John Lewis credit card-holders left unable to pay off their bills after website overhaul

The card's website (www.johnlewisfinance.com) was overhauled last weekend, with customers receiving letters weeks in advance to warn them their accounts would be down temporarily.

MoneySavingExpert.com understands the revamp was due to be completed last Sunday (9 October), but customers have faced problems logging in for much of this week.

Some have been unable to pay their bills online, while those who then called the customer helpline to pay via phone have found it difficult to get through due to the number of fellow cardholders reporting the same issue.

Others have reported being unable to use their cards since the website changes – though this hasn't been confirmed by John Lewis.

A John Lewis spokesperson told MoneySavingExpert that if the problems meant customers couldn't pay their bills on time, "any resulting charges will be refunded".

He added that most customers who'd experienced difficulties logging in had now been able to access their accounts, but couldn't confirm whether all technical issues had been fixed.

'It's a complete disaster'

A number of Partnership cardholders have used Twitter this week to complain about the problem:

One customer emailed MoneySavingExpert to say: "John Lewis have recently made changes to their card operation – it's a complete disaster."

What should I do if I've been charged a fee?

If you've been charged a late payment fee because of the problems, according to John Lewis you should be able to get your money back.

You can contact customer services to ask for a refund by calling 0345 300 3833 – however some people have told us it's still proving difficult to get through.

You can also tweet @johnlewisretail or write to John Lewis Financial Services Limited, Partnership Card, Customer Resolutions Team, PO Box 5140, Coventry CV3 9ES.

If you have any difficulties getting a refund, let us know at news@moneysavingexpert.com.

What about my credit score?

Late payments on credit cards can affect your credit score – but the good news is, you can fight back if you think it's unfair. Check our Credit Scores guide for details of how to dispute defaults on your credit report, and how to add a notice of correction.

What is the Partnership card?

It's a credit card which rewards you for shopping at John Lewis and Waitrose. Each time you do, you earn one point for every pound you spend. These are converted into John Lewis or Waitrose gift vouchers, with 500 points adding up to a £5 voucher.

The card charges 0% interest on purchases and balance transfers for six months, after which there's a representative APR of 16.9%.