Legal Rights for Card Protection??

MissMoneysaver_4

My husband had a House of Fraser Store card which was paid off IN FULL mid-2005. He has never used the card since. Just after paying it off we moved house and we have now just received a statement and letter informing us that there is over £100 owing on the account which appears to be an accumulation of card protection fees and then interest. Because we moved house we never received any of the letters so were blissfully unaware of this - as far as we were concerned our relationship with HOF was well & truly over when the card was paid off (we have NO debt other than our mortgage!). This £100 now includes all sorts of tracing fees etc for them to locate our new address. They claim that in a phone call my husband agreed to the card protection plan. He doesnt think he did but cant remember 100% - the point is, these companies constantly badger people with phone calls trying to get them to sign up to extra "benefits", sometimes on the call you may not even be fully aware of what you are agreeing to. They are going to send us a transcript of the call to prove whether or not he agreed to it, but even if he did, surely some kind of paperwork would need to be completed & signed by him? Surely a simple phone call cannot lock a customer into a card protection plan? They have just added this money to the store card and in my opinion this constitues theft! Anybody who has had similar experiences and can share any advice would be much appreciated!
Thanks, and happy Christmas!

lisyloo

Because we moved house we never received any of the letters so were blissfully unaware of this

Sorry, I know you don't wantto hear this but it's your responsibility to inform them of your change of address.

as far as we were concerned our relationship with HOF was well & truly over when the card was paid off

Sorry again, you didn't close the account so it was still open.

This £100 now includes all sorts of tracing fees etc for them to locate our new address.

Did they have any work or mobile telephone numbers that they could have used (or even emplyers addresses).
If they had valid telephone numbers but spent a lot of money tracing you then I would dispute these fees.

sometimes on the call you may not even be fully aware of what you are agreeing to

My advice is not to agree to anything and if necessary put the phone down.
That might seem rude but clearly there is a risk to you in being polite to these people.

They are going to send us a transcript of the call to prove whether or not he agreed to it, but even if he did, surely some kind of paperwork would need to be completed & signed by him?

Sorry I don't kow the answer to that one.
Hopefully some kind soul willanswer.
Do you have free legal advice by any chance on your howm insurance? they should be able to advise you properly as to what to do.

They have just added this money to the store card and in my opinion this constitues theft!

Can't answer that one at the moment I'm afraid.
I would wait for the transcript and see whether you think it's genuine.
If you have access to free legal advice then call them.

I suggest you close down any accounts you are no longer using and make sure you update everyone else with your new address.

lisyloo

Another suggestion would be to get your credit reports (you can get all 3 for free) and check whether you have any acount at your old address.

vixarooni

Well, your husband probably agreed without realising what it is. I work in debenhams and with their store card protection the person HAS to sign for it whatever, so you may have a case here.

If i were you i'd ring the number on the back of the card and speak to the poeple in the know, or go in store as they probably have some one whos in charge of accounts.

MissMoneysaver_4

Thanks for all the feedback. Since posting this earlier, my husband has had a phone call to say HOF are cancelling all monies owed and refuding the lot!! Amazing what a little threat of legal action or watchdog can do...

lisyloo

Great, well done.

Sometimes these things are complete scams from rogue agents who want comission.
A lot of these sort of things go away quite easily when you demonstrate that you know your rights and aren't going to be easily fobbed off.