Reclaim Sentinel Card Protection article discussion

Sdoodle

I have moved house since not renewing a sentinel gold policy in 2011 so how can I get a claims letter? I have an old credit card statement showing a payment to sentinel in 2010 and did renew a policy for at least 6 years but I haven't got a policy number or any paperwork.

piano

Dinky16: Probably not... Amy, Helen & Guy's article says bank accounts aren't included in this. The problem appears to be with one of the "benefits" that the policy provided for credit cards, that holders would be covered for fraudulent use of their cards when this feature was already provided by the banks and card providers. Sentinel also offered benefits like a single point to report lost cards, and cash advances in emergencies, which is what the packaged account may have offered. I think you would need to check the sales information for your packaged account at the time to see whether one of the benefits it offered you was protection against fraudulent use.
Dephead2004 & kentdancingqueen: The letter from AI Scheme Limited says that 14th January 2005 was the date when the Financial Services Authority (now the replaced by the Financial Conduct Authority) started regulating insurance products like these. It does seem a bit odd though. I too had a card with Sentinel earlier than that, an HFC Goldfish from 2000. Perhaps if this compensation scheme goes ahead and payments are made from 2005 onwards, those of us with Sentinel from earlier periods can make a claim with the original card providers from start up to 2005?
Sumo saddler: The fault is no longer in the cover; it was removed as policies came up for renewal. So if you renew, you would still have access to the other benefits of the cover. If you vote during the voting period, you will still have access to the cover. But if enough people vote in favour of the compensation scheme, and you then apply to accept the compensation after the vote, that will automatically cancel your Sentinel policy. The scheme is supposed to be finalised by 8 weeks from the end of August at the latest. So that would put you in the situation of paying for another 3 years' cover on Monday, and having the policy cancelled sometime in autumn this year! Renewing does not sound a very attractive prospect unless you really want the other features of the policy between now and autumn. Cancelling now will not affect your ability to vote and claim through the scheme.

There is some infomation and contact information at the AI site. As a newbie I can't post links, but if you search for aischeme you should find it.

Tom

jillytinsel

I have moved since having the policy but received a letter from them saying I may be entitled to money....but it's also in my maiden name.

Gardening_gremlin

carleyf wrote: »

Having dealt with my late fathers probate, I know he had Sentinel Gold since 2005 until his death in 2011. Can I claim on behalf of his estate in the hope that his widow/ my mother may get the refund?

I too need to know if we can claim on behalf of my FIL's estate and how to go about it please?

dawn27

Sdoodle wrote: »

I have moved house since not renewing a sentinel gold policy in 2011 so how can I get a claims letter? I have an old credit card statement showing a payment to sentinel in 2010 and did renew a policy for at least 6 years but I haven't got a policy number or any paperwork.

I have moved home recently and received a letter yesterday to my new address. I didnt change my address with sentinel, no idea how they found me.

ynnub

dawn27 wrote: »

I have moved home recently and received a letter yesterday to my new address. I didnt change my address with sentinel, no idea how they found me.

Same here.

Gardening_gremlin

Hi MSE, this forum thread seems to be lots questions (including mine) and no-one is answering - is there any chance someone from MSE could give us some help? Many thanks

Howrah6

I had Sentinel Gold for quite a few years, since around the late 1990s, but cancelled it when I got the renewal at the end of 2013. I have since destroyed all the paperwork and don't have a record of the reference number or old bank statements showing the payments. Is there still a way to claim the money back?

Ian1946

I purchased sentinel protection purely for the ease of cancelling all my credit cards just by ringing sentinel . Can I still claim?

Lucy_Lastik

My brother has been deaf since infancy and is at a disadvantage when it comes to understanding dubious insurance products. Some years ago (probably around 2008) I was helping him with his finances because he had received a letter from Sentinel asking him if he wanted to pay for his cover for three years instead of annually. He didn't understand why he had received this letter. When I looked into his bank statements I discovered that he had been paying for insurance cover for over ten years on a credit card he didn't know existed. I queried this with Sentinel and they acknowledged that the credit card had not been registered - and was therefore not covered. They said that he must have at some time agreed to a credit card cover and the onus was on him to OPT OUT of the insurance scheme - i.e. by returning an application form (which he would not have understood) declining the cover. Because they didn't receive the form within 28 days they automatically took a small sum from his bank account annually. To make things worse some years later he must have signed for a debit card at his bank and this triggered another application for debit card protection - so he was paying twice and had not even registered a card. I immediately cancelled both contracts and Sentinel did refund the duplicated amount for the last year, but he got nothing for all the years he had been paying without having the cover (or a credit card). He has since moved house, but has received the letter from Al - so the bank (which he is still with) must be passing on current addresses of the customers who were automatically sold this product when taking a credit card. He no longer has any of the documents relating to the Sentinel premiums deducted from his account but the letter he has received contains a reference number so they may have a record of the payments he made since 2005. Presumably they won't be repaying for the years prior to this when they were taking money from his account without even covering a card.