Barclaycard PPI while self employed

eleanor575

hello all, i'm new to this forum so i am very probably asking questions which have all been asked before and answered, i have tried reading, but have ended up even more confused than i was when i started, so here goes, i shall ask again!

In april 2003 applied for a credit card from barclaycard, my occupation status on my initial application was self employed. I cannot remember how i applied, whether it was over the phone, filled in a leaflet or online, i chose to have ppi, unaware that it may not cover me as self employed. My self employed status soon changed to unemployed as quite frankly i was having myself on that my 'business' was working. i cannot remember if i was told so, but i did think that having ppi would improve my chances of being accepted. I became skint, got behind phoned and said i cant pay what do i do, and discovered that my ppi was no use, i cannot remember when this part happened. Basically after that i paid what i could but hid my head in the sand and never opened a statement again, for the last 4 years minimum payments have been going out of my account and very slowly reducing the balance now about £1300 (credit limit lower) so the account is now and as long as i can remember over the limit but DD goes out every month. I recently got up to date with all my other debts (yee harrr) so have agreed to pay £20 a week on top of my DD to get it under the credit limit asap (yes yes i do know how much i have paid over the years in fees but thats my own fault and im not complaining about that) SO, the question is do i have a ppi claim from the point of view i was sold ppi whilst self employed so the cover was unsuitable, and have been on benefits only ever since if it matters, benefits as a full time carer.

i only have my most recent statement which shows the ppi being paid at a shade over £10 permonth

thank you in advance, with my fingers crossed

amersall

Self employed if you were not aware that you could claim for this is a reason for mis sell, put the claim into Barclays and use that as a reason plus the fact you have been on benefits since so you would not have been covered for unemployment either from that point.

dunstonh

unaware that it may not cover me as self employed.

Have you verified this? Whilst some PPI plans do not cover the self employed, some do. Did you attempt to claim when you closed the business?

eleanor575

dunstonh wrote: »

Have you verified this? Whilst some PPI plans do not cover the self employed, some do. Did you attempt to claim when you closed the business?

I'm not entirely sure how to verify it, I don't have any paperwork at all, but my phonecall to them years ago said I wasn't covered, the business never really got off the ground and was never even registered as it was a pipe dream, calling myself self employed was hopeful, yet naive!

eleanor575

amersall wrote: »

Self employed if you were not aware that you could claim for this is a reason for mis sell, put the claim into Barclays and use that as a reason plus the fact you have been on benefits since so you would not have been covered for unemployment either from that point.

Will they likely refuse on the grounds that I opted in and should have checked? Also, I do remember in the conversation telling them that I had become unemployed but this was in a pleading for help chat rather than me informing them of a change in circumstances, would I fall down on never having made an official phonecall telling them of my change in occupation status?

amersall

If you told them you were unemployed I would have thought they would have told you that you had PPI and did you want to make a claim.

Had you notified them of the change to your circumstances this would not have altered the fact that you had PPI, would not have thought that they would have done anything with the PPI other than cancel it and this would not have taken it off your account (maybe a small rebate) but you would still be paying the remaining PPI.

eleanor575

amersall wrote: »

If you told them you were unemployed I would have thought they would have told you that you had PPI and did you want to make a claim.

Had you notified them of the change to your circumstances this would not have altered the fact that you had PPI, would not have thought that they would have done anything with the PPI other than cancel it and this would not have taken it off your account (maybe a small rebate) but you would still be paying the remaining PPI.

thats kind of my point, they told me i couldn't way back then but that i had taken out the insurance and that was that, i just felt stuffed either way and hid my head until a time i could do something about it, now with a payment plan set up and years of weight of the world of worry on the way to being removed, i realise how daft ive been and that this ppi thing has essentially prevented me from paying it off quicker to the tune of £10 a month, if only id stopped hiding ages ago!!

magpiecottage

I think unless there is evidence that you were actually advised at the time, the complaint is likely to be a non-starter.

Even if you were, I think that they would be within their rights to argue that any such advice was given more than six years ago and more than three years since you became aware that you had grounds for complaint - since you were told that the policy was useless to you when your business failed.

That would allow them to timebar your complaint.

eleanor575

magpiecottage wrote: »

and more than three years since you became aware that you had grounds for complaint - since you were told that the policy was useless to you when your business failed.

That would allow them to timebar your complaint.

thats kind of what i was thinking might be a problem except that when i was told i couldnt claim on it i was also told i was stuck with the insurance, as id taken it out with the card, i remember this quite specifically, just not when it was