L L BEAN

The associates on the sales floor were very helpful; I found what I needed and went to the register. Here's where the problems started: The associate offered me 15% off if I opened an LL Bean Visa card, so I agreed. I went through the application process but it was not instantly approved; it was marked as "pending". The associate told me I would hear in 30 days? about my application. She initially denied me the 15% (stating "that's only for customers who qualify" ie, I'm put in a lower value pool), and it took about 20 minutes and the intervention of a supervisor to get the discount I'd been offered. I asked for the customer service number to call to find out why my application had been put on "pending" status. When I called - LL Bean apparently uses Barclay Card - I was told that I had been put on pending because I already had a MasterCard with Barclay Card. Which I do...with a zero balance, never a late payment, and a credit rating in the low 800's. Yet simply because I already had a card with them I was tossed into the 'pending' pool for 'further review'. At this point I cancelled both the LL Bean Visa application and the Master Card I'd had for years. I'm not doing business with companies who treat their customers this way. This incident really caught me by surprise; the quality of LL Bean's products is well known but it is their customer service which sets them apart. I was treated as if I was some lowlife deadbeat and this is definintely not what I've come to expect from LL Bean. So I have two suggestions: treat all customers who apply for your card with the same level of service, and find a credit card provider who doesn't treat your customers the way I was. I certainly wouldn't consider applying for the LL Bean card again until they change credit card companies.