Second M&S PPI form

[Seminole 652]

Has anyone been asked to fill in a second full PPI questionnaire after completing their online form? I rang them up about this and they said that the posted questionnaire had some additional questions and this would help them to assess the complaint.

 

I'm naturally concerned that this is another delaying tactic as they do seem to be going at a glacial pace. I also wonder whether they're looking for differences between the online submission (that they don't send you a copy of) and the new form.

 

On balance I don't think I'll bother to spend another half hour providing them with information that I've already sent them.

[dx100uk 9,658]

I always use the FOS customer questionnaire

 

as bank forms tend to have loaded questions written in their favour.

[Ford 2,335]

seminole

if a complaint goes to the fos, then a fos form wld usually be required anyway. so, as said, shld just do a fos form in the first place (if a form is required). the fos form is acceptable prior.

if doing things online first, try and get a screen shot/print of each page before submission for own records

[Seminole 652]

I've had a reply and a settlement offer of £45.55!

This is premiums of £6.85 plus interest.

 

I had the card from 1986 to around 2002.

Having spoken to M&S they claim to not have any records going back before 2000

but they've somehow based the offer on an average account balance.

 

If I remember correctly I only had a credit limit of £750 on the card but I was running close to this for most of the nineties.

 

Am I wrong to smell a bit of a rat here?

They've now re-opened my complaint and are sending me more detailed calculations.

[Ford 2,335]

see what the calcs breakdown says, take it from there.

it looks like they have done a 'reconstruction' for prior to 2000.

the fos site has details about being allowed to do a recon if no contrary data is available,

and also the pdf in sticky link which has eg's of calculations. https://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?305682-FSA-Handbook

[Seminole 652]

Thanks for this. I read elsewhere about them reconstructing on old accounts. My subject access request should tease out what data they actually hold. I find it hard to believe that they disposed of everything before 2000 as we know from the old bank charges claims that financial institutions tend to keep very old records albeit not necessarily in computer systems.

 

Follow up email to my telephone conversation.

 

Your Ref:

CHARGECARD ACCOUNT NUMBER:

 

Dear Sir

Following my discussion with your PPI complaints team I write to reject your full and final settlement offer.

 

You have accepted that I had a chargecard account with you from 1986.

I believe that the account was closed around 2001.

 

You have also accepted that I had PPI policy on the account.

 

On this basis I find it hard to accept that in total I paid £6.85 in premiums.

 

From research I understand that your PPI charge was around 70 pence per £100 of outstanding balance.

 

I believe that the credit limit on the account was £750 for most of the agreement and I certainly had a rolling balance for most of the late nineties.

 

Your PPI complaints team agreed to re-open my complaint and send me details of the PPI calculation.

 

It would have been helpful if this could have been sent with your full and final offer as it will apparently take you another four weeks to provide it.

 

In addition to your calculations please also send me all details that you hold about this account including:

date it was opened,

the account opening form,

credit limits applicable throughout the term of the agreement,

monthly account balances throughout the term of the agreement,

PPI premiums paid throughout the term of the agreement

and any other information you hold about me in your systems.

 

Please treat this as a subject access request under the Data Protection Act.

I would remind you that a subject access request is not restricted to records held in computer systems and includes data held on microfiche, scanned documents etc.

Please let me know if you require payment of the statutory fee for this data.

Yours faithfully

[Ford 2,335]

thats the thing; whether a bank is being entirely accurate when saying they don't have records/info prior to x date.

i bet most do somewhere; archived, in storage, microfiche, etc.

but, the fos allows them to 'recon' if deemed justified.

if you can get any data/info to contradict their calcs in your favour

[Seminole 652]

Well I have form on this.

 

In the bank charges heyday I issued DPA proceedings against Santander as they claimed to not have certain data.

They miraculously found it.

 

I've just done a quick calculation.

 

If the card balance was half the credit limit throughout the term and they charged 70p per £100 of debt each month

, then the total amount recoverable including simple interest at 8% would be almost £2,600.

 

Whilst I can't remember what the balance was in the eighties

I know that I was running every credit card

I had at its credit limit for most of 1995 to 2000 and so I don't think the calculation is way off.

 

Even if it was quartered it's still a hell of a lot more that what M&S has "reconstructed".

[Ford 2,335]

its a bit more than that;

things like what payments were made

(which wld have paid off the premium for that month,

and therefore no accrued interest for that particular premium);

 

was there an outstanding balance,

and how much each month,

what were the monthly payments in,

when was it closed,

what was the balance when it was closed,

wld've the likely payment in covered the premium for that month, etc.

it's all in the fos info, and that pdf.

 

with yours there is 4 years of no records, thats the prob.

 

i guess they are going by what happened from 00 to 02.

 

i've also been trying to work out a banks partial recon for one and its not so straightforward as it seems.

[dx100uk 9,658]

use our FOSCISHEET.

 

dx

[Seminole 652]

Well this has moved on but not very satisfactorily.

 

The Ombudman has told me that, based on information from Allianz (M&Ss insurer), the PPI account was closed in January 1990 and that they have no records prior to that date.

 

In other words there is a record of one month's PPI premium being paid and any records before that have been destroyed.

 

I find this remarkably coincidental.

 

I have asked the Ombudsman for the evidence supplied to them of the PPI cancellation

they say I will have to make a subject access request.

 

I also asked them for confirmation the M&S/ Allianz don't have any records prior to January 1990.

 

They seem a bit insulted that I have even asked the question.

 

Finally I asked whether M&S/ Allianz have ever produced records prior to January 1990 when it suited them to do so.

 

They ignored that question.

 

I am a bit surprised and annoyed by the Ombudsman's evasiveness.

 

However, I think I'll go ahead with the subject access request.

 

I'm extremely interested to know whether they have any offline records and also when the decision was made to destroy pre January 1990 transaction details.

 

I suspect that this will end up the Information Commissioner.

[Ford 2,335]

... I have asked the Ombudsman for the evidence supplied to them of the PPI cancellation but they say I will have to make a subject access request.

 

I am a bit surprised and annoyed by the Ombudsman's evasiveness. However, I think I'll go ahead with the subject access request. r.

maybe things have changed since, but when i wanted a copy of fos file of what a creditor had sent in, i just asked the adjudicator for a copy of their file and they obliged.

but, if you have to to do a dsar....

[dx100uk 9,658]

ombs or adjudicator?

[Ford 2,335]

ombs or adjudicator?

is your Q to me?

adjudicator.

[dx100uk 9,658]

then why bother

goto the ombs himself

[Ford 2,335]

then why bother

goto the ombs himself

i don't see what you mean.

i was just posting about poss getting a copy of fos file without doing a sar!

[dx100uk 9,658]

sorry ford was meant for semi

 

sounds like enough time has been spent with a brainless adjudicator meself

[Ford 2,335]