Gamers have been left in the dark for nearly two weeks after they tried to pre-order Microsoft’s new Xbox using the “buy now, pay later” service, and Klarna has now been told if they want the console, they’ll have to pay for it in one go on the day of its release after all. .
And those who’ve had difficult credit checks told direct debit was set up by Klarna to pay for the console over two years were emailed Tuesday telling them their application wasn’t successful and they’d missed out.
The Swedish company said a “small percentage” of customers were affected, but the numbers are likely to be in the hundreds if not thousands after it said demand for the new Xbox was “ten times” what it expected.
Klarna issued a “final update” on the Xbox pre-order debacle this past weekend. Thousands were likely left with difficult credit checks to fund applications for a console they didn’t get
Customers on the social media platform Twitter said their credit scores were hurt by a credit check, which unlike a “soft” search that appears on a customer’s credit profile and is visible to other potential lenders, for financing they haven’t received yet.
And another group of customers previously told by Smyths Toys that there would be a console available for them to pre-order, after an error between the retailer and Klarna saw it run out of stock, emailed last week to say this had been sent in error “to the number Very few clients.
He said the email should only have been sent to those whose funding was approved by Klarna, as opposed to those whose status was left in doubt after a ‘technical error’ caused them to be unable to complete the purchase, despite being told they had been prepared. Direct debit with Klarna.
The retailer, which with GAME offered two copies of the new console as part of a package costing either £20.99 or £28.99 per month for two years, said in its email last Wednesday that those who had been wrongly told the console would be reserved for them. be able to get one.
However, they’ll have to buy it in-store from Smyths Toys, it won’t include the add-ons featured in the “All Access” offer, and they’ll have to pay in full when they collect the console on release day November 10.
This effectively left them in the same position they would have been in had it not been for the hassle of trying to pre-order with Klarna, leaving them with difficult credit checks on file for no reason.
Customers have told that their applications for Klarna financing were not successful and they still have “hard” checks on their credit file, with some reporting that their credit score has been damaged.
This past Wednesday email came eight days after the original spat between Klarna and Smyths, a period in which shoppers were promised updates on how to complete a pre-order that never came.
Those affected also lost the opportunity to attempt to pre-order the console the next day or purchase it elsewhere, as they were either told not to try again by Klarna’s customer service team or were waiting for a response from the retailer.
Shoppers will likely be more than happy to pay in the first place, with paying for the show through Klarna working out cheaper in the long run.
Shoppers have been emailed from Klarna letting them know that a direct discount has been set up to pay for the Xbox. However, he has since told people that their applications were in fact unsuccessful
The Swedish company offers consumers three ways to pay either in installments or a month after ordering something, but only its financing agreement requires a tough credit check.
One customer caught up in the situation, Phil Lunt, previously told This is Money: ‘I could have bought the Series X outright, and the only reason I went the All Access route is because I thought it was a good deal for the console plus Game Pass Ultimate in the long run. the long.
Klarna has been trying to get control of the situation since the disaster on September 22nd. It posted a post on its website last Friday in what it called the “final update.”
Klarna has partnered with Smyths Toys and GAME to offer a 24-month bundle for the new Xbox that comes out next month.
She said those who applied for Klarna financing and received an email confirming direct debit was set up had not completed their application after all.
As a result, you have not secured an Xbox All Access console for pre-order. We understand this will be a disappointment to you and we’re really sorry for the experience you went through securing the latest Xbox console.
We’ll keep an Xbox Series X or S console on release day available for you to purchase at your chosen Smyths Toys Superstore. Please note that this will not be included in Xbox All Access, and will need to be paid for in full when the console is collected
Smyths Toys mail Sept. 30
If you would like to receive updates when new stock is available, you can sign up for the retailers’ newsletter on their websites. When new inventory becomes available, you can apply again for an Xbox All Access bundle with Klarna Financing.
An email sent by Smyths Toys to another person who tried to pre-order an Xbox and viewed This is Money said that ‘additional stock is expected to be available before Christmas, so we ask that you keep an eye on our website for more stock replenishments.’
It said it has canceled direct customer debts and will erase all Klarna lookups from applicants’ credit reports by Oct. 16, because they didn’t ask for credit after all, which will hopefully reverse any damage to any credit scores.
Klarna declined to say how many shoppers were affected, but some people on Twitter said the hard search remained on their credit report for the time being and negatively affected their score.
One customer, Johnny Archer, was wrongly told Tuesday by Klarna Customer Services that he needed to contact credit reference agency TransUnion to have the hard check removed.
One shopper who had a hard Klarna check was initially told he needed to ask a credit reference agency to remove it. However, her customer services were later corrected by her Twitter account. Klarna is currently removing these difficult checks
This message was indirectly corrected by the Klarna customer service Twitter account and said that this was a mistake.
Credit reference agency Experian previously told This is Money that people who discover errors in their credit files should report them to the lender who made them.
She added, “We have spent the past 10 days analyzing the pre-order window opening for the latest Xbox. There was a huge demand, more than ten times the forecast and we processed thousands of successful applications.
Unfortunately, for a small percentage of customers, we are disappointed to say that their experience did not meet the expectations we set for ourselves.
We’ve apologized before, and want to reiterate that for this group of customers, we understand the experience was disappointing and frustrating.
While convenience is limited, we’ve learned from experience and have already worked alongside our partners to put in place some changes to help make sure this doesn’t happen in the future.
She said those who still have questions or problems should contact customer services.
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