Beware " buy now- pay later" (H.F.C Bank)

Member Name: gailsmith

Product:	H.F.C Bank
Date:	08/08/00 (7669 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: pay no interest

Disadvantages: Having to pay through H.F.C.bank

Beware of buying anything on a buy now pay later, interest free scheme. We bought a washing machine from Currys on " buy now pay later". what happens is you buy the item and pay nothing for a year, then after the year you either pay the amount in full with no interest,or pay in instalments with added interest.
we chose to pay the amount in full after the year so as not to pay any interest.
When the payment was due after the year, we were told we had to pay through H.F.C.bank.
We sent a cheque to H.F.C bank at their head office in Birmingham, About 2 weeks later they informed us they hadn't recieved the cheque, in which case started to charge us interest, when we phoned up and explained we'd sent the cheque they said they had not recieved it,& that it should not have been sent to head office in the first place, but paid into H.F.C bank in the town. we had to cancel the cheque though our bank and go into H.F.C and supply another one!!!
It must have been about a month later when they found our original cheque and returned it to us, with no apology.
Last year we decided to buy a bed on the same "buy now pay later -interest free"this was due for payment on 7th August, again we intended to pay the full amount on the date due.
We recieved 2 letters from them telling us the money was due on 7th August. or pay interest.(which we already knew!!!)
Then we recieve a letter on 5th of August informing us that if we intended to pay by cheque it must be recieved by 2nd of August so the cheque can clear in time (huh!!) Apparently this letter was sent out on 16 July!!!
We went in the bank on the 7th and paid it, afer leaving the bank we returned to the car to go home only to find my husband had left his mobile phone in there, when he went back to get it he walked in picked up the phone and walked out, no-one was around except one bloke in the back talking on a phone, the girl he dealt with was not around, any-one could
have walked in there and picked up his phone and walked out with it
When you buy these items on "buy now pay later you do not know you are dealing with H.F.C.bank
I suggest if anyone is thinking of doing this they find out first , we certainly will in future.

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