Tesco Visa "Cardholder Protection Plan"

JasonW_2

Im fuming. Just got off the phone with Tesco using their overly comlicated and long winded automated system. I am off sick from work and called to see if I was covered. I have CARDHOLDER PROTECTION PLAN costing £22.36 a MONTH which I thought was to cover me in the event of sicknes, unemployment etc.

However, they say this is only to cover me in the even of a card being lost or stolen!!! I pointed out I got this cover automatically by using a VISA card, and charging for this was surely illegal at worst, or extremely immoral!! The lady apologised and I have the address to write to a complaint to, and hopefully get this amount refunded for at least the last 12 months.

The very name of CARDHOLDER PROTECTION PLAN suggests it covers the CARDHOLDER, otherwise it would be called CARD PROTECTION PLAN. Also, this is around £260 a year to cover this!?

The thing is, does anyone have any pointers or suggestions of things to include in the letter? I am right in saying that I would be covered after a lost or stolen card anyway as long as I had called them as soon as I realised? Even better, any official literature from Visa would be great that I could print out and include with my letter.

Should I also write a letter to VISA and let them know too?

Thanks for your help

JW

Reaper

That's not right. Maybe you confused them by saying you wanted to claim under the Cardholder Protection Plan. That is just to cover your cards against loss/theft, however that does not cost you £22.36 a month. To quote from their web site:

Card protection
Protect your new Tesco Card and all your other credit, bank and debit cards, including cards belonging to all the members of your household with Sentinel® Card Protection. For just £20 for one year's cover and £50 for three years cover.

More likely what you are paying for and should have said you want to claim under is payment protection which costs 75p for every £100 of your outstanding balance. That does cover you if "you become sick or lose your job".

Bit dim of them not to have looked and seen you had it. I suggest you contact them again.

JasonW_2

Silly bint got it wrong. Cheers for the reply, calmed me down and I called back. They are sending me some forms out in the post.

It's shocking how they can get this information so wrong though and tell people the wrong things. Irony is, Ive to keep calm the doc said and this didnt help! She even said to me 'I agree with you, its a lot of money...'

All sorted now though, panic over.

JW

Galstonian

It is shocking that people in customer services don't know all the products but it is understandable (though not excusable) given things like the wages in call centres, the level of training and the high turnover and burnout rates.

It is also telling that you did not know the terms of an agreement that you signed and that you do not have a copy of those terms and conditions. Perhpas you should take a lesson from all this too?

Don't take this the wrong way, you are not alone, I wish I got paid for every time I type "read the terms and conditions"!

JasonW_2

No, you're right. It is a lot of money for not a lot of cover either. In all honestly (and this makes me angrier with myself) is, I have totally ignored it on the statements before, and do not really agree with these insurance policies most of the time, cos there are always clauses for reasons not to pay out, even charging a high amount, which then gathers interest etc etc...

After I have made this claim, I am cancelling it - have checked and I can do so at any time - and taking out my own income protection. Already have this cover for my mortgage at a third of the price the halifax wanted.

You learn something new every day as they say

JW