FOS Grade "A" Joke

[tob150]

Late 2008 with new of another impending recession, we did not want our endowments to be hit again with further losses, as we were not only showing a two grand shortfall from the 90’s but so near the end of its term now..

 

We decide to keep an eye month on month and after three months realise they were going in reverse again so asked for surrender forms. We did this several times but none arrived so we complained to FOS. They Gave AVIVA 8 weeks to answer. AVIVA took about 12 weeks and offered us a poxy £50. We told FOS we don’t think that’s enough and still have not recvd surrender forms. AVIVA said they sent them but we never got them. I added that in 14 years of living where we are, we have never, ever, had had mail go missing to my home cos I am a postie and deliver my own post! This stunned and stone walled their argument. :DStill we never got surrender forms. Meanwhile our investment was still going backwards.

 

FOS then asked us for proof we phoned AVIVA. I looked on my Bills and no sign of such numbers. I knew I phoned them so phoned BT. They said they are Freefone numbers and it is illegal to show them numbers on any bills. I asked them to quote the exact law. They could not so I asked for a supervisor. I was again informed it was illegal, so asked for the exact law. They could not quote it. I asked who could? They said they will get someone to phone me back. By a miracle, they did, from India. The bloke with a strong Asian accent called Kevin, could not quote the Act of law so I again said who can? They said someone will phone me back. Second miracle they did. From Ireland. The lady told me it was the Communication Act. I looked it up on the net whilst on the phone and said “nope, can’t see the bit where it says it is illegal to print freefone numbers on a customers bill that they have dialled. I added that If this was the case. How can people use them in adverts?” No answer.

 

So brassed off now having been round the world on a freefone number enquiry, I decided to guess by a process of elimination the BT Chairman’s e-mail address and bingo. He put me through to his special advisors department and a very helpful chap show me the exact wording for the illegal act. I told him why I needed it the info as proof that I called AVIVA as £7-800 is at stake. He kept me up to date and said it could take a while. Then he went sick and I got every brain dead pleb going who promptly ignored it.

 

Meanwhile back at the bat cave, the FOS, they decided to give me an unreasonable deadline. I wrote to the BT chairman again and he must have kick some arris cos I finally got the info I wanted, and I duly passed it on to the FOS.

 

In late July the FOS received the surrender forms from AVIVA and sent them to us. We got them very early August 2009. AVIVA now stated in those forms that we have 30 days to come up with Letters of no intent from two previous mortgage companies, and submit them with the completed and signed surrender forms. (Nice that they hurry me up) We wrote to the two companies on 4th August 2009. Only one mortgage company came back to us. The other totally ignored us and to date we have heard nowt. We still sent the forms back with just the one letter of no intent and got paid out in September 2009. (£700 light mind you):-|

 

The FOS bloke (sounded like Mr Bean) pushed our complaint up a level as he was stumped. We feel he was suffering from NFI and could not be bothered and was in fact on Aviva’s side although he denied it.

 

This women (a Ms Kahzee) phoned me a week ago asking why we took so long from receiving the surrender forms to actually posting them back to AVIVA I looked up our notes and e-mailed her that we had one weeks hol in the 30 day period, plus it was sprung on us a bit to come up with these letters of no intent as we were now in the lap of two extra parties. She OK’d that info until today, when my flabber was well and truly ghasted, as she said “If I go back to AVIVA with your answers they will ask why you did not ask for “Letters of no intents” before you asked for surrender values way back in Sep 2008 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I informed her that we are not employed in the financial arena and that I am also not mystic meg, and have never heard of such things as “letters of intent” until Aviva asked for them. She said it was unlikely that the OS would uphold out complaint and that she will write to us in a few days and if we are not happy with the answer can ask for a n Ombudsman to investigate it.

 

Looking at this forum it appears the FOS are on the side of the Banks etc not the consumer. I have told them this and they tell me they are unbiased. Of course they are.