GE Money are the single most morally-bankrupt organisation I have ever had the misfortune to deal with. And I've had to do it twice...
My wife and I had a joint loan agreement with GE taken out when buying furniture at Hardly Normal. From almost day one, they showed a remarkable tendency to lose payments made to them. They then call you, after hours so you can't call back to complain as their switchboard is closed, to chase payments. When shown the payment has been made, they then conveniently 'forget' to reverse the late payments, until you complain again.
After about a year of this, they then managed to lose five payments in a row. Everytime they called, I told them when the payments had been made and how much had been made. All records somehow failed to be logged into their call logging system. Records were sent to them to prove payments, which then got lost. Records were then hand delivered to them, which they then claimed had never been received. Records were then couriered to them so they had to sign for them. They still claimed not to have received them, despite the prove they had been. They then claimed the package they'd been sent had been empty.
So I then went down there, demanded to see a manager, handed him the documents and presented him with a receipt to sign detailing exactly what had been handed over. They then claimed he had let the company.
By this time, I was getting slightly wise to their antics and had started recording each and every phone call, along with the time and the date. I made sure I got the name of each person I spoke to, including their surname. On the many occasions they refused to give me a surname, I stated I was not comfortable with speaking to someone who would not identify themselves. I also refused to take all phone calls outside of normal working hours. When they did call during working hours, I took a number and called them back on my mobile using the geographic number so the time and date of each call would be recorded.
Each month, I'd make a request under the Privacy Act for a full copy of all records pertaining to my account. They are required by law to fulfill each request, though they have 20 working days to so They failed to respond in time a couple of times, so a complaint was lodged with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.
Eventually, they threatened to take me to court for the money I had already paid them. I told them to go ahead, because with the receipts and logs I had, I'd be laughing. Their legal muppet (who'd got his legal training from the back of a Coco-Pops packet) then said that my legal fess could be very high and going to court would be very expensive for me. I pointed out I have an uncle who's a partner in a law firm and my legal fees would be zero.
So they lodged the debt with Baycorp instead. When presented with the proof of payment, the extremely detailed call logs and records, Baycorp told GE to get stuffed.
I tried to get the copy of a loan agreement they claimed I signed with them (three years before I even emmigrated to NZ). Despite tens of calls made to me to find out when I was going to pay, they never wrote a single word of what I said to them down. Ever. I always told them to send me the loan agreement. They never did. They eventually lodged the supposed debt with Baycorp who, after investigating and sighting my UK passport with an entry visa and my NZ citizenship certificate, agreed I couldn't possibly have taken out the loan as GE claimed and reversed the negative note on my credit file.
So, some rules on how to deal with those cunts at GE Money:
- Don't deal with them. Ever.
- If they call you outside of working hours, refuse to talk and tell them to call back within working hours.
- If they call back within working hours, get the first and last name of person calling and the department they're in. Then ask for a phone number to call them back on. If they refuse to provide this information (and they'll try) tell them that you're not going to deal with anyone who cannot identify themselves due to privacy issues.
- Once they give you a number to call back on, do it (at your convenience) and record every call. (You can buy suction mikes from Dick Smith that'll record both sides of the conversation, or some mobiles have a record facility allowing you to copy the sound file to your PC afterwards). Try to call from your mobile or use the geographic number if you're outside Auckland so the time and date of the call is logged.
- Never ever send them anything by normal post. Use registered, so they have to sign for it. If you're in Auckland, go to their office in Viaduct Harbour and hand over whatever it is you have to give them and have a manager sign a detailed receipt saying what's been delivered. Have them write their full name on the receipt in case the signature isn't legible.
- Keep detailed logs.
- Never set up direct debits. Only use automatic payments that you can cancel at will.
- They are required, by law, to respond to written requests under the Privacy Act for a copy of your complete file. They can charge a 'reasonable' sum to do so though. If they do not respond within 20 working days, lodge a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner. (It doesn't cost to do so).
Originally Posted by vifferman
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