Argos Card > Reviews > Hidden charges and rules to the Argos Card

Author's product rating:   

Competitiveness of APR	Poor
Quality of Customer Service	Poor
Reward Scheme	poor

Advantages:	Small delivery charges, payable over variable periods .
Disadvantages:	high interest charges, misleading information, indifferent customer services

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

When my cooker gave up the ghost my finances were a little stretched, so an argos card seemed like the perfect solution!
"Buy now, pay over 12 months" seemed a good idea! Reading the small print (while trying not to go blind) I thought okay, pay a bit each month, then there wont be too much left to pay at the end of the year!

Except that isnt how things turned out! Over 12 months I paid £270 of the balance,but at the end of the year I was £30 short of the total! Low and behold Argos added the interest for the whole purchase price!

On calling "card services" I was informed ( by a disinterested and unhelpful operator.) that the agreement was "the whole balance should be paid in full prior to the end of the term or the whole years interest will be charged." I pointed out that I had understood the contract to be "a years interest will be incurred on the balance that remains outstanding at the end of the term." the operator then sneeringly informed me that I was wrong, it was all in the small print!!

In my case the origanal purchase of £300, has been reduced to £30. But I am being charged interest on the full origanal purchase price( which amounts to £80 interest) rather than interest on the balance remaining (which would be in the region of £10 interest)

The "small print " of the "buy now pay later" contracts is misleading, and the level of courtesty and understanding given out by customer services leaves a lot to be desired!

I would still recommend this as an option to someone stuck with an emergency, but only to those who could be absolutley certain that they could clear the balance prior to the end of the term! Otherwise stick with other means of credit, where what you pay will be shown at the outset!