My critical illnesses insurance voided by the American Life Insurance

[web_worm]

Today, I had a shock to find out that my Insurance against critical illnesses is voided.

 

I did signed up for American Life Insurance back in June 2004.

I have been paying monthly premium of £31.80 per month premium since.

I was checking some thing on my online banking as I paid off credit card in full recently

and wanted to make sure that credit card company is no longer going into my bank account to take the direct debit.

 

I pay all my house hold bills including TV licence via monthly direct debits and never thought there is a single reason for me to keep an eye on these.

 

All I make sure that I have enough money to sail through to the direct debits on each month-that’s simple as that!

 

when I was checking as month has just begun to see I will be alright to make payments for my utility bills,

such as electricity, gas, water, tv, fines, and household insurances.

 

Something then got my attention.

 

American life hasn’t taken the money as yet.

 

I looked through the last month’s bank statement to see when did they take the money last month.

There was nothing showing last month either.

I went back six months but no money was debited to my account by the American Life Insurance.

 

I kept the original letter from American Life paper back from 2004 when I first started the policy.

During this time, I changed my address twice and notified it to all my insurers.

I purposely kept the original document from American Life and destroyed all other papers or letters coming from them.

 

I quickly phoned up the company.

The same number is used to call them as it was saved on my telephone book.

 

The agent asked the security question and I answered them correctly even my phone number.

 

when I asked why the monthly debits have stopped.

To my shock she told me it was voided due to the fact bank cancelled it last year in July 2012!!!

I felt the ground is slipping underneath.

 

The agent further told me that they wrote to me on a few occasion but I didn’t reply to them at all.

Infact, they used my old address to write.

Clearly, something went missing as the company was taken over by “ReAssure”.

 

I was told they cannot reinstate it because 13 months have gone passed.

I told the agent that I will fight and will get to the bottom of it.

I know I would never instruct the bank after paying the premium for over so many years.

 

I insulin dependent diabetic .

I have lost the job over the long term health problem.

 

I need help urgently.

 

For the meanwhile, I am writing SAR to both my bank and the American Life

(currently, known as “ ReAssure”.

 

PLEASE HELP ME.

 

All those monthly payments that I have been making over the years have gone down the drain and I need help with that.

Edited October 2, 2013 by citizenB

[citizenB]

As you have informed them of your change of addresses, I think this is quite disgraceful.

 

I will try and find someone who might be able to help, but I think it might probably be tomorrow before you get any responses.

[citizenB]

I wonder if it might be worth your sending a Subject Access Request to obtain all data they have in connection with this. You might be able to work out what has gone wrong.

 

It will cost you £10.00 and they have 40 calendar days to respond - once you have all the information you should be able to see what your next move should be.

[slick132]

Hi WebWorm,

 

In addition to the SAR's that you are sending off, I think you should also write to the bank to specifically ask why the DD was cancelled without your knowledge or consent. Send this by RM Signed For delivery.

 

I wonder why the bank didn't write to inform you if this at the time as surely THEY had your present address.

 

Do you know approx when the insurer changed from American Life to ReAssure.

 

[web_worm]

Thanx guys,

I will definitely write to the bank to find out to who cancelled the DD.

 

At the same time, I am hoping I will get every single info they are holding under my name and account.

Can these insitutions withhold any piece of information from me on SAR?

 

BTW, as I mentioned in my earlier post,

I did notify to all the concerning organisations of the change of the address.

 

They have my new telephone number registered on the system as the agent initially went through the security question with me.

 

It appears that have the current home telephone but they do not have my current address-strange....

Edited October 2, 2013 by web_worm

[slick132]

Hi WebWorm,

 

You didn't answer my 2 Q's in post #4 above.

 

To comply with the SAR, the bank and insurer should each supply to you all data which they hold about you.

 

The request is for data and not specific documents. For example, the bank must send you details of a/c transactions but they have no obligation to send you copy statements, so long as they supply the relevant data in one form or another. They may have to send copies of letters unless they have the info stored in a format other than actual copies of the letters.

 

This can make it difficult working through a SAR response but it can be worth the effort.

 

[web_worm]

slick132, in answer to the 2nd question, I had no idea until yesterday. Alarm bells only started ringing when I was checking something else on my bank statement yesterday afternoon. However,after the google search I found that the company changed their name in November 2011. I never received a single letter from them as they said they have been sending letters to my previous address which is no longer mine since December 2007!!! All I kept the original documents from them which I received in 2004 as the documents have their promise with my policy number and their name's logo to how much they will pay me.

 

I lost the job September 2007 but continued paying my premium for the policy up until now. I have wrote a letter to the bank to see how an earth they did decide to cancel it which no written confirmation to me.Also sending the SAR via special delivery to each organisation. It seems an uphill battle on my way....

 

Had to edit this message bcos forgot to mention that American Life Insurance has been debiting my account for the monthly premiums under the "American Life In"-It is showing on my monthly bank statements-even they have been taken over by" ReAssure" back in November 2011!

Edited October 3, 2013 by web_worm

[slick132]

Hi WW,

 

I know you've already spoken to them by phone but that counts for nothing in a dispute.

 

I think you should also write to the insurer saying :-

 

1. I have no idea why the insurance has not been paid since July 2012.

 

2. I am in contact with the bank to find out more information from them.

 

3. In the meantime, please confirm the reason the policy was cancelled.#

 

[web_worm]

Thanks slick132, A lady from the customer relations phoned me this afternoon and told me same thing what I have heard from the other agents. She says unless i provide them with the letter which was sent to me after change of the address was updated on their system. She says they have taken over the Alico in July 2012. Infact, in July 2012; Alico was still maintaining my account. Another shocking revelations to me as she told me that she can see the bank wrote to them advising them the cancellation. I queried it further to see if she could shed the light over the whole "cancellation" business. The bank advised them simply to cancel it. There was not a single mention of "cancelling the policy upon customer's request", the lady at the customer relation confirmed. It appears to be bank did cancel it.

 

In answer to your recent post, the reason of cancelling is that they have not received any reply from me at all. They claimed they wrote to me on many occasions but no reply from me. I argued that I did not receive a single letter and they said well, failed to give them the update info! which is just pathetic excuse! what the Insurance company has told me further over and over that I didn't reply to them after they have been chasing the payment-they had to void the insurance policy. And now its too late for them to re-instate it...

 

As you have advised me to write a letter to them, I am in process of writing a letter to find out all about this "mystery". I will post a message if I have further clarification.

[slick132]

Hi WW,

 

What they have said by phone is not really important and you need proper written responses. I would stay off the phone from now on.

 

She says unless i provide them with the letter which was sent to me after change of the address was updated on their system.

Sorry but this doesn't make sense. Can you confirm what you mean to say.

 

What they say about the bank is rubbish. The bank cannot "advise them to cancel" the insurance.

 

This is why you need proper written replies from both the bank and the insurer.

 

My aim will be to get the bank or the insurer to admit they acted in error, and to have the insurance policy reinstated so you are not left disadvantaged by an error that was not your fault.

 

[web_worm]

Dear Slick, I am struggling to understand why my insurance policy is voided. I have wrote both to the bank and the insurance company to get the factual report. The lady who phoned me yesterday repeatedly asked me to provide them with the letter from the American Life which came to my current address in 2008. I changed my address in December 2007. I purchased royal mail redirection service for three months. I then contacted all my concerning businesses to change the address detaii within that duration.

I received a letter from American Life in 2008 confirming the address. However, I always kept the original documents concerning the policy as I was afraid due to the global financial meltdown.So' I have original papers left by their home visit team back in 2004. I never even kept the documents which arrived in my previous addresses or to the current address. The American Life changed their name to "Alico" according to the Google search. They had then been taken over by "ReAssure" at some point last year.

 

I have written to both the bank and the Insurance company to provide me the copy of cancellation notice. And also, I have sent SAR with cheque via recorded mail Let's see what I have to face next.....

I have lost my faith in these financial institutes a long time ago anyway!

wish me a luck