Several breeds: – Non-professional

-I'm really very disappointed, because I thought Klarna was a more solid and trustworthy company. That Klarna chose to enter into a collaboration with a company that turned out to be “spam” is worrying, Inger-Helen Korsgaard tells DinSide.

In December, she bought three portable heaters online, choosing to pay for them with Klarna just to be on the safe side. The goods arrived on the same day payment was due and therefore did not have time to stop payment.

– After purchasing, I realized that the company is a scam. Korsgaard says the merchandise was also damaged and unusable when received.

So she wanted the money back and called Klarna.

– I have been trying to get my money back since January, and I have done everything Klarna asked me to do, but nothing has happened.

It can apply to many people

– Horrible

Korsgaard was first asked to send photos of the merchandise, and then was told to contact the company herself, which she did to no avail.

She says Klarna does not respond to her emails, receives an apology every time she calls, and is told to wait.

– Nobody in Klarna does anything. “There's training, and it's like they're waiting for me to get bored and drop everything,” Korsgaard says.

The portable heaters cost a total of NOK 615.

– It's not about several thousand kroner, but it's the principle and one doesn't throw money away anyway. I think I've probably become more annoyed with the customer experience I've had with Klarna, Korsgaard explains.

-I would describe this experience as miserable, with very poor customer service. I'm also probably more skeptical of Klarna now, and I've definitely lost confidence. She explains that the customer experience is miserable and extremely annoying.

DinSide has been in contact with Klarna. Read their response below on this issue.

Rasser: – Impossible!

Doubtful

The latest critic of Klarna is Roger Warwood. He bought an electronic car defrost device online and paid for it with Klarna.

“You were supposed to keep the car ice-free using microwaves, but what you received was a smelly perfume bottle,” Warwood told DinSide.

He contacted Klarna and said he had received the wrong item, but was encouraged to contact the company directly – which Warud did.

– He offered me a lower price, so I called Klarna again, he says.

Klarna requested documentation that the item the man received was wrong — which Ward sent. However, time passed without receiving an answer.

“So I called them again, but they asked for the same documents again,” Ward says.

The electronic av-iser costs 199 NOK, including shipping.

– It's not about the money, it's about what Klarna can legitimize. “I'm very skeptical about their behavior,” Warwood says.

Klarna warns

Been waiting

Annemarie Finstad also tells of an unfortunate experience with Klarna. I ordered a pair of slippers on a website that advertises free shipping and returns throughout Norway.

Finstad sized up the insoles to ensure a perfect fit, but that was not the case. Even though she ordered the largest size sold on the site, it was too small.

-I contacted the company who offered me a discount, but I wasn't interested when the shoes didn't fit. I wanted to bring them back,” Finstad tells DinSide.

She was therefore asked to return the item at her own expense, which she did not accept.

– I contacted Klarna in January, and the case has been pending since then.

– Feeling stupid

-It seems unprofessional

Finstad says she has called and sent countless emails to Klarna since January. She was also asked to document that the item was defective multiple times.

-I tried to explain that the item was not defective, but that it did not fit and that I wanted to return it. “So I sent Klarna photo proof anyway, without the result that my amount with them was deleted,” Finstad says.

The insoles cost 690 NOK.

– It's not a big amount, but the principle. “I haven't made any further progress since January, and I've been in contact with them countless times,” Finstad explains.

-I think their customer service is very bad. Calls are not recorded, and you have to start over each time. I think it looks very unprofessional. “You'll never get any confirmation that they received the documents they're requesting,” she explains.

Welcome! My name is Anastasia Møyland, and I cover a variety of areas at DinSide – including consumer finance, rights and fraud. Do you have any tips on this, or other consumer issues I should consider?

Klarna answers

DinSide has been in contact with Klarna, which will respond on a general basis – regardless of the customer experiences described above.

– How do you investigate a company before choosing to provide a payment solution through it?

– Klarna has a semi-automated process that gives stores the opportunity to quickly get started with payment solutions, John Craske, Klarna's press contact, wrote in an email to DinSide.

According to the press communication, this process includes, among other things, checks to ensure that companies comply with relevant laws and regulations, as well as that they meet a number of their standards.

The goal is to give Klarna users a safe and hassle-free experience when shopping online, says Crascke.

scam

– Act immediately

Klarna's press contact states that they are also carrying out constant checks, as well as monitoring online stores to ensure their guidelines are being followed.

“If we detect a pattern that shows requirements are not being met, we act immediately,” Kraske says.

Everyone DinSide spoke to about this matter says they've been asked to send the same type of document multiple times, and that they've often received a standard response from Klarna. So we asked whether Klarna has “real” customer advisors answering emails, or whether this happens automatically.

– Of course, we have several thousand customer service staff who work dedicatedly to provide our customers with high-quality support. Artificial intelligence (AI) also supports our customer service function with the same levels of satisfaction as human customers,” Kraske says.

– Since Klarna acts as a payment provider, it is important for customers to be clear about the retailer's operations, he stresses.