MSE News: Card protection firm CPP must pay £14.5m to mis-selling victims

claire481

When I heard the news about CPP I immediately contacted them in a letter requesting a full refund of all my premiums. They wrote to say that the policy was sold to me by HSBC - I don't recall ever asking for it and was peeved when the following year they automatically took the premium from my account. I did nothing about it for a couple of years. Anyway, without prompting, CPP must have written to HSBC as I had a letter from them saying they were refunding me £386 of my premiums and saying sorry. Needless to say I'm delighted. I thought I woul!!d have an endless to and fro of letters but they have paid up my premiums with 8% interest.
Success!!!

nickib15

I had no idea I had CPP until they sent me a renewal. They took the £85 automatically - charging it straight to my credit card until I cancelled it.

This morning I rang CPP, who told me to ring MBNA (the credit card company who I took it out with), MBNA told me they didn't deal with it and that I had to go back through CPP. The second time I rang CPP, they put me back through to MBNA again - this is because when I rang up to activate the credit card account they mis-sold it to me then. MBNA finally told me that it was them who could deal with it and, after being on hold for a total of 2 hours this morning, someone is now looking into my complaint and will be in touch in the next 10 working days.

Although it's hard work to get my money back, it's going to be worth it! :j

d18set

Thanks nickib5

I am in a similar position between CPP and MBNA. Will be ringing MBNA on Monday morning to hopefully get closer to refund!

dig4victory

I initially had a M&S card which at some point perhaps around 2005 was completely being withdrawn from circulation and I was invited to sign up for what I thought was a new M&S card but was an M&S money Barclays Bank credit card which I could use anywhere.

After I signed up for this I was contacted by phone obviously now by CPP regarding taking out the card/key/belongings protection. I thought this call was being made on behalf of M&S and the way the call was delivered, sounded sensible and made sense, arousing a concern that I would be covered for card loss etc - that a call to them meant they would sort out all the beaurocratic stuff for me.

After taking out the card I got into financial difficulty and approached my 4 creditors regarding reduced payments with frozen interest, all creditors agreed but obviously this meant I was not allowed to use my credit cards any longer - fair enough! Because I thought this protection was through M&S direct, I assumed that they would know of the cap on my using my card and not issue the renewal again. Wrong! Because it was CCP it was taken from my card again.

When I received the renewal notice in 2010 I thought that if I did not take up the renewal again by contacting them, that the renewal would not take place - wrong!

I just rang CCP and they said because of the ongoing FSA investigation, they would be writing to all they thought affected in due course.

I cancelled the next renewal due for this September and got the contact's name. Hopefully I will receive a letter confirming this cancellation.

Perhaps I should just wait and see if they contact me regarding the misselling of the protection. ?

Mattk68

I recently got a renewal reminder from CPP. I don't ever remember signing up to this as it is not something I would do, however until I read this whole misselling issue I just assumed there was nothing I could do about it. I must admit that until recently I have not spent the time to sort these issues out but now having time on my hands (having recently been made redundant) I cancelled the policy today. I also called CPP and asked them how I ever signed up to this.

After initially being dismissive by telling me that I positively opted in and expecting me to be happy with that answer, I asked for some evidence or the original document where I had opted in. They then told me that I had signed up via my Mint card and that they didn't have the details of this and I would need to contact them. So this is my next step although I am fully expecting to be pushed back to CPP. It is not clear to me who I should pursue.

Apparently I hacve had the policy since 1997. At the time I used to share a house with a guy who ran a call centre selling exactly this product. It is not something I would ever consider so I am determined to get to the bottom of this. Whilst I am not motivated by the money, I am interested to know whether any compensation will be paid prior to 2005 (when the FSA ruled on this) and also whether it is reasonable for me to expect my Credit card provider to still have the record of how I signed onto this scheme.

purepink

I took out a CPP policy in 1998, which I remember trying to cancel, but I was given all sorts of dire warnings and was frightened into renewing. I was also told that if I did decide to cancel, I would have to ring back just before my renewal date - I couldn't cancel at any other point.
I rang CPP today (using a number off 'Say no to 0870' to avoid high call charges). I was told I had taken the policy out with Beneficial (who????) so I would need to speak to them. I stated that I had rung CPP, in the early days, to cancel and had been given dire warnings about what could happen if I cancelled - so much so that it frightened me into renewing - so I wanted that fact logged as a complaint against CPP and that I now wanted to cancel my policy. I was told that I could cancel, but my policy would run until 1.9.13 I stated that I had never heard of 'Beneficial' and asked for a contact number. I was put through to a line, which was eventually answered as 'John Lewis'. I explained what had happened and that person then put me through to another line, which was answered by 'Beneficial'. The person I spoke to told me that I needed to contact CPP and that they had received quite a few calls, but were telling people to contact CPP!
So - I contacted CPP again! Asked for a Manager - didn't get one! Had to explain the whole sorry story AGAIN! Said I wasn't amused about being pushed from pillar to post. He looked at my record - it seems that the previous CPP person who I had spoken to about an hour before, hadn't cancelled my contract. He then did so, but again said it couldn't be cancelled until it expired i.e. it wouldn't renew, but he couldn't give me a refund. Then, curiously, he asked if I wanted it to cancel immediately, or when it was due for renewal!?! I carefully said that if I had to pay until the end of August, then it should last until the end of August, otherwise they were having my money for nothing? Does anyone find that question a bit odd?
Then he said he would put me through to Beneficial, but would speak to them first, to ensure I wasn't passed around again. I held and I held and I held..... eventually I was put through. I asked how I could have a contract with a company I have never heard of. I was told that they underwrite store cards. Interestingly, I do remember that quite a long time ago I was told that I HAD to have insurance with a store-card and I'm pretty sure I was told the same thing with a credit card, but surely this would be PPI not CPP? I was told that the records had been purged so she couldn't see who I took the contract out with .... then she mentioned 'Goldfish'. Now I have a Goldfish Card, but I have a feeling this was the card that replaced the MINT card? And I have a feeling I had to take insurance with the MINT card - if only I could find the paperwork!
Please does anyone have a similar experience?
Oh yes - I was told by CPP that there was no record of me having tried to cancel my card! I gave them the name of a person I spoke to in 2002, together with her extension number. A manager should be calling me this evening.
Their letter from 2002 has a sub-heading 'More cover than you think!' and continues 'Card crime is on the increase and should it happen to you and you're not covered it can be a hassle and a race against time to stop fraudsters spending a small fortune at your expense. We can cancel your cards in a matter of minutes: could you have contacted all your card providers in that time?' It then goes on to mention how worse it could be if you're abroad - 'How would you pay your hotel bills, or replace lost travel tickets and passports?' The examples they gave on the phone, when I tried to cancel, were even scarier!

groovystef

I believe I was mis-sold CPP Identity Theft insurance by Barclaycard back in around 2006. I only declined to renew it last year as realised it was pointless. Has there been a decision yet as to whether those who believe they were mis-sold it but didn't purchase direct from CPP can reclaim?

Huwbert

cheekychipmunk wrote: »

I managed to get through to them today, after 25 minutes on hold. I knew I had started my CPP policy (but couldn't remember exactly when) as it had been offered reduced or free with my Egg card. I distinctly remember ringing up to cancel it after the year and being convinced it was essential, therefore I continued. I have renewed it year on year ever since. I feel stupid that I was sucked in and it has been sold on a lie. If I knew I was automatically covered for £100000 by my card provider, why would I have taken it out? To those people being flippant and insulting towards people who have these policies to allegedly 'safeguard' their finances, please shut up. I am not stupid (have two science based degrees) but unfortunately trusted the people on the other end of the phone.

The main issue here is being double-insured and that is mis-selling. The guy I spoke to at CPP was fairly helpful (told me exactly when my policy started and who through) and told me I would be getting a letter very soon. I'll see what it says and take it from there...

Hi, Cheekychipmunk, have there been any developments yet? I spoke to CPP who said I need to speak to MBNA (formerly EGG Card). Did you have to fill in any forms to start claiming back?

cheekychipmunk

Huwbert wrote: »

Hi, Cheekychipmunk, have there been any developments yet? I spoke to CPP who said I need to speak to MBNA (formerly EGG Card). Did you have to fill in any forms to start claiming back?

Well, I never got the letter from CPP as promised, so sent one to them. SInce then I've been lead a merry dance. CPP said that as I had got my plan via the Egg card, they would pass my details onto BArclaycard. Two weeks later my husband (god knows why????) got a letter from Barclaycard about MY claim, saying that as my Egg card had not been transferred to them, I need to contact Egg directly.

I'll try that, but don't hold out much hope. I read an article saying that as the claims can only go back to 2005, anyone who took out a policy with a card provider, but then renewed via CPP year on year including 2005 - the claim should be through CPP as it would be seen as a new policy as of 2005. I can't be bothered chasing all these companies up in a continual loop, so think I'll just go straight to the ombudsman with the information off the FSA website....

KevinG

cheekychipmunk wrote: »

I need to contact Egg directly.

Tricky, as they don't exist!