Thread: Egg "weirdness" after a CCA Request

Evening all. I have an Egg loan, and 2 egg credit cards (green and blue). Following my recent change in circumstances, I needed to offer reduced payments to them. In order to add a bit of weight to my requests, and following the top quality advice of many on this site, I CCA'd them for all 3, with the £1 fee etc. This was before I offered the reduced payments.

Three days after they received my CCA requests (sent recorded) I got a "Credit Expert" alert to tell me that a search had been made on my credit file. When logged into it, it was a search conducted by Egg - and the search footprint was "Identification: Money Laundering". I queried via their Secure Messaging as to why they would have done this, when all I wanted was my existing CCAs, and that I had requested no additional products or services from them, and received the below bizarre reply. Has anyone else experienced this with egg (or other lenders) before? The trail starts with their most recent reply.

-------------------

Dear Captain Bob

The check on your credit report is a standard check that we can
do at any point. This does not affect your credit report in anyway.Unfortunaley i am unable to provide you with specific
information why this check has taken place.If you would like further information around this
then you will need to write to the below address
enclosing a copy of the credit report: Borrowing SolutionsEgg Riverside RoadDerbyDE99 3GGThnaks for your message.

RegardsXXXXXXXXXXXI
nternet Customer Services-- Secure Messages - Client Care

-----Original Message-----


Date: xx 2009
Time: xx
Subject: Search of my credit file with Experian

Can I have an update on this enquiry please.

Regards
Captain Bob

-----Original Message-----


Date: xx 2009
Timex
Subject: Search of my credit file with Experian

Dear Captain Bob
In order to get a full answer to your query, I need to speak
with another department on 26th January 2009.I'll send you a secure message update regarding this matter
within approximately two working days.Thanks for your message.
Regards
XXXXXXXXXX
Internet Customer Services-- Secure Messages - Client Care

-----Original Message-----


Date: xx 2009
Time: xx
Subject: Search of my credit file with Experian

On 14/01/2009 you made a search on my credit file at Experian,
the reference for the search being recorded as 'Identification:
Money Laundering Prevention' by 'Egg Banking PLC'.
Can you please advise why this search was undertaken?
I have requested no additional products or services from
your organisation, other than to request copies of my credit
agreements for my Egg Cards and Egg Loan, so am very concerned
to see this entry on my file.
Regards
Captain Bob

The misuse and abuse of the credit register is a shocking scandal. We hear about it very often and this is another example.
It is not the first time that we have heard of spurious reasons being noted to explain searches of people's personal data files.

I suggest that you serve an SAR on Egg immediately. You should insist that you want to see all personal data which they hold on you including correspondence - internal and external, screen notes etc.

You may be able to get some idea of what has lead to this particualr enquiry and why it has been explained in the way that it has.
I suggest that you take no other action unti you have your reponse in 40 days.
Then you can decide what to do. however, I think that you will have to complain to the CRA - they will take very little notice - and also to the IC - who also will take a long time and take little notice.

Your avenues of complaint are either the fos or the Courts.

I always favour the courts for their transparency, speed, humiliation factor and for their abiloity to make meaningful order.
I do not favour the FOS - for precisely their lack of all of the above.

It gets even better. Following my submission of a SOA to them, and a request to accept a reduced (pro-rata calculated) payment and freeze interest and charges until my situation improves, they go one better and send me an email today telling me my APR is going up on one of the 2 Egg cards I have - in fact, doubling no less, to a nice 26.9%. (SOA and request sent by recorded delivery and it has definitely arrived, but they are choosing to ignore it for now)

But don't worry too much - as "[FONT='Times New Roman','serif']If your rate has increased, you have the option, at any time before XX March 2009 to end your agreement, cancel the use of your Egg Money card account and stay at your existing borrowing rate.[/FONT]"

So I can close my account, but keep servicing it at the exisiting rate.

The email goes on to say "[FONT='Times New Roman','serif']Also, if you have an outstanding balance, interest and charges will still apply at your existing rate until the balance is repaid in full and you must still continue to make your minimum monthly payments[/FONT]"

Wonder if this is their way of saying no to my reduced payment request.

Originally Posted by lollipop73

This must be retaliatory behaviour on their part-surely it`s time for the fos or OFT to act.

The OFT takes an industry-wide view only. They have in the past taken an interest in the odd individual case, but only to inform themselves of what actually goes on in the front line, not to do something about it. It was the OFT who on 5th April 2006 opened the floodgates of charges reclaim, it was their threat which cut credit card penalty charges to £12, £16 for Egg. It was the OFT who announced the Bank Charges trial on 31st July 2007, and are now preparing against the appeal. The OFT are like wholesale merchants, it is not their remit to intervene in individual cases.

The potent aspect of the FOS is that once they take on your case they charge the opposing institution £400 fee, win lose or draw.