Perfect home - insurance

th2rec

Hi there

I am after some advice please.
i hope i am in the right place 1st off, and also i would like to apologise for the up coming essay :-D

in 2008 i got a tv from perfect home, which is the same set up as bright house.
the reason i purchased the tv from there was at the time i admit that i was having financial difficulties and this was my only option.
i was given lots of forms to sign but never told what they were or talked through, they couldnt get me to sign quick enough (prob thought woooo another gulable idiot) anywho i was never given the option to opt out of their insurance.

over the years i have tried to cancel this insurance as i do not need it as i have always had home insurance so it is an additional expense that i do not need, when i asked to cancel this insurance they told me i couldnt do it as i needed to provide proof/copy of my own insurance, i found this a bit strange as i thought insurance was an optional extra and it is not a legal requirement when purchasing any goods.
i looked over my agreements and it clearly states in the insurance term and conditions that i can cancel the insurance so long as all premiums are up to date, and i gave 7days notice, i tried to cancel again but was told the same thing even though there is nothing in the terms and conditions stating that i need to provide a copy of my insurance before i can cancel it, on 3 seperate occasions i tried to cancel it but have been told the same thing over and over, you might think well just show them the insurance, but my argument is my home insurance is nothing to do with these people and i should be able to cancel it whether i have insurance already or not, plus i do not want any information regarding my home or myself in their hands.

i have since put in a complaint regarding the insurance but also because of the amount of money that i have been paying them and there being serious discrepancies and money seems to be going missing, when i mentioned about giving them 7days notice to cancel this insurance i also sent the complaint to the head office, the head office have replied saying that i needed to refer to section 5 in the terms of hire purchase agreement.

5: insuring the goods.

at all times, you must insure the goods and keep them insured under a policy covering theft and accidental damage with a reputable insurer at your own expense.

firstly i wasnt asked if i had my own insurance and this was added anyway, it does not state anywhere in the terms and conditions that proof of another insurer must be provided if cancelling, or if the policy is not needed, all that happened was i was passed forms with boxes on an told to tick 'here' 'here' and 'here'

in the terms and conditions of the insurance poilicy it states:

you may, subject to your obligations set out in the agreement terminate this TAD policy by giving 7days notice in writing to us or to perfect home at any time, provided all premiums are up to date including the date of termination, have been paid by you.

i'm just really confussed as i wasnt aware that taking out insurance was a legal requirement when purchasing a tv, if anyone can give me any advice on this matter i would be so grateful, i am contacting them again as i say monies seem to have gone missing also and dont tally up to what they say i have paid and what i have actually paid, since Oct 2008 to Jan 2012 i have paid out the total of £2487.80 for a television that was only on display for £829.99, and they still reckon i owe another £349, takin the total to £2836.80, if it turns out i have a case here i want to take this further to the financial ombudsman if my next reply gets no where, but i need to know if i can take it further and the best way to word it to these vultures.
i just want rid of them as it is the worst thing i have ever done in my life getting involved, i keep asking for settlement figures and every person i speak to have given me different values and i'm sick of it

the insurance policy is called a TAD policy, or thats what the paperwork says.

any advise would be GREATLY appreciated :-)

[Deleted User]

You realise not simply showing them a copy of your home insurance makes it look as if you don't actually have any?

If you are so concerned with cutting costs, the easy way would be to just provide a copy of your additional insurance cover.

Taking out insurance cover is not a legal requirement, but you do have to abide by the terms and conditions of the contract you signed with this company. It may not explicitly state that you have to provide evidence of alternative insurance in order to cancel, but it does state that you must insure the goods whilst you are purchasing them. They are therefore entitled to request proof that you actually have sufficient cover already.

You also won't get anywhere by complaining about the cost of buying a TV from them, as it would have been made clear to you from the outset how long your repayments would be for and the interest rate charged.

I do agree that these kinds of business (along with Payday loan sharks) are guilty of taking advantage of lower income customers

amersall

looked over my agreements and it clearly states in the insurance term and conditions that i can cancel the insurance so long as all premiums are up to date, and i gave 7days notice,

If this is what it says then you can cancel and give 7 days notice, does it say what this insurance actually covers?, if you have home insurance and if you had an accident with this tv and your home insurance paid up, i would have thought that this would make their insurance null and void? why would you pay cover twice?.

You need to look at the terms again and see what you are covered for and for how long, if this cover is the same as your house insurance you need to put a claim in for mis sell of this one.

[Deleted User]

amersall wrote: »

You need to look at the terms again and see what you are covered for and for how long, if this cover is the same as your house insurance you need to put a claim in for mis sell of this one.

I agree, but the OP must realise that he'll be called upon to provide documentary proof that he has had sufficient alternative insurance during the period in question. This is something he appears reluctant to do.

magpiecottage

Moneyineptitude wrote: »

If you are so concerned with cutting costs, the easy way would be to just provide a copy of your additional insurance cover

Or to grit you teeth and go without a telly!

When you have some money you can buy one and watch everything you missed on Dave.

amersall

Agree with both of you :D

th2rec

hi thanks for taking time to reply to me, can i just say that i am a she not a he :-D

its not about cutting costs, it was back in 2008 that i purchased this tv, and at that time i was having financial difficulties and this was my only option to purchase a tv, wrong move i know but i did what i did at that time, nearly 4 years down the line i am debt free and very comfortable, i have asked to have this insurance cancelled merely as i do not need it and there is no reason for me to pay twice for the same thing, i have also asked for settlement figures to get this paid off as i am in a position to do that now, but i keep getting different figures given to me and fobbed off, last september i asked for a settlement figure as i wanted rid, i was told "there's no point cause you only owe £516, in feb this year over the phone i asked when my last payment was due and was told i still owed £480 and had 33weeks left on it, i pay £65 a month so since me asking in september and being told i owed £516 to now i have paid over £400. i was sent a statement from the store that i asked for and this said i owed £399, different to what i was told over the phone, then i was sent another statement from the head office saying i owed £349 again another different value.... my complaining is not about how much the televison is costing, i was aware of that when i stupidly signed up with these leeches :-( what i am complaining about is the insurance that i dont want and have never needed, and also the difference in the amount they say i have paid to what i have actually paid, i have checked over my bank statements from Oct 2008 to now and i have paid a lot more than what they say i have and i want to know where this money has gone, as they say that i still owe them money yet there is several hundred pounds missing..... the insurance that is on this tv is for accidental damage and theft, everything that my house insurance covers....
i suppose you are right then and i will jus have to bite the bullet and show them a copy of my home insurance, i just find it unfair when insurance is not a legal requirement when purchasing a tv, if i'd of said at the start had they given me the option that i did not want it nor did i have my own insurance would they not have sold me the television?

i have took your advice regarding the insurance and am grateful for it thank you very much