Canada Square Operations – Egg – story so far

Caggie

In February 2015 I sent two complaints to Canada square operations relating to a Egg Card (1999) and Egg loan (2002).

I’ve visited Canada Square operations website to find details about complaining about PPI. No contact number was provided so I follow through to link provided to questionnaire from http://www.citibank.co.uk/personals/cards/cards/feedback/egg.htm#ppicomplaints

This took me to a new page which stated (as still does)

“You are now leaving the Citi UK website
Citi UK does not provide, endorse, or guarantee and is not responsible for the product, service or overall website content available at the destination website. Please consult the privacy policy and terms and conditions for this website.
Please click continue to be taken to the destination site.”

The link did not work and so I phoned customer services and they fixed it immediately. When I checked the next day the link was again broken.

The ‘continue’ option is a redirect to http://www.citibank.co.uk/personal/redirect/redirect.htm?url=http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/technical_notes/ppi/PPI-consumer-questionnaire.doc#

And does not work. The website is misleading.

Late March 2015 I received my first communication, an acknowledgement of receipt of complaint from Canada Square Operations asking me to provide derails of my account and address and telling me I had changed my name and address, neither of which were true. I realise now having read other forum posts that they more or less say to the same thing to other complainants. After a lot of searching I was able to find a number to phone posted on MSE and duly called them raising my concerns about the apparent name and address change. I was told just to write to the email provided crt.pleaseassist@citi.com and that I could also request a call back as it could something as simple as a letter missing of an address.
This I did and provided evidence of who I am a detailed explanation of why their might be some confusion with my address (thinking that this was the problem) Our house name is Welsh and is spelt in two different ways depending on what database you look at and the first name is the same as 7 other houses in the area.

I did not receive a response or even an email acknowledgment of receipt. I sent follow up emails asking if they had received the information, but nothing….
And then I received another letter asking for the same information , but this time in more detail, despite me having. already provided this.
So again I phoned the number on two separate occasions asking if I could speak to someone in PPI department , but was told that was not possible, the best the call centre could do was to raise a complaint and then it was not possible to request a call back , despite me being told to do this on my previous. This went on for a couple of days and out of sheer frustration I decided to write to Michael L. Corbat, CEO of CtiGroup, I found his email on Google. I have no idea whether this had any effect but at just after 9 the following morning I received a call from Danny at Egg PPI, who told me that “out of the Goodness if his heart” would look into my complaint. We had a reasonably long chat and he told be to ignore the letters , they were just templates and needed updating and that they had someone working on them. He closed by saying I notice that you house name is spelt in two different ways, clearly showing that none of my emails to them had been read!
A few days later Danny set out letters to say they were investigating the complaint.

I have since received generic rejection letters for both of my complaints, for the loan complaint they did not address, amongst other things, the issue raised about the clarity of the agreement , which was a front-loaded single premium PPI where neither the total of the loan was included nor the interest amount on the PPI. I have written back to them asking the to look at actual complaint.
See under “Cost disclosure in single-premium policies”
http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/technical_notes/ppi-our-approach.html

I have been successful in reclaiming PPI from other banks but from what I can see Canada Square Operations are fighting tooth and nail and making it as difficult as possible by whatever means whether it be making communication impossible or sending misleading letters for anyone trying to get redress. I would have though after the FSA report and subsequent fine that they would have been more transparent.

To summarise:
- Website misleading
-Sending letters to say you have changed your name an address despite copy of agreement sent with complaint matching information supplied on questionnaire.
- Communication almost impossible.
- - No direct number for PPI complaints on website only only one for Barclay Card
- - No telephone number on documentation
- - No response to numerous emails
- - No acknowledgement receipt for emails.
- Confusing and inappropriate requests for information that are not looked at anyway.
- Do not address actual complaint

..leopards...spots... basket .. EGG(s)

Caggie

I meant to say that the contact phone number is 0800 358 2101
thanks to user seriouslackofpounds for this.
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4517769

I used it to phone them again to ask for an update and asked how anyone complaining could find their contact number without trawling through forums as it was not readily available on their Canada Square Operations website. The person iI spoke to asked me hold why he found out. After a few seconds he returned to say it was on letters sent out, which, as I pointed out. it is not....silence....

starlakid

Hi Caggie,

I have been looking at making a claim for my Egg credit card which I had probably in around 2002. I have no paperwork and am no longer at the same address. Having read your story, and taken a look at the webpage, it seems like this could be very stressful journey.

I'll definitely be keeping up with your story and I really do wish you the very best of luck with it. I shall let you know whether I get anywhere myself - thanks for posting all this information.


Starla
x

Caggie

Hi Starla

Thank you for your kind comments. Don't let my story put you off complaining. I guess that is what Canada Square Operations would prefer. but do be prepared to be frustrated and stressed. I just thought it might be useful to explain the wild goose chase they seem to send you on having read that other people seem to have had the same problems with lost documents, repeated requests and missing cheques.

I have successfully claimed PPI from other banks and although not all perfect transactions they are nothing like dealing with Canada Square Operations.

In my last telephone conversation to them I also pointed out the broken link on the website and was told immediately that I was the first person to have made them aware of that. Not sure how they could have been so definitive in such a short space of time The link still does not work.

...oh . I i was also told that they would reply to my last letter with 5 working days. They signed for it on 12 May. so it it now 7 working days , taking into consideration postal times perhaps I might receive a response today.... We don't get post until 1:30. disadvantage of living in the sticks.

Good luck!

Caggie

-taff

You should follow the complaints procedure with a filled in written [or typed] questionnaire.
Send to to Canada Sqaure Operations.
If they dont respond in 8 weeks, send your complaint tot he Ombudsman.

If you no longer have documents, send them a SAR and £10 to see what's left.

Their credit cards wil always be a difficult one because they were sold online with no sales person advising. Thus you weren't missold, you missbought.
However if you can prove you had no need of it, you have a good chance.

The process isn't difficult, it's just if you try to speak to someone, they won't have any documents to hand or be able to access them, so it's much easier just to do it in writing and escalate your complaint as son as you've been rejected or the 8 weeks are up straightaway to the Ombudsman.

Caggie

Todays runaround...

I phoned again today because it has 10 days since they received my last letter and as I have already posted I was told on Monday (18th) that it would take 5 working days to respond to my letter. Apparently I had been misinformed on Monday it was not 5 days from receiving letter but 5 days from when I phoned . Good job i phoned then.

Once I had given my reference number the first question was 'is it about change of address', they must have a few of those

Apparently they don't have a phone number because the company no longer exists. I guess the only people who contact them are those who have been on forums where the number is published. I was told I could email, but I explained that nobody ever responds.

I was also told that I was welcome to phone again on Monday ( a bank holiday), So by my calculations I will be due 3 letters, one for each call and hopefully another responding to my actual complaint.

-taff

Again, don't bother phoning them because the person you speak to won't have any records in front of them, won't know what you're talking about, won't have access to your complaint and will give you erroneous information

Write to them.

Caggie

I have contacted Canada Square Operations twice in the last few days on on both occasions the attitude seems to have changed and there is more evidence that they are aware of what is going on. I have been "absolutely promise"d that I will receive a call back from the PPI department by the end of the week.

On another note I discussed the information of the Financial Services Register being of no use, because when you phone the number a recorded message says you cannot phone with a complaint ( chocolate kettle syndrome) and I know for a fact that they do not respond to the email address e-mail. Keeley Dixon is the name of the signatory on letters from Canada Square Operations. I was told that I could raise a complaint with the Ombudsman regarding communication issues with Canada Square Operations and that it would not affect my PPI complaint. So...

binerds81

Hi Caggie

Thanks for your info including a contact no. for CS.

I had a letter from the financial ombursdman upholding my complaint and after approx 7 weeks received a letter from CS telling me I needed to send in address verification. I have now done this and waiting for them to come back to me with my offer.

I rang them a few mins ago to check on timescales and they said they would be sending my documents back by recorded delivery with a letter telling me when they would send my offer out - so more waiting... I then have to sign their offer and return it and wait another 20 working days for payment - blimey they know how to hold up the process don't they!

Will be interested to hear more updates from you about them to compare with my case and their poor response times!

Caggie

Really pleased to hear you are getting somewhere

blimey they know how to hold up the process don't they!

They certainly do!

It would be great it they could update their procedures to make it easier for everyone to get their redress if applicable, as "some' other banks have done and stop giving claimants the runaround.

Caggie

Today after a number of phone calls and chasing up, I received a call back and after consideration they have decided to uphold my complaint for my Egg loan and are going to send me out a letter in the next couple of days with an offer.

They have rejected my complaint on mis-sold PPI on Egg Card stating that I would have needed to agree to take out PPI to progress to the next page. I have asked if the cost of the PPI (79p per £100) would have been given on that page and was told in would have been in the terms of agreement on that page or on the PPI Policy, which it is not.

FOB for this one.