Do you have an unused Q Card?

Get rid of it quick. I just discovered they've changed their terms since I got one when buying an interest-free bit of furniture a couple of years ago and was assured it would cost me nothing. They'd charged a fee of $12.50 and then interest because I didn't pay it last month (too busy to open envelopes in those weeks).

Phoned their cust serv number and the woman was very good, reversed charge, closed account, no bother.

Ah! But they don't "close" the account, as I discovered earlier this year.

A couple of years ago I brought a digital camera and discovered the Q card. They then loaded it up with some huge limit ($20,000 or something completely ridiculous) even though I only wanted to buy the camera. Got them to reduce the limit, then as soon as it was paid off I got them cancel it. Yes, they said, no problem.

Early this year I decided to bite the bullet and bought a new, very fancy digital handicam. Did I have a Q card they asked. No I said, but I had had one in the past.

Huge consernation - why did you cancel it? Was there some sinister reason? Two weeks of waiting later, I rang up, got the same consternation and was just about to tell them where to go when a woman from Q card rang me to say she'd taken care of it, and my card had been "reissued". Reissued?, I asked. But that's not possible, I cancelled my card.

Oh no, she reassured me, we don't cancel, we put them on hold... people always change their minds and then we have to re-enter everything, so we put them on hold.

So while you may think you have "closed" the account, it doesn't mean you're not still on their books. I trust they're not going to send you a bill or anything, but I found their definition of "cancelled" and my definition to be two different things!

Hmm.. we've got a Q-card, I quite like it as it's come in handy many times. If you only buy things during a special (e.g. interest free period), in general it's terms are much better than getting a loan or using the dreaded Visa.

Can you explain wot a Q card is... I dont think I will get one, does sound commercially sinister[xx(]

It's run by F&P finance, foisted upon people when setting up HP agreements.

If it's still just sitting there and I'm not paying for it, that's no different from what's been happening for the last four years. Never know, I might need to buy something again one day.

Can you use it for bull semen?

That's a Q I'll have to ask!

Luckily I did manage to read that particular bit of information and rung to cancel. I was told it had expired anyway!!! why was I still receiving their mail.. go figure eh!!

I got conned into getting one when we bought new beds for the girls.. many years ago.. think they were just new out.... its just like another credit card really but with a limited range of places to purchase...

So why not just stick to credit cards then? At least you know where you are with them.

Because, Inger, when you apply to purchase something on HP, as some of us choose to do when there is an interest free deal and you might as well use their money and earn interest on your own in savings (or not pay interest on a debt if you're in a negative savings position), many retailers now force one to do it via a Q card application. When the HP is all paid off, you're left with a card. In my case, because I'd been assured it wouldn't cost anything, I just let it sit there doing nothing, because I have no use for it. Two months ago Q Card changed their terms and suddenly my do-nothing card had a debit on it, which was unacceptable to me.