7 weeks ago…Asked would I apply for a store card…said yes..was asked would I be interested in a credit card…said no..I already have Gold MBNA VISA..

  I filled all forms and gave my information..I could have lied about everything if I wanted..Given a store card..there and then..

  What does the postman have a Week later?
  YES! My brand new credit card…I did not even apply for! UNLESS… The lady ticked the box unknown to me and recieved her little bonus..
  Anyway, I will give it a try..I transferred my € 2,100, balance with MBNA over to it for 6 months free interest, and see how it will work out.. How easy it is to get these things..
  Now, I had previous loans for Cars..ETC with GE MONEY..I have a good record..so that was probably why..

• 9. Tom Kelly  |  September 7th, 2008 at 7:20 pm

  My saga continues… After closing my Debenham’s Account, with much discussion to Debenham’s in Henry Street telling them about my disappointment… I started to receive letters months later from G E Capital saying that I continue to owe them money. I telephoned and was told by the customer services person that this was in error, I didn’t owe money and he would sort it. I then received a second letter… I contacted the Financial Services Ombudsman who asked me to write for explanation to G E Money. I did so, and was told that due to an audit in June it was discovered that they didn’t charge me enough when closing my account… This was despite sending me a cheque for overpaying the account. I am now sending more correspondence to the ombudsman’s office and would encourage anyone reading this with issues with G E Money to do so… They cannot be allowed to continue to treat clients like this in the name of Debenham’s

• 10. Manic Mammy  |  September 15th, 2008 at 9:40 am

  Hi Tom,
  Can’t believe your story is ongoing. Ridiculous. Hope it all gets sorted without delay.

• 11. Gary  |  September 15th, 2008 at 5:34 pm

  Hello,
  Today I applied for a Debenhams Credit Card today and when I got home today I was thinking I will hardly use this card anyways and I was wondering to cancel the card and the account, would I have to give them a written statement saying why I want to cancel the Card and also would I have to pay anything extra to cancel the account itself.?

• 12. Manic Mammy  |  September 15th, 2008 at 6:45 pm

  Hi Gary,
  You don’t have to give a reason for cancelling, but they do need that confirmation in writing as far as I know. No, I didn’t have to pay anything extra to close the account once all payments were up to date.

• 13. Sam  |  November 20th, 2008 at 9:39 pm

  Signed up for a Debenhams store card… usual story of being put under pressure to sign with three small kids beside me. Little did I know what was ahead. I paid my first bill a week late as I was away on holidays. They charged excessive interest which I was not prepared to pay. I could not believe it when GE capital the ‘legal loansharks’ hounded me for payment of €19.47. This week alone I received 22 phone calls from them. They were obnoxious to deal with. Can I advise that unless you are desperate do not deal with these people. I will never shop in Debenhams again as they have tarnished their reputation dealing with GE. Surely their business has suffered as a result. I have never missed a payment with anything before and I don’t mind paying a fair price but I feel that they stuck their hand in my pocket and stole from me.

• 14. Carol donaghmede  |  December 5th, 2008 at 3:47 pm

  Hi All

  I was in debenhams today and asked would i like a store card so i said yes i would (as i could get another 10% discount on top of the usual percent off over the last 3 days) after filling in the forms and waiting, i was told that my application was declined. Now tell me why i couldn’t get a store card, i’m full time employed with no out standing debts and a healthy bank balance which i also have credit cards but no debts

• 15. Manic Mammy  |  December 5th, 2008 at 5:38 pm

  Hi Carol,
  I really don’t know what criteria they use. As you can see with the above comments, you were probably just as well off not getting card. More hassle than its worth!

• 16. Carol donaghmede  |  December 8th, 2008 at 10:55 am

  Manic Mammy

  I was thinking the same when i read all the above comments so i’m better off without the card, thanks for the reply

• 17. lorraine  |  December 17th, 2008 at 11:32 pm

  oh thank god i came across this site first. i can imagine it will have saved me not only money but a lot of time and hassle in the future. i hope everybody gets sorted out, it makes me sick to think that in this day and age GE money can get away with this they should be brought up for false advertising for a start let alone the rest i will know what to do if i ever get approached in store again tell them where to stick it!!!

• 18. catherine wilson  |  February 6th, 2009 at 6:40 pm

  hi,
  so glad i read this, was about to sign up and had to come back to my ofice to get my drivers licence. i will now not sign up, i was going to save 21 euro but looks like it is not worth the hassle. think i will print this post out and give it to them when i buy the only steam iron available in cork. argos dont have it so i have to get it in debenhams. also couldnt find GE customer service no on the web

• 19. Manic Mammy  |  February 9th, 2009 at 12:13 pm

  Hey Catherine,

  I’m hoping in the 18months or so since this happened to me, that maybe they’ve gotten their act together and are a bit more organised?
  So you may be lucky and just get the benefits of the discounts without the hassle?

  On the other point, can’t believe Cork has run out of steam irons

• 20. Deborah  |  February 20th, 2009 at 12:21 pm

  Don’t ever get a Debenhams card!! It is run by GE Money and they’d do anything to get you into debt…. Shame Debenhams being a great store has partnered up with such a joke of a company.

  That’s my personal view anyhow:-)

• 21. vicky  |  March 1st, 2009 at 3:55 pm

  i just signed the card yesterday after i bought some things the lady told me if i get a card i can get extra 20%off but i need to pay after 7days but in28
  BUT i checked the paper she gave me I found it’s a credit card and i want to cancel it now
  so i need to pay the money back after 7days and then send them a mail
  is it the right progress?

• 22. Manic Mammy  |  March 1st, 2009 at 5:14 pm

  Hi Vicky,
  Your best course of action would probably be to ring GE money direct and see what they need from you to close the account. As you can see, when I did this a good while ago, they did need the instruction to close the account in writing.
  I dont know if this has changed in the intervening period.

• 23. Claire  |  May 14th, 2009 at 3:46 pm

  Thank god I found this.. I was considering getting one. I certainly won’t now, I’m not interested in credit cards or anything like that, and thought this might be an alternative. Think I’ll just muddle on without it LOL!

• 24. Ashley  |  May 24th, 2009 at 10:53 am

  My sister is also having trouble with this card. They charged her twice for a transaction, so she called GE Money and could only get through to a call center in India or somewhere like that. It quickly became apparent that the man she was talking to was simply reading from a script and was not truly able to help her. But she persisted and was told a cheque would be issued in a week. That was several months ago and she still hasn’t recieved anything. So it seems to me GE money hound you mercilessly when you owe them (as had happened to some previous posters) but when the tables are turned they arent so persistant in settling up their debts. AVOID THIS CARD AT ALL COSTS!!!!

• 25. Claire  |  May 25th, 2009 at 7:15 pm

  I’m so sorry i didn’t see this site before i was pestered into signing for a debenhams card. i too thought it was a loyalty card at first but i signed for the card and bought 73euros worth of clothes. Several months went by and i never received a statement. i had the money in an envelope in my handbag waiting to pay the bill. One day out of the blue just as we were leaving to go on holidays i received a telephone call from GE Money. The woman wasn’t one bit nice and when i said that i never received a statement said that my address was incorrect on the application form. i remember clearly stating my full address and if the woman filling out the application form didn’t complete it fully it wasn’t my fault. When i returned from holiday a week later i had a statement waiting for me but the balance had risen to €84.00. i paid the €73.00 as i don’t see why i should pay interest when i didn’t receive a statement and if they could ring me several months later by phone why couldn’t they ring me earlier when they realised that they didn’t have my proper address. They kept sending me balance statements and i wrote to them and telephoned them about the matter. Then i received a letter stating that they were sending me to the credit bureau. i eventually just paid the bill. this all happened last year. I am currently trying to get a top up loan and received word today that i have been declined because i had 8 months arrears on a credit card which as far as i’m concerned was not my fault. When i paid the bill i thought it would be the end of it and shredding all the correspondence. if anyone could give me the phone numbers for debenhams and Ge Money customer services i would be much obliged. Not that they will be very helpful but heres trying. There is no reasoning with these people. So stay clear is the best advice.

• 26. sam  |  June 10th, 2009 at 8:02 pm

  Great just got this card today thought it was a loyalty card but it’s a credit card!

  I do not want a credit card I don’t need it! How do i cancel is there an address????

• 27. Manic Mammy  |  June 11th, 2009 at 7:33 am

  Hey all.

  From brief web search it appears GE Money Customer service no is 1890 521 000. Maybe ring them and see where is best to now send cancellation letter.

  Otherwise perhaps ring the Debenhams store where you applied for the card. The following is their online store finder which when followed to specific store gives contact details: Debenhams store finder. and find out the best way to proceed.

  I originally wrote this blog post nearly 2 years ago so addresses, procedure may have changed.

  Best of luck.

• 28. mary mcgee  |  June 26th, 2009 at 11:37 pm

  in april i got a late payment penalty i paid it without any quiries, in may i got another late payment penalty i phoned ge 087 expensive number and they reversed the payment and paid for my phone call in june i got another late payment statement i phoned again the 087 expensive number only to be told that they were not going to do anything because i paid late. i paid on the 12th/06.09 and the due date was 14.06.09 so the guy from india i spoke to said that because i paid at llyfds tsb they received the money 5 days later hence the late payment penalty its unbelievable i am so cross i dont know whether complaining further will help who do i complain to . pliz stay away from this card

• 29. Caroline  |  July 2nd, 2009 at 9:50 am

  Hi fellow Debenham Sufferers,
  My story is similar to all of yours. I managed to send written requests for closure of my account and paid all outstanding balances by Laser Card over the phone in 2007. But wait for it, the Govt. Duty of €30 for every Credit Card Account is still payable. Like many of you, I quickly realised my un-wise choice in opening an account and absolutely accept my responsibility in that. However a Customer Service department is supposed to be just that - “service”. When I paid up the Govt. Duty and cleared everything, I was assured that once I closed the account in writing then all would be well. Like some of you, GE Money and Debenhams Credit Cards and now Santander have no record of any of my letters or faxes. By the way, they insist that I couldn’t have sent a fax, since they “never, ever, never” give out a fax number. Well this girl got one and sent one to a country number (06 area if I’m not mistaken) - again like many of you, I have been blitzed with phone calls and the usual script is said to me, verbatim. It would do you head in and I’m embarrassed to admit I burst into tears one evening, as I received a call while preparing dinner. They really are so persistent, well trained to argue and most un-helpful in the end. They almost imply that I am a liar. I would never steal money from anyone and made every effort to clear the account, accept my mistake and close the account. I am now threatened by the idea of Credit Bureau and yes, recently had difficult with a loan application. I’m a one-income household and money is very tight. I have contacted Ombudsman but Santander almost laugh and don’t believe that either, not unless I send them a reference number. My question is this - has anyone managed to resolve such problems and if so, how? I’ve now just been informed by Santander that even if I pay the 2009 Govt Levy over the phone today, they must put the 2010 Levy on my account also, since the account was still open ! So in total I will have paid THREE Govt. Levies @ €30 each - for an account that was used once, on the day I signed up for it in Debenhams. Please someone help ! And good luck to those still struggling.

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