Brick wall with PPI :( please help

billeigh-jo

Hi all,
I'm new to this forum so please excuse me for being a little slow. This whole PPI business has niggled away at me for a while because I'm 95% sure I've had it in the past but about 6 months before it all 'kicked off' I stupidly shredded all the documents I had :mad:

Back in 2003, I was a very naive 18yr old and took out store cards with Dorothy Perkins and River Island. I also, a few years later, had a catalogue account with 'Argos additions' (as they were known). I'm not sure about the Argos account whether I had PPI on it but I'm sure the River Island one did and I know DP account did as I remember paying for it. When the form was filled in, the shop assistent did all the filling in and ticking of boxes, I just had to put my signature on it. I never asked about PPI (I'd never heard of it!) I just assumed it was something you had to pay with it being my first bit of 'credit'..

Anyway, I've contacted DP and they claim to have no details for my old account. I fear RI will say the same. I've noticed that DP now offer their cards through Santander but I believe it was GE money that I had my account with. So I'm not even sure if it's DP or GE money that I'm supposed to be chasing??

Is there anyway forward from this for me to process a claim? I've not done a credit file check on myself as they all say they date back just 6 years. I'm sure one of these agencies could do a better job than me but I begrudge paying the fee if there is a way I can do this myself. I have seen the template letters on here but as I have no account numbers, just my old name and address to go off, I'm not sure how it'd help to send one of those or what I'd need to put to get the info as phoning them to ask hasn't helped.

I know they had a lot of money out of me and I hate the thought that my stupidity in shredding old paperwork will cost me what I'm due..

Can anyone on here please help or advise what I should or could do next?

Many thanks in advance for any advice..

Laurie

[Deleted User]

billeigh-jo wrote: »

Back in 2003, I was a very naive 18yr old

That is not a valid complaint reason.

billeigh-jo wrote: »

I know they had a lot of money out of me and I hate the thought that my stupidity in shredding old paperwork will cost me what I'm due..

You aren't "due" anything, first you have to construct a robust mis-selling complaint. Do remember that 2003 was two years prior to regulation and the seller can decline any complaint on that basis alone..

If you are only "95% certain" you actually had any PPI then you can write a SAR letter for each card to see if there is any record of payment. Do be aware that this will cost £10 per lender, so this could prove expensive with no guarantee of any reward.

billeigh-jo

If I had the paperwork, proving it would be immensely easier and if they have taken a lot of money off me that they shouldn't have done, with no explaination- then I feel I am 'due' it back. I'm 100% sure I had it on one of the accounts, it's just the other one I'm not definite on. I'm sure I did though because I remember having to pay a certain percentage of my balance and this applied to both of the cards I had. I just thought, at the time, that was how they worked :-/

I don't mind paying the £10 but I don't actually know who I need to chase. As I said, the account was opened with DP/River Island but GE money were the lenders. Both companies have since changed to Santander but this was after my accounts were closed so I've never held a Santander account or dealt with them. A reply on another thread says it is them that I should be pursuing, but I'm not sure how they will have any record of me..

[Deleted User]

billeigh-jo wrote: »

I don't mind paying the £10 but I don't actually know who I need to chase.

You need to ascertain whether there are any records of this PPI left. You do this by sending a SAR letter to each card provider. It costs £10. Santander took over responsibility some of these cards, so you write to them. Argos is separate.

If you are provided with evidence of having paid PPI, you then go on to make a robust mis-selling complaint to the SELLER of the PPI (not the provider).

If your complaint is rejected on the basis that it took place prior to the regulation of Insurance sales (January 2005) then the suggestion on your other thread is to refer your complaint to Genworth (the PPI provider) which was regulated prior to 2005.

You cannot skip any of these steps and, of course, there are no guarantees (especially as you have no documentation of your own)

billeigh-jo

Hi, thanks so much for that. By some miraculous stroke of luck, I've managed to find just one letter from GE money for each of my accounts whilst looking through some old photo's. No idea how they got there but I now have account numbers for both the RI and DP accounts :-D To be honest, as I have no details for the Argos one and honestly have no clue who offered the credit (along with the fact they don't exist as a catalogue anymore) I'm not too bothered about that one. These 2 were my main concern. As suspected, I did have PPI on both of these.. I apologise for sounding thick, I just want to be doubley sure before I proceed that I go to the right place as I know some companies will just send you from one place to another and as you've said because it was all pre-regulation, it's going to be hard enough as it is. I understand you saying Santander took over some of the accounts but mine were cleared and closed before DP and RI switched from GE to them, so do you mean that they took 'control' of the accounts or that they will have taken on the 'records' of previous DP/RI customers? Again. sorry for sounding stupid, I just want to get it right.

And once again, thank you so much for your advice, it really is appreciated

[Deleted User]

billeigh-jo wrote: »

I understand you saying Santander took over some of the accounts but mine were cleared and closed before DP and RI switched from GE to them, so do you mean that they took 'control' of the accounts

Yes, you need to complain to them if the original card providers no longer trade.

billeigh-jo

Dorothy Perkins still trade and offer accounts, as do River Island, these were who I got the cards from so they'll be responsible for selling it to me. The credit company they used who I was actually paying (GE Money) also still trade, but aren't used by DP or RI anymore.

I assume if I send a SAR and payment and they can't provide me with anything, they'll return the payment?? If that's the case, I might just send one to GE money first, then the stores themselves if that doesn't show anything. A phone call to Dorothy Perkins and River Island earlier (before I had account numbers) told me they 'had no records' but I've read elsewhere on here that they may be archived? Will give them another call tomorrow now I have a/c numbers and see if they can find anything..

I know there are no guarantee's but I've got nothing to lose
And because I have no real paperwork, I've got to get as prepared as poss before sending anything

[Deleted User]

billeigh-jo wrote: »

I assume if I send a SAR and payment and they can't provide me with anything, they'll return the payment??

Of course not.
You pay for the work that goes into searching their archives and they simply send you everything that has been kept on file for you; whether that's something or nothing you still pay.
Sending a SAR to GE Money is a waste of time since they did not sell you the insurance.

billeigh-jo wrote: »

I know there are no guarantee's but I've got nothing to lose

Just £10 for each SAR...