Vanquis of course is part of Provident Financial services,the doorstep loan firm recently featured in TV docs for its aggressive dealings with vulnerable people. There is no shortage of Vanquis stories on The CAG or indeed on the internet itself about Vanquis,and also Argos suspicions about passing details about customers previously to Vanquis. Do NOT be tempted by offers of vouchers !

Today I bought a Freeview+ box from Argos. It scanned Ok but I can't get some of the channels I can get with my old Freeview box. The guarantee says I can't take it back unless it's faulty. I've checked on the Freeview site and the channels I am missing are shown as receivable i my postcode. So am I able to take the darn thing back and say it's faulty or not fit for purpose? If I can't return it and get a refund I suppose I will have to get an aerial booster and cross my fingers that it does the trick. Can anyone help with this. What I really want to do is get a refund and start again rather than have to lay out even more money - with no certainty that it'll ever work/get as many channels as my old Freeview box.

If as I have, ordered and paid for two setees delivery date 23 Feb I would have thought the said insurance would have run concurrently from delivery date onwards not a month before they are delivered has anyone else had same experience.

would people on benefits be allowed to get one of those argos cards that allows you to pay for things a bit at a time?

I bought my laptop 5 months ago, the space bar has now decided it only wants to work on one side and not the other, sometimes it doesnt work at all. I rang argos and they say they'll send it off to be repaired, its only 5 months old and i really dont want it 'repairing'... would i be able to get a replacement or do they have to send it for repair.. I had been told im within my rights to ask for a replacement but just wanted to check first thank you

I ordered a shower screen from homebase online, paying for home delivery as unable to fit item in my car. I took a day off work to take delivery of item (as 8am-8pm was the only timescale they could give). A dining room table from Argos was left outside my front door (they didn't even knock). They won't send another shower screen and they won't refund me as I used my husband's credit card - although of course they were quick enough to take the money. Very upsetting dealign with customer services as each time have to wait 24 hours for email response or phone calls take an hour each time. What can I do and what are my legal rights?

As title, just got SAR info back from Argos and not sure which spreadsheet to use, assuming interest at 29.9% is a bit bloody steep

I bought a bike from Argos 4 months ago and it developed fault. I rang customer services up who told me I had to pay for a bike report to prove it was a manufacturer's fault and not misuse. After kicking up a fuss they told me under the Sales of Goods Act that if a product developed a fault after 30 days it was up to ME, THE CUSTOMER TO PROVE IT WAS FAULTY!! No matter who I spoke to they were not budging on this. After looking at the sales of Goods Act it said if a fault develops within the first 6 months it is up to the supplier to prove it and not the customer. Argos are still not budging. I have said that I am now going to go to Trading Standards. They said that was fine but will be told the same. The arrogance of Argos - they are at fault but no that they are a large company and perhaps know Trading Standards will not do anything about it. I havent dealt with Trading Standards before and perhaps that is a bit harsh, and maybe they will be able to help me. PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM ARGOS UNLESS YOU ARE PREPARED TO PAY FOR A REPORT BEFORE YOU GET A REFUND OR CAN SWAP THE PRODUCT.

Hi was wondering if you could help, brought a washing machine from argos 16 months ago and the bearings have gone on it making it unuseable. Have phoned argos and they said they are unable to help as it is after the 12 months warranty! They gave us 2 phone numbers 1 was a warranty company and the other was hotpoint direct, both places wanted around £200 to help. Reading through some previous threads on here i see that it is argos themselfs who need to fix the problem. Can you please give some advice on what to do and what to say to them please, many thanks.

Sorry for another out of warranty laptop thread; I've done a search and been doing my best to wade through all the information there but could do with some clarification. I purchased my msi u130 netbook in February 2011, and until very recently it behaved flawlessly and has always been well looked after. However, every second Function key stopped working simultaneously, along with the right hand shift key. More worrying for me is that the wireless connection has also started dropping out for no good reason and so regularly that I've given up trying to use this function and just plug it into the router, but this is obviously no good when I'm at university. It was bought via ebay through Argos, and was sold as a fully functioning refurb which is where I'm getting confused regarding SOGA. So, a few questions if you don't mind: * What are the chances of getting Argos to repair it at their cost? (not bothered about replacement or refund unless unavoidable) * Do they even have any obligation under SOGA due to the fact it was a refurb? * If they do, what is the process? Independent engineers report and the onus on me to prove the fault was inherent? Would this not be tricky to prove after 18 months ownership? * If anybody knows about netbooks here, is it likely to just need a replacement keyboard? I can buy one for £15 - £20 and so it might just be better to "suck it up" and replace that, but I'm loathe to do that if it doesn't fix the problem obviously. * Are Argos normally amenable to solving problems like this with the minimum of fuss, or are they likely to dig their heels in? Any help appreciated.

Hi Guys, Im hoping someone can help me (money saving expert were just plain rude and unhelpful) with some guidance or a kick up the backside in the right direction!!, heres the score; I had a default issued against my by Home Retail Group (Argos) following some financial difficulties. Recently ive began the process of trying to get this removed. I followed the advice that most people have given and wrote a letter asking politely that they remove it...to which I got a big NO. So I wrote another letter requesting that under various sections of the consumer credit act that they provide me with a valid true copy of the default notice along with a signed copy of my CCA, there was no reply within the statutory time limit. So i sent another letter....(shown below) "After recently obtaining a copy of my credit file from the credit agency, I was extremely concerned to note that you'd added a default notice against me on 24/03/2012. As is clearly evident from all previous communication between us in regards to this default, including phone conversations (24/9/12 & 25/9/12) where 2 of your staff members admitted you cannot produce a valid true copy of the original default notice or credit agreement, and failure to complete requests under s.77/78 of the consumer credit act within the statutory time period on 2 occasions. I contest the accuracy of the default which I never received and until such time you can provide proof that you complied with the above Act, you must remove all derogatory data from the files of any credit reference agency (CRA). As you cannot produce true valid copies of these documents, this will leave me no alternative but to seek legal enforcement via CPR31.16. Without sight of said default notice, I cannot argue the authenticity, enforceability or execution and therefore will use this as my claim if I am forced into taking legal action, all costs will also be claimed. It would, however, be in both our interests if you simply agree to remove the default being that I did actually make full payment and settled the account. There are so many inconsistencies with the alleged default notice, the execution, the enforceability and the legal compliance that you must surely have no other alternative but to remove it, least of all as a gesture of goodwill? I do not want to take this through the courts but I will enforce removal by judgement if necessary, at the end of the day you have acted unlawfully by not issuing a fully compliant and correctly executed legal document. Therefore, assuming you are happy with my proposal please confirm, in writing on letter headed paper the following points will be carried out; The Default Notice will be removed no later than. The Status of the account will change from “Defaulted” to “Settled” The Current Balance will appear as £0.00 The Default / Delinquent Balance will be set to £0.00 There will be no date in the “Defaulted Date” field (as it will be removed) There will be no date in the “Date Last Delinquent” field on the report This will apply to all 3 Credit Reference Agencies, namely Experian, Equifax & Call Credit Failure to agree will result in formal papers being sent, I look forward to your response within the next 21 days. Yours faithfully Blah Blah Blah" As you can see in the letter I comitted the cardinal sin and called them (i have recorded both calls) to find out whats going on as the 21 day peirod has now expired. Im now in the situation where it looks like im going to have to go through with my threat and take them to court to seek removal by judgement. I havent got a clue how the court system works and / or and which court I should go through to resolve this situation. Any advice would be muchly appreciated!!. ta Sam

Hi there I bought a Nikon Coolpix L120 digital camera from Argos in January this year and until 4 weeks ago, it worked fine. Whilst on holiday, the button that is pressed to take photos suddenly required far more pressure than before - to the extent that taking a picture became very hit or miss. We took the camera back to Argos and, because we couldn't find the receipt, we have had numerous phone calls to ask for information - date the camera was bought, pick-list number and even my debit card number (which I was very concerned about). Argos staff state that if we can't prove purchase i.e. the receipt (how much more can I do and shouldn't they be retaining records to satisfy legislation and accounting standards) Nikon will charge us for any repair! I was under the impression that, as my contract is with Argos, I only have to prove purchase - which I have done by producing the item, box (with Argos item code number stuck to the side, pick-list ticket, date purchased and the debit card details). Surely, they now must concede that I did, indeed, buy the camera and not just nick it. I think Argos need a kick up the jacksy by OFT and, depending on the outcome of this return of faulty goods, I shall be taking this further. Argos staff are surly, rude and blatantly unaware of the Sale of Goods Act and need significant training (along with customer service training). Comments please.....:-x

Hi Guys, I was wondering if any of you could help with my current situation..... I had a default issued against my account in 2011 following a change in address and despite me calling and informing Argos their records werent updated. After a mix up with HSBC and missing 2 payments and receiving a letter from the idiots at moorcroft I paid the debt off in full promptly. Im currently in the process of trying to get this removed so as instructed in various other forums I sent a letter politely requesting that this be removed for a variety of reasons with a copy of my credit report (which is pretty much faultless bar the default). This letter was sent over 8 weeks ago now to the underwriting department at home retail group, ive still had no response so I gave them a call to see if the letter had been received about 2 weeks ago. After being bounced round from department to department it turns out the letter has been passed onto the collections team, the person who apparently deals with these kind of queries is off sick. So i left it another 2 weeks and called them up thursday just gone and was told a manager would be contacting me to resolve the issue....guess what....no call back!!. So once again ive called this morning and being fobbed off big time and told to call back in a couple of days!! So....what do I do next? Many Thanks Sam

Please advise me folks - I know Argos are morally in the wrong, but what are the legalities? I ordered a recliner, half price in their sale - it was advertised on the site as 'in stock for home delivery' - I chose the latest possible delivery date as it suited me (due to move house), more than 30 days ahead. Heard nothing (no email whatsoever) until I called them a week later - yes they had the order. Then a few days later an email arrived laden with the usual caveats about order may be cancelled if they so wish, which I took no heed of, not expecting issues. (I do now wonder if I am the victim of them finding stock for someone who probably ordered after me). About 2 weeks after ordering (I do have dates, just keeping this vanilla, so that they don't know who I am), I got a call about a delay - I politely accepted with only one question "will I definitely get the sofa", to which I was reassured with a firm yes. Around 4 weeks from ordering (2 weeks from the call) I decided to ask for an update - it took nearly a week for them to reply; (in summary) sorry for the delay, sofa discontinued, select an alternative (for same price) or send us more money! To say I was annoyed/gutted would be an understatement! I asked by reply about alternatives & got a call to say that the one I mentioned was also out of stock (yet their site lead me to belive it was 'in stock' - she was 'looking on another system'). I have found them quite curt throughout - I asked them to supply an alternative & she said they needed catalogue number! (I 'politely', i.e. struggling not to swear, pointed out that I do not know their catalogue off the top of my head!) Their 'offer' was to give me £30 off the difference - I would end up paying around 80% more for a sofa not as good as that ordered! With asking to talk to successive managers this improved to £50 then £80 - still meaning I pay more for less or I foot well over half of the difference for the same sofa in a different colour! The next call back (from an 'executive') never happened. They keep calling, even though I have stated that I work & email is easier for me. They keep making the same £80 offer. They are insistent that no contract has formed & that they are doing me a favour! I can't find a specific point in any law about contract forming when money taken, but I do believe that their first call clearly showed that acceptance had already happened. I feel that worn down that I am tempted to back down & cancel the order (they are effectively making the £80 offer & refusing to refund my money unless I cancel the order, which I really don't want to do as I guess it kills my case against them - I feel browbeat into doing something I don't want to do). Help!

I purchased a lawn mower on line earlier this year and on line you offered me an opportunity to get £15 off my next purchase. I didnt read it very well but that conned me out of £10 which I was very angry about but now I find I have been paying Completesave £10 a month ever since, now £40. For that reason I WILL NEVER PURCHASE ANOTHER ITEM EVER FROM ARGOS as you miss lead me when I was buying something from you who until then Trusted.

My wife received a default letter from Argos storecard for arrears of thirty nine pounds on her account. The letter came on the fourth of July and the outstanding amount was paid immediately. We then found out that the account had already been passed to moorcroft. She then had to contact them, where they basically bullied her into agreeing to pay £200 per month for a total outstanding of around £900. They told her that this was the minimum she could pay or baliffs would come round. First of all how can Argos pass her account before the 14 days period for payment, and how can moorcroft demand money we cannot afford to pay it back. I have wrote to Argos to get my account returned to them as I have complied with their default letter. I have yet to receive a reply. The first payment is due today. What can we do. Please help

Follows an investigation by the OFT into 3 high Street electrical retailers http://www.oft.gov.uk/news-and-updates/press/2012/53-12

We've been waiting for Argos to deliver one of their Scandinavia 4 door 6 drawer wardrobes, which was order online on 23rd Jan. Originally, we were told it would be delivered within 35 days and somebody would contact us to sort out delivery. Had a phone call today to day the order had been delayed by 4 weeks, and the estimated time for home delivery, if ordered now, is 42 days unless you live in Birmingham - they only have to wait 10 days!! I've checked over a dozen postcodes (sadly enough) and if you are within a 5 mile radius of the city you get preference Argos have had our money for a month with no goods. Already had a check for £14.00 due to the reduction in price for a bookcase that's delayed too. Is there any way I would be able to speed up delivery or am I stuck with a pile of clothes on the floor and a deficit on my credit card balance? Thx

Hi All, I purchased a Laptop from Argos and the picture in the booklet is different to the one I have received. I would have highlighted this at the time of purchasing but had my brother go and collect and pay it for me. The specification of the laptop is the same but the picture had a separate number pad on the right of the keyboard that I need. The laptop I received does not have this and generally looks allot cheaper. I have contacted Argos and they say that I can not have a refund or return the product as it did not come with a the 30 day money back guarantee. Therefore I have purchased a Laptop that does not suit my needs by way of and incorrect picture, 'false advertising' ? Any advise or help would be greatly appreciated. Peter

Hi all, hope you are fit and well! I have recently lost hours at work and are now part time, this means I can no longer afford my bills - I have written to my creditors offering a pro-rata payment (have sent a income/expenditure form also to each of them). I used a template letter from the library (offer payment/stop interest etc etc). I got a reply from Cap 1 asking for my bank statements (which they will not get - cheeky sods!) I just got a reply from argos (my argos card) stating: As a reuslt of financial difficulties you are currently experiencing we have blocked your account from making purchases until further notice. Please note that if you fail to maintain minimum payments on your account we will have to report this to credit reference agencies and it may affect your ability . . . etc, etc! No mention of the pro-rata payment or interest stopped or anything - any idea what I can do from here? Plus I would not be using the card again - pointless adding more debt on - silly sods! Many many thanks!

I purchased a MSI u135 netbook from argos on the 8th dec 2010 .£199. It was an xmas gift for my 27 year old daughter . Obviously she did not recieve the item from me untill 25th December . My partner had set it up for her and mentioned to me that the space bar and the mouse appeared to be very stiff & a little bit unpredictable . Ie it would open 2o windows with 1 click etc . However we thought as it was brand new maybe this was the reason why ? The internet worked fine . My daughter loved this item but within 2 weeks of se she was starting to get a bit fed up with the netbook appearing to have a life of its own . The mouse kept freezing and the space bar jamming . I went to her house mid january and she showed me what was happening ironically the system woud work fine with an external mouse ? we took it back to argos who said that as we had had the item for more than 30 days it would have to be sent away for repair . I had a telephone cal from argos today telling me that someone at msi ? hahad examined it and had fond the moher board to be water damaged and that a repair would cost £185 ! and that we were responsible for the water damage so we would have to pay this amount ! This item has never had any water damage to it ever . its only 8 weeks old as is in imaculate condition . i was furious ! Can anyone help with advice ? if the netbook was in perfect working order except for a mouse that froze and behaved erratically , and a space bar that just got stuck every now and again would you need to replace the mother board and why would it work ok if an external mouse was used ? are there any companys who we could pay to examine this item on our behalf to get a second opinion ? £185 for a repair to an item that cost £199 is a joke how can this be the case ? has anyone experienced this type of thing before with argos and other laptops etc ? any help would be very much apreciated .

I recently ordered a collect and connect service for a dishwasher from Argos. It wasn't until the point of booking the driver, four weeks after taking my order did they say I need to disconnect and drain the pipes for the existing dishwasher... strikes me that if I can do that why do I need them to connect it .... They never mentioned the need to disconnect up until this point Shoddy service in my mind and a problem of disconnecting a dishwasher in the bargain for me now

Hello all first post here but in a real pickle. On the 14th of June I received a Default notice for £49.07 from Argos Cards. On the 22nd of June I paid the default sums in full (£49.07) and was told no further action was required. After months of battling with the administrators of the company I used to work for they managed to get the money owed to me (roughly £4k) so on the 28th June again I called argos up and advised when I get the payment within the first 2 weeks of August I will pay the full balance, the advisor took an additional £5.99 payment from me and said that no payments would be due on the account until August. Anyhow today I rang up to pay the full balance to be told they cannot talk to me the account will be transferred to their debt collectors and any concerns should be made in writing as they have terminated my agreement, however they could take the payment. After 20 minutes of arguing with the dizzy woman she checked with her manager who advised they generated the letter of default on 04/06/2010 and even though it takes up to 14 days to be printed and delivered they start the 14 days from the date the collections advisor decides do issue the default notice. I advised this is contrary to the consumer credit act, and the default & subsequent termination of the arrangement are illegal the advisor checked with her manager who advised that their company policy superceeds the consumer credit act and this does not affect any of my rights. Now I have paid the balance in full, however checked on credit expert and sure enough my account shows 2 missed payments a green 0 and then default. Please help what do I do? Aaron x

Hello all first post here but in a real pickle. On the 14th of June I received a Default notice for £49.07 from Argos Cards. On the 22nd of June I paid the default sums in full (£49.07) and was told no further action was required. After months of battling with the administrators of the company I used to work for they managed to get the money owed to me (roughly £4k) so on the 28th June again I called argos up and advised when I get the payment within the first 2 weeks of August I will pay the full balance, the advisor took an additional £5.99 payment from me and said that no payments would be due on the account until August. Anyhow today I rang up to pay the full balance to be told they cannot talk to me the account will be transferred to their debt collectors and any concerns should be made in writing as they have terminated my agreement, however they could take the payment. After 20 minutes of arguing with the dizzy woman she checked with her manager who advised they generated the letter of default on 04/06/2010 and even though it takes up to 14 days to be printed and delivered they start the 14 days from the date the collections advisor decides do issue the default notice. I advised this is contrary to the consumer credit act, and the default & subsequent termination of the arrangement are illegal the advisor checked with her manager who advised that their company policy superceeds the consumer credit act and this does not affect any of my rights. Now I have paid the balance in full, however checked on credit expert and sure enough my account shows 2 missed payments a green 0 and then default. Please help what do I do? Aaron x