Online shoppers beware !

What a pain. If my card doesn't work I always ring, because it has happened several times. I get them to check to see if it has gone through, and if not, we do it over the phone. It's a pain but sometimes you can lose connection during a transaction, which is what usually causes the blip.

It's so frustrating that 10 days later they still haven't refunded my money and they have no record of all the calls I made that morning after discovering the error. I had to obtain authorisation codes from the bank for both cards that mothercare said they required to be able to sort the refund. When I phoned them back with the codes they assured me that was all the info they required and it would be sorted within a couple of days. Apparently it was a major problem with their site affecting customers all around the UK that day. So there may well be a lot of folk who haven't realised they have paid for goods in orders that were never processed. Or in my case paid double for an order that was never processed !

I think they are being a bit mean, to say the least. I think you need to keep bombarding them with emails, with the information you needed on them.

They can ignore phone calls, so my practice is always to put it in writing to customer services, if possible with a copy to the chief executive.

I've said this before, but here goes!

Emails etc via their website only get seen by them. BUT put something on their Facebook page.............

Or in their twitter feed.

Both those are public and should shame them into doing something.

also when you have done/made transactions via cards that you are not happy with...then order new cards...don't say you have damaged them in the washer etc..or they may just give you same card same numbers...tell them you have lost it etc....I normally do this with my cards every so often..especially with companies like insurance/AA road cover etc as they have policies that lets them automatically renew your subscription (if you have new card new number then they cannot do this) they can try!!!!

What an excellent tip! Just told OH so he is now busily tapping away requesting new cards!

I do the same as Anno everything down in black and white, that way there is no 'misunderstanding', and I always get a name, whenever I speak to any company phone or otherwise.

just remember you have to say you have "lost" them as I seem to remember at one time my debit card was damaged and they just replaced it and im sure it had the same number etc.....I think it's possible that some places do charge for new cards but not sure!!

Lots of good advice there, thanks everyone ! My phone calls to Mothercare customer care trying to retrieve the cash they helped themselves to from my bank account have proved to be a frustrating and expensive waste of time. I will now put pen to paper and aim higher up the tree. Despite 10 days ago providing them with the authorisation code from the bank to enable them to refund the money they had taken I am no further on. The money is still missing from my account and my calls to mothercare 10 days ago were not logged and I had to start from scratch today giving them bank card details etc yet again. I suggested that they should also refund the cost of all the phone calls involved but was told that wouldn't be likely as the website glitch when they helped themselves to a double payment for an order they didn't process was nationwide and it would cost them too much ! I've been a mothercare customer since my kids were born 35 years ago and now shopping there for my grandchildren. But as a result of this fiasco and appalling customer service I'll be spending elsewhere from now on.

I know this isn't exactly the same situation, but might help if Mothercare don't sort it soon.

I had been charged an extra amount wrongly by a local company. After phoning them several times and getting no joy, I rang Citizens Advice, who put me on to Trading Standards. They were brilliant, and rang the company direct, and "used pressure" to get it resolved quickly. They even came back to me a week later to check the refund had gone through.

I also agree that Facebook is a great idea for a large company like Mothercare.

Something similar happened to me with the Halifax, I pay usually make the morgage payment online but we were having problems with the internet so it was paid on their automated line which issued a declined payment, so I then phoned and made a payment online, they took both payments I almost fell over when I checked my bank. This happened Aug 2012 it took the Halifax until Jan 2013 to find the payment, they said we know you have paid it but it is floating around in a spurious account somewhere.

Thats another good tip thank you. I don't have Facebook but I could ask my daughter to do it for me there. The experience has actually left me a bit apprehensive about online shopping now that I've seen how easily something like this can happen. It was very easy for Mothercare to help themselves to cash for an order that wasn't even processed and 5 mins later take the same amount again. Yet 10 days later they seem to find it impossible to put the money back

Sorry that should have read that I paid by phone with an advisor.

That's shocking with your Halifax mortgage and makes my £50 with Mothercare pale into insignificance !

If you put your concerns in writing, why do you not add that Watchdog will be very interested to hear this large company has refused to solve the problem and also declined to pay for the telephone calls.

That's another great tip about the threat of Watchdog, thanks for that. I'll include that in my letter.

grannywannywoo I would not be adverse to tell them that you have discussed the problem with fellow members of your on line forum and told them of the problem and alerting them of the possible pitfalls of shopping with them you do not have to mention GN in particular just the fact that it is being discussed on an open forum should wake them up a bit.Best of luck to you.

I mentioned a problem I was having with a company on Twitter and - surprise, surprise - it was sorted out almost immediately.

Thanks again for the tips everyone