A fed-up grandma has pledged never to shop at Iceland again after a months-long battle with the supermarket. Carmel Lee signed up for Iceland's bonus card thinking it could save her some money, but now says she 'won't go back'.
The 60-year-old, who described herself as a 'loyal customer' before the ordeal, had planned to save up the money she earned through the rewards scheme towards her Christmas shop. Customers who use Iceland's Bonus Card receive £1 each time £20 is added to their savings balance.
The poorly gran had built up over £200 over several months, however in October, the nan-of-seven suffered a heart attack and ended up in hospital. She spent the following weeks living with her son Ben in Birkenhead while she recuperated and in December, the family went to their local Iceland and spent around £160 on Carmel's bonus card with no issues.
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But when Carmel next tried to use the card online a couple of weeks later, the card was refused. Her son Ben got in touch with Iceland's customer service department, who reportedly told him the card had been deactivated and the £48.46 left on it lost.
Carmel, who is on disability benefits and lives on a tight budget, told the LiverpoolEcho: "That money could cover a weekly shop for me. They told us the card had been deactivated through non-use, then they said they would order us a new card and get the balance transferred.
"We waited for six weeks, but it just didn't arrive. There was nothing in the post."
Carmel and Ben say they rang Iceland on several occasions to try to get their money back, but were apparently told 'there was no balance to transfer'. They then realised that the card had been incorrectly registered to 'Carmel Ler', which complicated matters further.
The stress took its toll on Carmel, who said: "I can hardly walk because of my chest and I don't need this on top of it all. It stinks. I'm feeling done over and left in the dark."
Iceland eventually issued Carmel a new card and transferred the balance, plus an extra £25 'to apologise for the delay'. An Iceland spokesperson said: "Unfortunately, due to an incorrect surname being provided in the first instance, there was initially some difficulty in identifying the customer’s claim.
"After further investigation however, we've been able to identify the correct card to which the customer was referring, and Iceland’s Contact Centre team have been in touch to find a resolution.”
After saying she had 'lost hope', Carmel said she was delighted with the outcome. "It's taken four months to sort it, but all I wanted was what is mine," she said. "I will use the money on the card but then I won't go back and shop at Iceland again."
