I am new here and in need of advice with regard to Welcome Finance! Thanks!

[Ty Anthony]

Hi people, i hope to get a good response to this as im losing the will to live on this one as many here, i guess know the feeling when it comes to Welcome.

 

Ok here goes... I had taken out a personal loan of £2000 as far back as july 2005 to be paid over 36 months with a repayment figure of £35.30 per week.

 

Prior to taking out the loan i know the loan advisor (if you can call him advisor, pffft) had taken advantage of my urgency to get the loan and told me that i must get PPI. I asked him how much more will that be. He told me £787. I told him i would not be taking up this offer but he told me you will not be able to get the loan otherwise and that it protects me in the event i would ever lose my job. He pushed me and I felt i had no option but to accept the PPI just to get the loan.

 

Everything was going well, i mean i missed a few payments but always paid back the full arrears which made them happy. This was until i lost my job just before the xmas of 2006, through an accumulation of me being off sick as i was having ongoing chest complications for months.

 

I informed them that i had lost my job and i would have problems paying the weekly sum until further notice and this is when the bully tactics started. They were pretty much saying if you don't pay you will be charged!

 

When i ask them about my insurance protection the guy on the phone told me PPI is only active if i've been made redundant. I told him that the words that came out of the advisor's mouth was that it would cover me losing my job and there are different ways of losing a job in which he didnt specify. Redundancy was not what came out of his mouth. He said he couldn't help me and continued to make calculated threats that if i didn't pay up i would be getting charged interest upon interest everytime i missed the deadline to pay.

 

Phone calls pursued and letters which i was being charged with continued. I missed payments through dec to feb as i had no funds whatsoever!

 

Found employment in feb and agreed with WF over the phone that i will start paying monthly £152.88.

It wasn't running smoothly at all because they were chasing the arrears i had accumulated, i made a double payment of £152.88 equalling 305.76 to keep them happy but it was harassment. They wouldn't stop!

 

If i had known about sites such as CAG then i would have known better about how to handle the bullying but at the time i felt i was on my own and felt i couldn't get help anywhere!

 

There was a time when they phoned me and asked me to pay my arrears or i would be getting a default notice and i told them i wouldn't be getting paid until a week after. They asked to give me my card details so that this in effect wouldn't get me the default and they will get funds out next week whilst on the phone with me. I stupidly gave it to them and what did they do they had taken the money which i never had and went into my overdraft and reserve which i subsequently got charged for it. I was so incensed that i swore every name under the sun over the phone and threatened to go to the branch to complain and they offered to reimburse the bank charges.

 

So when the 36 months were nearly up, there was me thinking ok maybe im a little over in arrears and would need maybe 4-5 months extra to clear it, I asked them about the figure when they told me i was gobsmacked!! They told me i was in arrears of over 2 grand! I told them in less words f**k off im not paying that, send me my statements from the beginning to end. They did and this is what ive paid them!

 

My loan agreement from which i had to pay off including the PPI, Medicare, Lifecare and acceptance fee was £3337.82

 

The amount i had paid them all together is £4278.78

 

They are asking that i pay an extra £2421.92

 

The capitalisation in itself was over 3,000 and looking at the statement even though i had been paying amounts on time i had still been getting charge stupid amounts of capitalisation.

 

I asked one of the guys on the phone why i was getting charged so much interest he said it was also against my PPI. I told him i had no choice but to get the PPI why didn't you tell me any of this. That is when he told me i had a choice. It was optional. oh ok!

 

So i spoke to another guy and i was angry by this point so i made my point clear that i was mislead and forced into get the PPI and i was not informed that it was my choice whether to accept the PPI or not. I told him i had refused at first and that i was told i wouldn't get the loan if i hadn't accepted the PPI. He was stumbling on his words and told me to write the letter to my branch and they will get back to me.

 

I sent the letter and had not heard anything from them since. The last correspondence i got from them was 24/02/09 but this was before i had sent my letter so i had no response from them at all! So i really did take it that my case had been closed because the harassment had stopped and not a single word from them at all!

 

Until now of course! I could not believe ny eyes when i saw a debt collectors card which had a mobile number to call. Lewis group are on the case. No letter from them and they say they have sent letters in the course of the year but i have been away for most part of the year but my mother had always kept all my letters. Now a debt collector is knocking on my door. 3 times he has come knocking. Twice ive not been there, and once i was but didnt answer the door.

 

I cant help but worry about all of this, firstly how can i stop the harassment on the door and secondly how can i deal with the PPI situation!

 

The way i feel i just would be happy if they keep the PPI i believe i am owed and just leave me the hell alone but theres a feeling there that i just want to cause as much problems for them as they have done me.

 

Please tell me what i should do. Shall i phone Lewis Group to tell them of my situation as i feel they will be knocking my door tonight and tell them not to send anyone to my door as i am in dispute with Welcome? Please advise, thank you all in advance!

 

Ty

Edited November 4, 2010 by Ty Anthony

[Ty Anthony]

Wow didnt realise i wrote a novel! lol

[dadofholly]

Wow didnt realise i wrote a novel! lol

 

Dont worry they get to us all like that sometimes

 

First things first - have you as yet made a formal complaint in writing concerning your PPI? I have the details of the relevent departments to contact if you have not done this yet.

 

Second do you have a copy of your agreement? If so could you scan and post it on here - remove all personal info - agreement numbers and bar codes.

 

If not sure how to do this follow this link and watch the video tutorial.

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/content.php?115-How-to-open-a-PhotoBucket-account-and-use-it-to-post-pictures-on-the-Consumer-Action-Group

 

In the next two posts i will give you two leters to help them stop harrassing you.

[dadofholly]

If you are still getting problems off them in terms of telephone calls send them the following letters - to their complaints department - (Head office not local branch) and one copy to lewis group.

 

Amend it to suite your needs.

 

Your Street

Town

City

Postcode

 

DATE HERE

Company Name

Road

Town

City / County

Postcode

 

Re: Harassment by telephone

 

 

ACCOUNT NUMBER: XXXXXXX

 

Dear Sirs

 

I am writing in relation to the quantity and frequency of telephone calls that I have received from your company, which I deem to be personally harassing.

 

I have verbally requested that these stop, but I am still receiving calls. (Delete if necessary)

 

I now require all further correspondence from your company to be made in writing only.

 

I am of the view that your continued harassment of me by telephone puts you in breach of Section 40 of the Administration of Justice Act 1970, and the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.

 

If you continue to harass me by telephone, you will also be in breach of the Communications Act (2003) s.127 and I will report you to OFCOM, Trading Standards and The Office of Fair Trading, meaning that you will be liable to a substantial fine.

 

Be advised that any further telephone calls from your company will be recorded. (**Even if you don‘t yet have recording equipment!!**)

 

 

Yours faithfully,

 

 

 

[NAME HERE] PRINT DO NOT SIGN.

Edited November 5, 2010 by dadofholly

[dadofholly]

REF: the threat of doorstep visits.

 

Again amend the following address to your needs. i.e. address etc.

 

send one copy to welcome complaints - (head office not the local branch) and one to Lewis group.

 

Also keep one handy at home - IF they do turn up simply hand them a copy of the letter - if they refuse to leave call the police.

 

 

 

Dear Sir or Madam,

 

Account Ref xxxx

 

Please be advised that I will only communicate with you in writing. I have noted your repeated attempts to contact me by telephone over the past few weeks/months and these have been duly logged by time and date.

 

Furthermore, should it be your intention to arrange a “doorstep call”, please be advised that under OFT rules, you can only visit me at my home if you make an appointment and I have no wish to make such an appointment with you.

 

There is only an implied license under English Common Law for people to be able to visit me on my property without express permission; the postman and people asking for directions etc (Armstrong v Sheppard & Short Ltd [1959] 2 QB 384. per Lord Evershed M.R.). Therefore take note that I revoke license under Common Law for you, or your representatives to visit me at my property and, if you do so, you will be liable to damages for a tort of trespass and action will be taken, including but not limited to, police attendance.

 

YOUR NAME (PRINT DO NOT SIGN).

[Ty Anthony]

Hi dadofholly, thanks for replying. I really appreciate it. I sent a letter to them regarding my PPI a year ago. Had not heard anything from them. And there were no harassment from them since so i just left the situation as it was emotionally draining. I thought they may have seen sense and let it be. I was wrong. So im going to start up a claim properly and make sure it gets sorted out this time.

 

Thank you for the letters, i only need the door call letter as they haven't got my phone number. There is a letter template for the PPI claim? I must look for it but if you are able to locate and give me the link id like that.

 

I will draft the letters you've given me and send to welcome and lewis group. I got another door call Thursday gone. My mother answered the door and he told her he may not come around again and it will go to court if i do not contact them. So im going full steam ahead on this claim. Its scandalous the way they are doing things. They really need their comeuppance!

 

I will scan my agreement asap. Im away from home so ive no access to my scanner. Again thanks for the reply!

[Ty Anthony]

oh yes could you send me the details of the relevant departments i need to send the PPI letter to? Thank you

[dadofholly]

Hi sorry never got back to you sooner - got a lot on at the moment.

 

Will post the addresses you need tomorrow - (Tuesday) a.m.

 

Just a quick question - was the loan a personal loan - or HP for a car?

 

Will drop you line in morning.

[Ty Anthony]

Hey there, not a problem. It was a personal loan. Ill be scanning my agreement very soon

 

Thanks

[dadofholly]

Hi

 

These are the details of the department to write to - its a new department set up to sort out the PPI mess at Welcome.

 

I think they have got some help in from the big school to help them with their maths.

 

The Project

Brideshead Team

Welcome Financial Services Ltd

Mere Way

Ruddington Fields Business Park

Nottingham

NG11 6NZ

 

Write to them explaining that you wish to canale and claim back all payments made on you PPI.

 

The reason is that you was informed by the salesperson/advisor that you would be unable to have the loan without the PPI - as you have stated in your first post - they may well send you a questionnaire to fill in.

[dadofholly]

Here is the SAR template - send it with a £10 postal order - write on the back of the PO "For SAR Use Only" and if you can photocopy it as evidence - also keep a copy of the PO number.

 

Send it Recorded Delivery.

 

Data Protection Compliance Manager

Welcome Finance

Mere Way

Ruddington

Nottingham

NG11 6NZ

 

 

[your address]

 

 

[DATE]

 

 

 

Data Protection Act 1998 Subject access request

 

 

Dear Sir/Madam

 

 

ACCOUNT NUMBER: xxxxxxxxx (or multiple numbers if more than one account)

 

Please supply me with copies of all the data which you hold on me in relation to my business with yourselves.

Please note that I require disclosure of any personal data which you hold on me for the entire period of my business with you.

The Subject Access is not limited to my transaction history and it is not linited merely to 6 years of historical information.

 

Additionally, where there has been any event in my account history over this period which has required manual intervention by any member of your staff, or any other person, I require disclosure of any indication or notes which have either caused or resulted in that manual intervention, or other evidence of that manual intervention in relation to my financial business with you.

 

I require all information on details of all insurance products supplied by welcome financial services. This is to include the statement of means, statement of price, details of all insurance premium tax paid, and underwriting sheets.

If mortage indemnity insurance has been added to the agreement, i require all details on who this premium was paid to, and who underwrites this insurance.

 

If you are unable to supply this data because there has been no such manual intervention, then please be so kind as to confirm this in your response.

 

If you intend to send a reconstituted copy of an agreement you must declare the reason why it has been reconstituted and if the original exists, the type of filing system or archive the originals are stored on.

 

If it is the case that any of the requested documents can not be supplied because they have been destroyed,please indicate;

 

1.The date the document (s) was/were destroyed.

 

2.The method used for destruction.

 

3.The position of the individual/individuals tasked with destruction.

 

I enclose the statutory maximum fee of £10. You have 40 days in which to comply. Furthermore, if I discover that you have levied disproportionate penalties or charges which are invalid under the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations against me, then I shall be reclaiming them together with any interest charges which you have levied on them.

As it is your wrongdoing and mishandling of my account which has created the necessity for this Subject Access Request, I shall also be reclaiming the enclosed £10 Data Protection Act subject access request fee.

 

If there is specific information which you require in order to satisfy yourself as to my identity, please let me know by return. However, please note that the above address is the one which you normally use to communicate my private business to me and which you have hitherto found to be acceptable.

I would be happy to collect the Data from my local branch.

 

 

Yours faithfully,

PRINT YOUR NAME (Do Not Sign).

 

[Ty Anthony]

Thanks a lot for your help! Appreciate you taking the time to do this!

Ive sent the letters, so i will keep you posted when i get a response.