A couple of months ago, I unexpectedly received a letter from an insurance company on behalf of Halifax Building Society.
Unexpected because I’m not a Halifax customer (haven’t been for over 10 years) and unexpected, because the letter was addressed to both to me and my ex.
The letter was with reference to a mortgage protection plan that we paid into a long time ago and claimed that we could be due a premium refund on the policy! Really?
Mis-sold PPI blah blah blah
The past couple of years, I’ve been plagued by phone calls, email spam, spam letters, spam texts, all wanting to help me claim money back on mis-sold PPI (Payment Protection Insurance). I’ve tended to ignore them (occasionally was a bit rude to the people on the phone as I hate cold callers…)
The only such plan that I’d paid into was the mortgage protection plan and I didn’t believe it was mis-sold because I knew what we were paying for and it ‘did what it said on the tin’, in that when the ex was made redundant, we made a claim and the policy covered the mortgage in full for over 12 months, which totalled several thousands of pounds, a lot more than what we paid in premiums.
Anyway, I duly provided proof of identity in response to the letter and received a cheque for…
£33.37
Ah well, just as well I was more intrigued than excited about what I was going to get, haha!
And just as well that I still have access to an old joint bank account so I can bank the cheque and then put it towards my savings!
Keep calm and keep investing!
[image from claimspower.co.uk]
Hi Weenie,
What a nice little windfall! It must feel somewhat satisfying to receive some money from the amount of hounding these companies do.
I haven't ever opted for PPI on our mortgages or loans, so I haven't been able to capitalise on any claims. It hasn't stopped the cold callers from trying though.
PPI calls take a close second place in the annoying stakes when it comes to cold calls. In at number one is the classic opening line "I understand someone at your address was involved in a car accident in the last 3 years."
"No we've never been in an accident in 3 years. Who are you referring to and what was the accident?"
"………" followed by them hanging up.
Huw
I love unexpected money. Nothing beats that finding £20 in a pair of forgotton jeans!
Hi Huw, ah yes, the accident compensation people are just as bad. I had a prang in my car a few years back (not my fault). Within days, I was being spammed by both calls and emails about injury claims. I guess my insurers must have sold my details since no one else knew I'd had an accident, and this was despite the fact that I had legal cover with them already!
Hi Victoria
Absolutely! I sometimes find the odd note hidden in side pockets of old handbags, originally put there as back up taxi money!
Haha, £33! Had a great laugh! 🙂
Unexpected money is always nice to have though! Everytime I find more money in my wallet than I thought was in there I'm overly happy.
What a nice little story. Of course, dealing with the calls, emails, letters, etc. it's always nice to receive any amount of money when you least expect it. Like finding money on the street or in a pocket it always makes you feel good. Thanks for sharing this story.
Hi DH, yes, this was totally unexpected and was nice to receive after dealing with all the spam! Thanks for stopping by!
Hi NMW, I guess compared to the thousands that many people seem to get from mis-sold PPI, £33 seems really rubbish but we did claim on the policy so I really don't feel like I've missed out on anything. It's all gone in the investment pot anyway, so I'm happy!