When I bought my second hand Audi A4 s few years ago, I bought various Gap insurance policies and other things, through the AA and via the sales garage,*to cover me for the first two years of owning my (new to me) car. * Coming up to two years of ownership, I was contacted directly by a company that supplied the AA with one of the insurances - Car Protect Ltd. I didn't realise that I had taken out the policy (but apparentIy had) though they had the policy in my partners name, not mine. * In essence, I had a policy that would supposedly cover my car for mechanical parts if they broke, up to a value of £2000. * At first, the company contacted me by mail (actually to my partner and she thought it was a [problem]) and then followed up with phone calls directly to me. I was asked to sign-up again before my policy ran out. The first reason for this was that if my policy ran out and I then signed up, I would not be covered in the first month (which I found odd). * I asked many questions and had the salesman call me back on several occasions over several weeks so that I could think it through and make an informed decision based on any questions that could come to me over time. I did ask my mechanic who said that it probably wasn't worth my while as in his experience, this type of*insurance policy never paid out. I did talk to the saleman about this and he assured me that wasn't the case. * During the previous two years, I had a clutch failure due to the harsh snow conditions and I asked if I would have been covered in that instance - which I was told I would. * In the end, I decided to re-new the policy (for about £300+ @ 17.46 a month) as I figured that something could break and that with the Audi, it would cost a decent sum of money and having the policy would help mitigate any costs. * Sure enough, less than a month into the policy, an Oil pressure light came on and*I stopped the car immediately, subsequently getting the car towed to by favoured mechanic. * The sailient points of what happened after this: * 1. Car Protect claimed I was not covered in the first month of policy - then backed down when it was pointed out I had re-newed. * 2. My mechanic advised me what was wrong with the car - an oil pump failure - and that I should get a new turbo as well as stripping down the engine to make sure that there were no contaminants that would kill the engine after the oil pump was replaced. * 3. Car Protect had an independant assessor from Dekra inspect the car. * 4. I was advised by my mechanic - who had been told by Car Protect - *that the claim was going to be turned down due to wear and tear of a consumeable item - the oil pump. My mechanic advised that a drive rod inside the pump was at fault. * At no time in the proceedings did Car Protect formally OR informally contacted me to advise that the claim had been turned down. * 5. I had been working on a contract at a council (infact, the car broke down on the retrun from the interview for the job). I happen to sit next to the Trading Standards team. I showed them my policy and it explicitly states that the Oil Pump is covered. They advised me - informally as the breakdown was not in their area - that as the cost of repair was to be £3800, it would be unreasonable for Car Protect to say that an Oil Pump was a consumeable item and that as the part that failed was internal to the pump I should contact Audi to determine how long the Oil Pump should last as they would assume that an Oil Pump should last the lifetime of the car and not suffer wear and tear. * 6. On Aug 1st 2011, after visiting an Audi garage and asking other people whether an Oil Pump should be classed as a consumeable and should suffer wear and tear (all no), I contacted Audi UK directly and asked them question of how long the Oil Pump should last. I was told it should last the lifetime of the car. * 7. Aug 2nd I contacted Car Protect directly to ask why I was to be turned down. I was told that the drive for the Oil pump was worn away and that this meant I did not suffer a sudden mechanical break as the breakdown was due to wear and tear on a part. * The bit in the policy*that says 'sudden mechanical break' is the bit that Car Protect is using to sidestep that the Oil Pump is covered explicity in the policy. As I didn't get a sudden breakdown - according to them, it was sudden and immediate to me - , the policy did not apply at all to my situation. * This means that nothing is covered unless I have a sudden mechanical failure. This means that even though I was advised my burnt out clutch would have been covered, it certainly would not have been in reality (not a sudden mechanical failure and wear and tear) * I asked for the report and was told Car Protect could not provide it and I should phone Dekra. * 8. Aug 2nd Phoned Dekra who would not provide report, said Car Protect had to. * 9. Aug 2. A Car Protect engineer expained to me that the drive for the oil pump was worn and rounded, therefore the oil pump had worn out. He told me that it was a known problem with the hexagonal drive and that Audi know this and should not have told me that the oil pump should last the lifetime of the car. * I then waited for Car Protect to contact me officially to say that the claim has been turned down - they did not. * 10. I contacted consumer direct and they advised that I ask for the details of the claim refusal in writing and to ask Audi for written confirmation with their point of view. 11. On Dec 12, I contacted Car Protect. I asked for them to formally inform me that the claim had been turned down and to put that - and the reasons for it being turned down - in writing. I also cancelled the policy. Audi have not got back to me, so I decided to write to Car Protect anyway, however..... 12. On 29th Feb, guess what? I still had not received anything from Car Protect and on my bank statement I found a standing order going out to "PREMIUM FIRST" for £17.46. After contacting the bank, it became clear that this was the monthly payment going to Car Protect Ltd. I phoned PREMIUM FIRST aka Creation Finance Ltd (their number if you need it is: 08716646500). They confirmed that they were still taking the funds from my account, but I had to contact a different part of the business called Insurance Car Protect Ltd. So, today. I am writing to Car Protect Ltd with a registered delivery. I am going to point out all of the above and to suggest that I have been advised that they could be multiply in breach of the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 and that I will be contacting the Financial Services Ombudsman. Before that is in the post, I will contact consumer direct and the Financial Services Ombudsman, then I will call Premium First. I have spoken to many people about this and invariably there is annecdotal evidance of others beleiving that policies like this are a [problem]. * I belive that the insurance policy was mis-sold to me. I believe that it is a policy that I cannot resonably expect to be able to successfully make a claim on. I beleive that the policy has been deliberatly worded to provide get-outs on items explicitly stated as being covered. In my words, I think it is a [problem] - a respectable looking [problem] - , but a [problem] none the less and that I and many, many others, have been the victim of some sharp practice.