Swift Cover are really getting on my wick.

I've emailed them four times for an update on my claim and got no response. You wait for nearly 20 mins to get through on telephone to be told you will be called back. No call back.

I sent a complaint email advising that if I did not get a response within 24 hours, I would report them to the Ombusman, and contact other Swift Cover customer who have been having problems with claims, (there are many!), and go to the media.

The following day, (21st Feb), I got an email response stating that they apologised for the delay and I would get a settlement figure, by email, by the end of that day. Guess what?? Bu99er all!

I sent another email to their complaints department, which states you will be acknowledged within 24 hours, and I re-iterated what steps I would take and gave them another 24 hours to respond.

Surprise, surprise... Still nothing.

I noticed some people have issued N1's against insurance companies when they mess them around. Anyone had any experience of this approach?

Thanks

Indeedy Do!!

They should have an LBA sitting in front of them now!!! Muhahaha!!!

Thanks for your help!!

Thanks Craig!!

Hi Chris

It is/was a 1999V Renault Laguna 1.9 dTi Alizé Estate, with metallic paint. The mileage was above average at 147,000, but the pre accident condition was excellent.

I've looked at various car valuation sites, and to replace the car at a dealer price would be around the £2000 mark.

I've seen a few private ads for cars with lesser spec, or slightly less miles for well over the £2500 mark...

So is the debt enforcable...?

Hello, it's me again!!

A new query today...

My insurance company have advised me that they will provide me with the total loss settlement figure today, for my car which has been written off due to an accident.

I have been advised that I need to find sellers/advertisers who are selling the exact same vehicle, in case the insurers first offer is too low.

I'm having trouble finding the exact same variants of my car, so my question is can I use different variants i.e Hatchback instead of Estate, or lower trim levels??

Thanks

Spinning Fish

No abuse from me, don't worry!!

Everything and anything is possible, which is why I need to SAR them. I'm convinced it was £150, or I wouldn't have taken the policy out, however if I am wrong I will hold my hands up.

Thanks for this chaps.

Does this therefore mean that Equidebt/Heatons they are in default of the CCA request that I sent, and if so, should I still be sending the LBA to the Woolwich?

Sorry if I seem dim. Just want to do the right thing!!

Thanks again.

Fishman

Thanks for your help Craig...

I think the SAR route is the way to go... I'm going to have a go on their site too.

I'll update when I know...

I've told them that the account is in dispute and I will report them if they carry on.

I think I'll send your letter to them, and also the LBA to Woolwich.

Thanks

Alex

I wish I did, but I had no need.

They are there online for when you need them, and I had no need before now - and they are not there anymore.

What is my next move guys and girls? Do I go straight for the Ombudsman route, or ask them to provde documentation to substansiate their claims, under the DPA?

Right, I've got the response and if I was fuming mad before, I am volcanic now!!

Here it is:

"Thank you for your e-mail,

We apologise for the delay in our response, we are unfortunately receiving a higher volume of e-mails than usual and are currently attempting to clear this backlog.

I can confirm that when you set up your policy, you did not have an excess of £150. Your excess was actually £550 in total. This is a combination of a £50 compulsory excess plus the £500 voluntary excess, which you selected yourself from the drop down box when you were completing your quote online. It is your duty before setting up the policy online to check your policy details and excesses, and you ticked a box to confirm you had done this.

When you changed your car to the Nissan on 10th February, you then reduced your voluntary excess down to £150 (there is no compulsory excess for this car).

However, as the claim made on 1st January was on your Renault Laguna, then the excess for that car applies. At no point have we changed your excess. You have selected your own voluntary excesses and you could have checked your excesses at any time in your Swift Space. "

It was never, never, never £550 when I took out the policy!! I would have never taken out a policy with such a ridiculous excess at my age. It's ridiculous!! And also my claim was made on the 1st February, you flaming idiots!!

Now the problem is to prove that they're lying through their teeth! I can't prove a thing, because all their documents are kept online, and the originals are no longer there. If I request proof they can doctor it any way they like to suit themselves.

Any suggestions??

OK. I'm really, really confused now.

I had to buy a run-around car in the meantime, while my claim is going through. I've just looked at the schedule and it shows my compulsary excess as £0 and my voluntary as £150!! So what the **** is going on??

Is the person who advised me, over the phone, that my excess was £550 talking utter nonsense, or can they just adjust my excess as they see fit whenever they like???

I'm sooooo mad about this now!

Thanks for this...

I actually don't know who owns the debt. It says the creditor is Woolwich on the letter, so I assume it is still with them.

This is probably why Heatons/Equidebt have chosen to ignore my letters to them - they probably don't have to provide me with anything!

Should I just get my Letter Before Action to Woolwich, directly, in that case? I can then remind them that the amount is in dispute...

Still no response from them.

They don't reply to my emails regarding my claim either. I've sent three over the last two weeks and heard nothing. It also takes an age to get through to them aswell.

Sounds logical.

I'm going to wait to see what their response is and post it online. I hope they have recorded the conversation...

It was only an increase of about £65, at the time. The guy on the phone never mentioned it would impact on the excess however.

I would rather have paid an increased premium then have a huge excess hanging over my head.

She's on a provisional, so yes...

Would that affect my excess though?

I've requested that information, and I'm waiting on the response.

If it was from adding my girlfriend, why would it increase MY excess??

I don't get it.

I took out a policy with Swiftcover in November with an excess of £150 on the fully comp policy.

I had an own fault accident at the beginning of the month and have now been advised that my excess is £550!?!

The problem with Swiftcover is that they don't send you out your insurance documents in the post - they are stored in your own online area, and you print them off as required.

I've added my partner to the policy, since November, and as such they have replaced the policy documents online, which means I don't have access to the original documents proving my £150 excess.

At no point prior to the accident was I advised that the excess has increased to £550. I'm kicking myself for not reviewing the documents online, but didn't feel I had to as the people I have spoken to have always spelled things out and explained everything.

I'm getting the impression that they have increased the excess to favour themselves, as I have had to make an own fault claim, but I'm at a loss as to what I can do.

Can anyone help me, please??

Thanks in advance

Mr Fish...

Hello

I've been through the motions with the Woolwich in getting my charges back, ie SAR and asking for it back, during October, November and December.

They chose to ignore my request for the charges to be returned and referred the account to Equidebt, as the account was overdrawn by £1800 - basically the charges negated that figure!!

Equidebt send me a letter citing breach of the written agreement, ie owing the Woowlich the overdraft and not paying, so I sent a request under the CCA for them to provide me with a signed copy of the agreement, with the appropriate fee. This was sent to Equidebt by recorded delivery on the 16th January.

On the 24th January I received a letter from Heatons LLP, on behalf of Equidebt ignoring my CCA request and demanding payment of the full amount. In response, I sent the following letter:

"I write in response to your letter dated 24th January 2007, and would like to refer you to my letter, dated 16th January 2007, sent to your client, Equidebt, which has seemingly been ignored by your client.

As stated to Equidebt, in the aforementioned letter dated 16th January 2007, I no longer acknowledge these debts to Equidebt, and subsequently yourselves, and I have still yet to receive the documentation requested.

I have requested true copies of the agreements Equidebt have referred to in their correspondence to me. I remind you that this is my right under the legislation contained within section 77 (1) and section 78 (1) of the Consumer Credit Act 1974. In addition to this, Equidebt are also required to supply signed true copies of the deeds of assignment of the above referenced agreements.

You are reminded that Equidebt are obliged to supply these documents under section 189 of the CCA 1974.

As you are aware, a credit agreement that is not properly documented and signed by the customer is totally unenforceable under the CCA and therefore is a complete defence to any court claim that is issued.

Take note at this stage, that any legal action you may contemplate will be both vigorously defended and contested. All further communication from either the Woolwich Plc, Equidebt or yourselves that do not recognise that this matter is ‘in dispute’, will be reported to the Financial Ombudsman and the Information Commissioner’s Office, citing contravention of section 13.6 of The Banking Code. Investigations are currently underway with The Woolwich Plc into the validity of the original amount that was claimed to be owed, and I will be in contact with you again in due course. In the meantime please be aware that, as previously stated, I consider this matter to be “in dispute”."

Well, the saga continues... Heatons LLP have sent me another letter, ignoring my communications, giving me 48hours to pay or they will commence legal action.

Please can someone advise me what I should do next?

Thanks

Mr Fish.

So, would I be writing to the Local Authority, requesting that info?

Thanks

Halibut

Hello there

Last night I had a car accident, whereby I was driving though our local lanes to get home and as I came through the corner, the back end of the car swung out. This caused the car to crash into the bushes and flip over on to its roof, on the grass verge. If I had been going fast it would have been very serious indeed.

I believe the car to be a write off, as the roof crushed, and a lot of the panels are dented. Luckily, I have escaped with just a sore neck and back, although I have not seen a doctor.

The policeman who arrived on the scene said the cause was that the road was VERY greasy. And it was. When you walked along it, it was like something had spilled on it. Very slippy indeed.

The farmer, whose hedge I have 'pruned', said that a few cars have come off the road there, and in fact, one came off the road in the same place the day before, as he was working in his field. Luckily, that driver didn't hit anything.

The point is, do I have any grounds on which to make a claim against the Local Authority?

Thanks in advance

Fishy....

Thanks very much.

OK. I have now received a letter from Moorcroft Debt Recovery for the full amount of £129.80.

This means they have effectively ignored my SAR.

What is my next move?

Thanks

Alex