Creation Financial Services bashing

[LostAntipod]

Antipod Monday 27th and Tuesday 28th this year are Public Holidays in UK. Unlike some countries, where a Public Holiday falls on weekend, as this year the 2 Public Holidays fell on Sat 25th and Sun 26th, the UK makes the following working day Mon-Fri for each, a Public Holiday instead.

24th wasnt a holiday. On something like a credit card, I would think it reasonable (or even good customer service) to be able to speak to somebody during business hours when all the shops are open anyway …. for example, if your card was declined buying last minute gifts on xmas eve.

[Blair Waldorf Salad]

How long are annual fee refunds taking to credit to people’s bank accounts? Or other method of refund? My statement was produced about 6 days ago

[djl]

Lady London wrote:

cinereus wrote:

youneedtobeyourself wrote:

Putting MCOL aside and simply focussing on FOS for now there are 3 potential issues:

I’m not sure there’s any point in focussing on FOS. 90% chance nothing will get sorted until MCOL.

Cinereus why do you say that?

I’ve been hoping I’ve been wrong in my dim view of the FOS.

I’ve got an ongoing FOS claim against Creation regarding missing free night voucher. It has taken more than a year to be allocated, and the person handling the complaint mentioned in passing today that they are themselves having issues getting any responses from Creation. Apparently Creation are only just responding now to requests from the ombudsman from May 2021.

The FOS have been useless in dealing with a simple issue, so not sure how the service or Creation will cope when the deluge of IHG card closure claims hits..

[Jon9]

Blair Waldorf Salad wrote:

How long are annual fee refunds taking to credit to people’s bank accounts? Or other method of refund? My statement was produced about 6 days ago

My year end was 23rd Oct and was charged my fee then. It was then refunded 24th Nov without me having complained / communicated to Creation in any way.

As far as I am aware that was the point when anyone else being refunded was. I haven’t heard of anyone receiving a refund due to a complaint and it appears only people with year ends from Aug to Nov were refunded.

[tw33ty]

I complained as soon as I got the letter closing my account, received an outcome letter from creation saying it was a business decision, I wouldn’t get my yearly fee refunded, but I could still earn points until the card closed.

I received a refund out off the blue on 24th November, but no points have been transferred over.

So basically the opposite of what they said in their final decision letter.

[SteveJ]

tw33ty wrote:

but I could still earn points until the card closed

Lends more to the theory below:

SteveJ wrote:

There was “speculation” that they might transfer all the points after xx days, to avoid people buying, getting the points, then returning leaving the points in a negative balance.

Just conjecture if I recall.

[QFFlyer]

SteveJ wrote:

tw33ty wrote:

but I could still earn points until the card closed

Lends more to the theory below:

SteveJ wrote:

There was “speculation” that they might transfer all the points after xx days, to avoid people buying, getting the points, then returning leaving the points in a negative balance.

Just conjecture if I recall.

I’m not holding out much hope for this, but in the unlikely event they transfer all the outstanding points accrued, I’d be happy to drop everything else, personally. I know that wouldn’t be a satisfactory outcome for everyone, but just my thoughts.

[Lady London]

Quote from djl:

“I’ve got an ongoing FOS claim against Creation regarding missing free night voucher. It has taken more than a year to be allocated, and the person handling the complaint mentioned in passing today that they are themselves having issues getting any responses from Creation. Apparently Creation are only just responding now to requests from the ombudsman from May 2021.

“The FOS have been useless in dealing with a simple issue, so not sure how the service or Creation will cope when the deluge of IHG card closure claims.”

Oh dear, djl:

Perhaps we should just concentrate on the breach of contract items and MCOL Creation now, first.

I thought it was just me, but it seems there’s enough to go to MCOL with for now with breach of contract and as backup an unfair contract for consumer (if it’s called that). Can always circle back later I suppose aa your approach to MCOL is for breach of contract and to get performance of what you were promised and earned (that FOS can’t deal with specifically for your case in the way MCOL can). Whereas for FOS it’s a more genersl unfairness claim for the finance industry (that FOS is supposer to deal with)

Perhaps we were all a little too quickly carried away by thecfact that each complaimt made to FOS about Creation would cost Creation a £750 case fee which they’d have to pay to the FOS?

[tim.uk]

For those who have complained to the FOS, did you use the online form, or email (or even snail mail)?

[Dan loves Christmas]

Online form. Didn’t take long given the obtuse responses I’d had from creation.

[Graham-Walsh]

My question to Creation on the 30th October 2021 about my missing points and they got back to me today.

Hi Graham

Thanks for getting in touch about your IHG account.

I’m sorry for the late reply.

We will not be awarding any points to your account, due to your account now being closed.

Please confirm if you would like me to pass your email over to our Complaints Team, who will send out an acknowledgement letter to you within 5 working days and can take up to 8 weeks for resolution.

• This reply was modified 54 years, 4 months ago by .

[Lady London]

I really, really hope someone takes Creation to MCOL and a FOS with teeth that will sort Creation out on this totally unacceptable and unfair, supine nastiness, bullying attitude to consumers and failure to meet promises. Luckily I myself never bothered with the IHG (Creation) card.

[Lady London]

Do we need to retitle this thread to include “the IHG Rewards Card” in its title?

People who are struggling with the bad behaviour of the issuer of the IHG Rewards Card may be just blaming IHG and not realising the card issuer is actually called Creation.

[Benilyn]

Happy new year!

[LostAntipod]

Lady London wrote:

LostAntipod wrote:

And just another example of Creation’s utterly contemptuous customer service, if you log onto your online account and see a message saying “your account has restricted functionality”, the phone number they show that we should ring doesnt work. There’s a recorded message on it, directing you to try another number. Don’t have a pen handy? Too bad, you missed it. So here it is – 0333 032 4215. But dont get too excited just yet.

Once you have gone thru the recorded menu on that number, you will be directed to a recorded message that says the offices are now closed, and to call back between 9-5 on monday to friday, and 9-4 on saturdays. So they should be open christmas eve, and today (monday 27th) at around 2pm, yes? well, they aren’t.

Antipod Monday 27th and Tuesday 28th this year are Public Holidays in UK. Unlike some countries, where a Public Holiday falls on weekend, as this year the 2 Public Holidays fell on Sat 25th and Sun 26th, the UK makes the following working day Mon-Fri for each, a Public Holiday instead.

So I would expect offices with a responsibility to be manned, to reopen after the Christmas Break in UK on Wed 29th.

Just to forewarn you the same will happen on New Year’s day. I believe Scotland has 2nd Jan as a Public Holiday additionally.

So 4th January is a working day everywhere, except at Creation, it seems. If you try to call the 0333 number that you are told about after ringing the 0121 number on your account page, it hangs up after about a minute or so on hold, after you’ve passed through the automated menus and entered all your details. (I tried 3 times). So I tried the 0800 number provided in a response to my original complaint. Where you will be greeted with a recorded message saying they are not taking calls at all “due to covid”.

Seems if you want to take anything up with Creation now, its via complaints@creation.co.uk

Not doing their upcoming FOS and MCOL actions any favours by hiding from their customers, one might think.

[Nick_M]

I’ve had my holding response from Creation – “we haven’t been able to deal with your complaint as yet, you are welcome to refer to FOS but please give us more time…”

Has anyone had a satisfactory response from Creation and/or FOS yet?

I’ve only spent £7500 on the card this year (since June), but would argue that I met the proportional amount and was comfortably on target before being told that the card was being cancelled (and similar spending pattern to previous years)… plus there are 4000 points that haven’t transferred across.

Is there any point giving them any more time or should I just go straight to FOS?

[Aston100]

I too have just received the email from Creation asking for more time.
I am aware others received this email a few weeks ago – have any of you heard further?

Are people still carrying on waiting on the basis of JDB’s biased pro-Creation advice? Surely I can’t be the only one who feels JDB’s contributions to the topic are designed to keep as many people away from MCOL / FOS as possible in order to give Creation more time to do something to get out of their obligations?

[Aston100]

By the way, if anyone has gone to MCOL or FOS over this, do you have a particular template or format you are following?

[NorthernLass]

Has anyone submitted their FOS complaint yet? If so, what have you put in it?

[Jonathans]

I got my 8 week letter from Creation today saying they “are unable to provide a response at present due to internal delays” and giving me the option to go to the FOS.

Regardless of any outcome I am appalled at the contempt Creation is treating its (now ex) customers with. If there was some urgency and transparency i could have some sympathy for the delays most likely caused by COVID and Xmas but they clearly have no plan and just sticking their heads in the sand ignoring the issues they’ve caused and seemingly not even trying.

I cant see any point going to the FOS for their own backlog and delays will mean this takes a year or so and MCOL would rather you exhaust the FOS first but there needs to be a point made that they cannot unilaterally stick theirs fingers up to their obligations. So where should one really go next?

[Dan loves Christmas]

Heard from FOS today, 4 months to be allocated to a handler.

[NorthernLass]

Dan loves Christmas wrote:

Heard from FOS today, 4 months to be allocated to a handler.

What did you put in your complaint? Did you quote specific Ts and Cs or just state that Creation hasn’t acted in accordance with them re issuing points and free nights?

[Lady London]

Note that Creation is only mentioning you have the option to go to the FOS because they are legally obliged to inform you of this.

Creation instigated massive negative action against a large number of cardholders at the beginning of October. We are now in January and Creation still hasn’t an answer to complaints within the 8 week period they’re officially supposed to be able to cpme back with an answer in? And they’ve asked several cardholders who’ve reported here, for more time, they’ve been given over 2 more weeks, and they’ve still not come back with their proper response to complaints made?

Creation are taking the pi$$. Put them out of their misery and have the MCOL and FOS tell them what is viewed as proper decent fair behaviour in the consumer finance industry and with regard to a contract, in the UK.

I’ve said enough in my various posts. Given they have given nothing more not even any further communication, to people who’ve given this extra time when Creation asked for it, I would say put claims in for both MCOL and FOS after giving them no more than 2 weeks extra. Remember the basis for your claim to each of these is slightly different and they are not mutually exclusive.

Having said that, despite the FOS’s recent press releases about having overcome their backlog and becoming more efficient it seems the FOS still has far to go. So I would expect an MCOL claim to get processed more quickly.

The FOS should be the ones picking up the issues of general unfairness here. But Creation’s abused consumers may have to confine their request for rectification of breach of contract and contract terms unfair to them as a consumer -given how Creation has demonstrated they are behaving with regard to their contracts with consumers- to personal rectification via MCOL for now.

[Lady London]

Lady London wrote:

Note that Creation is only mentioning you have the option to go to the FOS because they are legally obliged to inform you of this.

Creation instigated massive negative action against a large number of cardholders at the beginning of October. We are now in January and Creation still hasn’t an answer to complaints within the 8 week period they’re officially supposed to be able to cpme back with an answer in? And they’ve asked several cardholders who’ve reported here, for more time, they’ve been given over 2 more weeks, and they’ve still not come back with their proper response to complaints made?

Creation are taking the pi$$. Put them out of their misery and have the MCOL and FOS tell them what is viewed as proper decent fair behaviour in the consumer finance industry and with regard to a contract, in the UK.

I’ve said enough in my various posts. Given they have given nothing more not even any further communication, to people who’ve given this extra time when Creation asked for it, I would say put claims in for both MCOL and FOS after giving them no more than 2 weeks extra over the 8 weeks since raising a complaint. Remember the basis for your claim to each of these is slightly different and they are not mutually exclusive.

Having said that, despite the FOS’s recent press releases about having overcome their backlog and becoming more efficient it seems the FOS still has far to go. So I would expect an MCOL claim to get processed more quickly.

The FOS should be the ones picking up the issues of general unfairness here. But Creation’s abused consumers may have to confine their request for rectification of breach of contract and contract terms unfair to them as a consumer -given how Creation has demonstrated they are behaving with regard to their contracts with consumers- to personal rectification via MCOL for now.

[ColinThames]

Got my complaint response letter from Creation mid December. Registered my complaint with the Ombudsman (Ombudsperson?) yesterday. Let’s see how it goes…
In the meanwhile, no way of earning any points with IHG other than Amex MR points, which is irksome. Is hoping they’ll find a new provider pointless? Surely if Marriot can make it work with Amex then so could IHG, and Hilton for that matter?

• This reply was modified 54 years, 4 months ago by .