Fraudulent Transaction, CC given up!

jonwr

I bought a new phone via the Carphone Warehouse (CW) last August. Within 10 minutes of turning it on i had 2 calls; one from O2 welcoming me to the network and another from the CW...well they said it was the CW!

Now usually i'm not as daft to give my Credit Card (CC) details out over the phone but for whatever reason this day i did (i did have a cold so maybe i was high on vics). The company claiming to be the CW knew my name, regional location, what type of phone i bought and the fact i didn't take the CW insurance plan. They were basically offering me a fixed price deal on insurance so instead of paying something like £35 every month for 18 months with the CW, for £99.99 i would get full coverage for the 18 months...yes sounds too good to be true when i think about it now. I paid with my CC and thought nothing of it until 5 minutes after the call, i got a text (like they said i would) with my insurance number, when i should expect the documentation and confirm the amount i paid....followed by a thank you like for choosing them. The company name on the text was not CW but one called 'You Equip It' aka foneprotect!

I immediately contacted the CW to confirm this was a bogus company (they said it was) and then my CC issuer to report the payment.
The women i spoke to on the phone said to let the payment go through as normal, see if the documentation comes through and try to cancel it with whatever details they provide. If the documentation dosent come, wait until the transaction shows up on the next statement and give them a call to report it as fradulent. As you can guess, the documentation didnt come through so within a couple of weeks, i had my september bill & it was reported to my CC issuer and they said they would be in touch; they didnt request anything else, no documentation or proof etc. they 100% said they would contact me!

With this reported, i went on the hunt for the company and followed every phone number i could find either registered to You Equip or foneprotect and no matter what, i either got an answering machine (left numerous messages with none returned) or was stuck in a queue (record hold time of 1hr30mins!).

As my bank said they would contact me, i thought nothing of it and left it thinking they must be looking into i.e. why its taking so long. By December, i thought it was best i check in. I rang the CC issuer and they basically said nothing has been done. They can see the fraud report i logged with them in September but that was the last update on it. I got given another number to ring, which was i direct line to the Fraud\Recoveries department but as it was in the Christmas Holidays it would be best to try early Jan. So last week i called them, explained the situation and was told more or less the same thing. They said it would be best to relog the fraud report so i gave them all the details again. This time they said it would be safer for me to also send them in writing everything i told them on the phone and send via recorded delivery for my records (which i would of done anyway).

Come today i have got a letter in the post from my CC issuer, even before i have sent them a written account, saying:

"Thank you for your recent communication.

I reviewed all the documentation you have supplied to me and unfortunately on this occassion i am unable to assist with this transaction due to the length of time since the transaction was debited to your account.

As the transaction amount is under £100, we have no liability under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act.

Whilst i sympathise with your situation, i have now exhausted all options available to me and therefore recommend you continue to pursue the merchant to try to reach a satisfactory conclusion."

Where do i stand with this; yes im a twit for leaving it for so long between logging and chasing but i thought my bank would of had it in hand. The main reason being on my previous CC issuer, after a trip to America, my CC was used without my consent and they chased it for me which did take 4 months before i heard anything and was refunded.

Personally, i think i'm just going to have to take the £99.99 hit but was wondering if someone knows something which may help me get that money back. Either way, i will be switching CC issuer.......

Thanks in advance

PROLIANT

Oh dear, I was also a victim, well nearly a victim of these fraudsters, I sussed them out when this thick sounding Taff was asking for my details....well I told them to get stuffed and threatened them with the police, I said "why are you asking me this information when you should already have it in front of you on your telly?" I hung up and got many abusive phone calls calling me things like "Geordie b@stard!" and threatening to come to my home and set fire to it....lol, I said well bring it on, even still I was very wary for a couple of month after, I was sleeping with a 20lb hammer under my pillow just in case I had any visitors. As for the Police, they were a waste of time, they were not even interested.
Sorry you have fell victim to these fraudsters and what ever happens I hope you get your money back.