Insure and Go Taken Money Without Authorisation

TheHorse

Hello,

Last year we took a year's travel insurance policy out with Insure and Go online and paid with this using our joint account's debit card. Naturally, we figured this was for one year only.

Two weeks ago, they took a payment of £66 direct from my debit card for a further year's insurance policy (without my knowledge) which - because it was just before payday, sent our account overdrawn. I have contacted Halifax and they refused to drop the bank charges (of £28 + £35 for the one transaction) and said I had to take issue with Insure & Go.

I contacted Insure and Go who said (surprise surprise) they can't do anything as they sent me a letter saying the insurance was up for renewal and I had to cancel tos top them taking money. Needless to say I haven't received any such letter as I would have cancelled the policy as Im not going on holiday for a long time as I've just setup a new business (no time for hols).

Im pretty sure that Insure and Go are in the wrong but don't really know what to do next. Both parties are refusing to sort this issue out.

Any ideas?

Thanks

L

LeeSouthEast

Auto-renewal would have been in the T&C's you agreed to. No letter received (given the current postal situation) isn't surprising and they are not obliged to send one out. Cancel the policy and get a refund and chalk the charges up to experience?

DVardysShadow

LeeSouthEast wrote: »

Auto-renewal would have been in the T&C's you agreed to. No letter received (given the current postal situation) isn't surprising and they are not obliged to send one out. Cancel the policy and get a refund and chalk the charges up to experience?

Grief, you are too soft on this growing menace of autorenewing contracts. I think consumers should really dig in and make it grief for the companies, unless they get an explicit approval of the renewal.

LeeSouthEast

Too soft? Don't get me wrong, I hate them as much as the next person. But if consumers cannot be bothered to read the Terms to which they sign (I include myself in this prior to January this year - New Years Resolution!), then they really have little comeback in my view.

dreamypuma

Is it me or have most people that complain about bank charges never heard of overdraft facilities?

I have one, very rarely use it, but whenever I have done it costs me pennies.

DVardysShadow

LeeSouthEast wrote: »

Too soft? Don't get me wrong, I hate them as much as the next person. But if consumers cannot be bothered to read the Terms to which they sign (I include myself in this prior to January this year - New Years Resolution!), then they really have little comeback in my view.

That is stretching it too far. If someone buys a year's insurance, reading the T&C's or not, they ought to get exactly what they ask for, the headline description, a year's insurance, not an autorenewing contract.

If you buy a washing machine, you do not get a new one delivered after 4 years, a DD payment taken and told it is an autorenewing contract as described in the T&C's. I would like to see these sharks put to the test to prove that the customer knew that it was not a year's insurance they were buying, but an autorenewing contract.

Proc

DVardysShadow wrote: »

That is stretching it too far. If someone buys a year's insurance, reading the T&C's or not, they ought to get exactly what they ask for,

But you did get exactly what you asked for. You agreed to an auto-renewal policy.

Seriously, T&Cs are in plain English. If people just took 5 minutes to read them this rubbish wouldn't happen.

I think consumers should really dig in and make it grief for the companies

The best way to dig in and make it grief is by simply not purchasing their product.

CHR15

The Auto-renewal crap needs to be changed.

I had hassle from the RAC a few years ago.

I wanted to change so rang them after about 10 Months to say I was going to stop the DD and cancel my membership after the 12 Months

"no sir, if you cancel now, the cancellation if effective immediately"

"but I want to continue as a member until my (fully paid up) term comes to an end"

"in that case Sir, you will have to contact us the day before renewal"


Personnally I think that is crap! I read another post of a similar nature. The poster HAD to ring on the day of renewal, he couldn't cancel the day before.
The day of renewal was a Sunday, so there was no answer.
He rang up on the Monday but it was too late, the autorenewal had gone through, so there was nothing they could do.


It's all well and good reading the T&C's but ultimately, you ain't gonna get any cover unless you sign them, all companies have pretty much the same terms so there is no choice, other than go without.

Optimist

If you feel auto renewal is unfair then write to your MP and complain

http://www.writetothem.com/

Also the OFT

[EMAIL="enquiries@oft.gsi.gov.uk"]enquiries@oft.gsi.gov.uk[/EMAIL].