Stupid - Egg card protection

Karen1_2

I am an idiot, I have only just realised that Egg are charging me for credit card protection. This is a box I never tick when taking out any sort of agreement. I've queried this with them, but they just emailed back saying this was "taken out" when I took out the card in 2002. (I know - I have spent too long with my head in the sand hiding from credit cards!). How can I prove I didn't do this? Or how can they prove I did? Or - can I get my money back.
Thanks, please be gentle with me.

$"£!$&^*"$!&*(

Karen1 wrote: »

I am an idiot, I have only just realised that Egg are charging me for credit card protection. This is a box I never tick when taking out any sort of agreement. I've queried this with them, but they just emailed back saying this was "taken out" when I took out the card in 2002. (I know - I have spent too long with my head in the sand hiding from credit cards!). How can I prove I didn't do this? Or how can they prove I did? Or - can I get my money back.
Thanks, please be gentle with me.

Can you clarify, do you mean card protection as in if you are abroad and lose your cards and have to get emergency ones or do you mean Payment protection, so if you fell ill etc?

Karen1_2

Sorry, payment protection if I am ill. They would pay a percentage of my debt. This is a box I just never tick.

$"£!$&^*"$!&*(

Karen1 wrote: »

Sorry, payment protection if I am ill. They would pay a percentage of my debt. This is a box I just never tick.

You will need to ask for a copy of the signed credit agreement. This will show you that you did or did not agree to take this out.

jonesMUFCforever

Back in those days you might well have had to tick the box to say that you DID NOT want the cover.
I believe this is illegal now.

Karen1_2

Thank you very much. I have just checked and I was also self-employed for the whole of that year, so how daft was I? Will be in touch with them for some proof in writing.

LongTermLurker

Assuming you did take out the cover (probably through having to opt out rather than opt in - a really nasty trick), then as far as getting your money back, I doubt you would have any joy. However, I would think the following would be significant

1. As you were self employed, I would consider it reasonable for you to (maybe) have wanted accident & sickness cover because your employer wouldn't have given you protection.
2. However, it would have been unreasonable for you to have taken out or needed unemployment cover, because you could never have claimed (self employed are always excluded)

Therefore, if you could claim you were sold unemployment cover without regard to you being self employed, you might have the potential for a mis-sale imo

benf90

LongTermLurker wrote: »

Assuming you did take out the cover (probably through having to opt out rather than opt in - a really nasty trick), then as far as getting your money back, I doubt you would have any joy. However, I would think the following would be significant

1. As you were self employed, I would consider it reasonable for you to (maybe) have wanted accident & sickness cover because your employer wouldn't have given you protection.
2. However, it would have been unreasonable for you to have taken out or needed unemployment cover, because you could never have claimed (self employed are always excluded)

Therefore, if you could claim you were sold unemployment cover without regard to you being self employed, you might have the potential for a mis-sale imo

I'm not too sure what it was like back in 2002 but self employed people aren't excluded from claiming against becoming unemployed. It's difficult to claim yes, but not necessarily impossible.

From the T&Cs specific to the unemployment cover part:

"If You are Self-Employed and wish to make an Unemployment claim We will only pay benefit if You are without Work due to the business in which You were Self-employed totally and permanently ceasing to trade as a direct result of it being unable to pay its debts as and when they fell due"

Karen1_2

Thank you all for your help.

LongTermLurker

benf90 wrote: »

I'm not too sure what it was like back in 2002 but self employed people aren't excluded from claiming against becoming unemployed. It's difficult to claim yes, but not necessarily impossible.

From the T&Cs specific to the unemployment cover part:

"If You are Self-Employed and wish to make an Unemployment claim We will only pay benefit if You are without Work due to the business in which You were Self-employed totally and permanently ceasing to trade as a direct result of it being unable to pay its debts as and when they fell due"

OK, so in other words you would have to into liquidation? (I've no knowledge on these things, but isn't that what happens if a company can't pay off its creditors? - that's a desparate decision to take).