OFT looking at Harrods card upgrade
Watchdog considers switch to credit car offer
October 10 2003
The Office of Fair Trading is looking at the way upmarket department store Harrods upgraded customers from a store card to a credit card.
The latest case follows the OFT’s ruling earlier this week that Marks & Spencer had breached regulations by sending its new &more credit and loyalty card to existing charge card holders without their agreement.
The OFT said is now looking at the way Harrods carried out a similar programme, sending a Harrods credit card to store card holders.
Harrods has stressed that it does not believe the cards are unsolicited, because customers have to make a phone call to activate the cards.
M&S agreed to make changes to its procedures so that customer would have to actively agree to take up the new card.
