Vanquis Card & Repayment Option Plan (ROP)

[starlightdj]

Hi,

 

Has anyone ever reclaimed this con that Vanquis Bank call ROP.

I have been paying it unknowing for years.

I know i would not have signed up for it and should not have been given it.

 

I was on a fixed term appointment within the civil service (HMRC),

I never claimed or used it when the contract ended.

Because I was on fixed term contract surely that means I should not have been offered it.

 

I have been in touch with couple of companies that said they have been successful, but they lied!

 

 

Once I had given them all the info, they said they could not pursue claims against Vanquis.

 

Has anyone ever actually claimed it back successfully?

If so, please can you advise me how.

 

 

I have been paying for over 4 years and its only recently I discovered what i was i was paying.

i thought it was some monthly charge.

 

thanks in advance

[dx100uk]

there are very very few successes

usually turns out

it was agreed to in a phone call

and they still hold the recordings.

[maroondevo52]

Hello and Welcome,

 

It does look like PPI in drag.

 

I have to say I've never come across anyone that has claimed this back.

I read that It's not quite insurance so it's regulated by the OFT, rather than the Financial Services Authority (FSA) which was at the forefront of investigations into PPI.

 

They say it is different from PPI, which meets monthly payments while ROP does not repay any capital or interest, it just freezes credit card debt. ROP is not insurance, which means it is not regulated by the Financial Services Authority so you cannot complain to the ombudsman about the product. That said, the ombudsman can look at the way ROP is sold — perhaps the policy had been misrepresented or you were told you had to buy it.

 

Vanquis have been quick to point out that ROP is a fully regulated product and consumers are free to complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service if they feel that the product's terms are unfair or that they were mis-sold.

 

I read an article from 2011 saying the FOS had only found against Vanquis Bank in one instance in relation to the sale of ROP, I'm not sure how they came to their decision.

There could be more since then but I'm not sure.

 

Others may have come across successful claims and add to this thread.

[shamus59]

Here are the details taken from the T&C's that are on their website;

 

REPAYMENT OPTION PLAN

General

20.1 You may opt-in to the Repayment Option Plan (the 'Plan'). If you do so you will need to pay a Plan Charge which will be calculated and payable in accordance with paragraphs 20.7 - 20.9 below.

20.2 If you opt-in to the Plan you will be entitled, subject to the terms and conditions set out below, to receive all the features of the Plan whether you are in full-time, part-time or temporary employment, are self-employed, or are unemployed or retired. However, the situations in which your Account may be frozen (as described in paragraphs 20.12 - 20.17 below) will depend on your employment status.

20.3 The Plan is not a regulated insurance product and will not pay off any capital or interest on your Account.

20.4 We do not provide advice or a recommendation on whether the Plan is suitable for your purposes.

Opting-in to the Plan

20.5 You may opt-in to the Plan at any time by telling us by telephone or in writing that you wish do so. To do this you may call 0330 099 3010 or write to Customer Service, P.O Box 399 CHATHAM, ME4 4WQ or use any other contact details we give you. If you inform us that you do wish to opt-in to the Plan we will provide you with all of the features of the Plan from the date of the receipt by us of your request whether it is by telephone or in writing.

Cost of the Plan

20.6 The cost of the Plan depends on your personal circumstances.

20.7 If you are in full-time, part-time or temporary employment or are self-employed, the cost of the Plan will be charged at the rate of £1.29 per £100 (1.29% per month) of your monthly outstanding balance as shown on your statement ('the Full Plan Charge'). This is known as the Full Plan.

20.8 If you are not employed (as described in paragraph 20.7) or you are retired, the cost of the Plan will be charged at the rate of £1.19 per £100 (1.19% per month) of your monthly outstanding balance as shown on your statement ('the Standard Plan Charge'). This is known as the Standard Plan.

20.9 We will charge the Full or Standard Plan Charge directly to your Account each month as a Purchase Transaction. The Full or Standard Plan Charge will accrue interest in the same way as other Purchase Transactions.

Features of the Plan

20.10 If you opt-in to the Plan, in return for the Full or Standard Plan Charge but subject to the terms and conditions set out below, we agree:

20.10.1. in the event of a Difficult Financial Circumstance (as defined below) to 'Freeze' your Account (as described in paragraph 20.13) subject to the terms set out in paragraphs 20.12 and 20.14 - 20.17 below;

20.10.2. to allow you to take a 'Payment Holiday' (as described in paragraph 20.18) subject to the terms set out in paragraphs 20.19 - 20.21 below;

20.10.3. to provide you with a 'Lifeline' (as described in paragraphs 20.23) subject to the terms set out in paragraphs 20.22 and 20.24 - 20.25 below;

20.10.4. (subject to your having a mobile telephone capable of receiving such messages and your providing us with its number) to provide you with the 'SMS Text Service' (as described in paragraphs 20.27 - 20.28) subject to the terms set out in paragraphs 20.26 and 20.29 below.

20.11 If you wish to Freeze your Account or take a Payment Holiday you must call the Plan helpline on 0330 099 3010. The Plan helpline is available between 8am and 8pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 5.30pm on Saturday.

Freezing your Account

20.12 We agree that if you experience a Difficult Financial Circumstance (as defined below) and you request us to Freeze your Account by telephoning us in accordance with paragraph 20.11, we will, subject to the terms and conditions set out herein, Freeze your Account for as long as the Difficult Financial Circumstance continues to apply, up to a maximum period of 24 months per event (or series of connected events).

20.13 If we Freeze your Account in accordance with the terms of the Plan that means that:

20.13.1 you will not be able to use your Card or Account;

20.13.2 we will not charge you interest on any outstanding balance under your Account

20.13.3 you will not be obliged to make any Repayments

20.13.4 you will not be liable to pay any Fees or Charges.

20.14 After the Difficult Financial Circumstance ceases to apply or after 24 months (whichever is sooner), you will be able to use your Card or Account but interest will accrue again and you will be obliged to continue your Repayments and pay any applicable Fees and Charges that accrue on the Account.

20.15 If you request us to Freeze your Account you must provide us with reasonable evidence of the occurrence of the Difficult Financial Circumstance when you contact us to Freeze the Account and you must continue to supply us, on request by us, with reasonable evidence of the continuation of the Difficult Financial Circumstance at any time while your Account is Frozen. If you do not do so, we may terminate the Freezing of your Account.

20.16 You agree that if you wish us to Freeze your Account as a result of any Difficult Financial Circumstance and you have notified us within 90 days of its first occurrence and provided us with reasonable evidence as required under paragraph 20.15, any Freezing of your Account will be backdated to the date of the first occurrence of that Difficult Financial Circumstance. Where first notification of such Difficult Financial Circumstance is made more than 90 days after its first occurrence and you have provided us with reasonable evidence as required under paragraph 20.15, any Freezing of your Account will be backdated to the date of notification of that Difficult Financial Circumstance.

Difficult Financial Circumstance

20.17 In relation to both the Standard Plan and the Full Plan 'Difficult Financial Circumstance' means the occurrence of one of the events listed below or the occurrence of more than one of the events listed below in a series of connected events:

20.17.1 you become sick, disabled or have an accident which affects your ability to make your repayments; or

20.17.2 you have to stay in hospital because of a medical condition; or

20.17.3 you have to attend jury service; or

20.17.4 your main home is significantly damaged by a natural disaster e.g., flooding; or

20.17.5 your partner (who you have lived with for more than 6 months) or an immediate family member (sibling, parent, spouse or child) dies;

and in relation to the Full Plan 'Difficult Financial Circumstance' means also:

20.17.6 you become unemployed involuntarily (other than as a result of your own misconduct or by reason of your retirement) or by reason of redundancy including non-compulsory redundancy; or

20.17.7 you are put on short-time working or laid-off reducing your usual weekly hours of work by 25% or more; or

20.17.8 you are self-employed and have suffered a reduction in weekly income by 25% or more through loss or non-renewal of contracts or work;

20.17.9 you take leave from work to care for a partner (who you have lived with for more than 6 months) or a member of your immediate family (sibling, parent, spouse or child) and suffer loss of income; or

20.17.10 you go on maternity, paternity or adoption leave.

Payment Holiday

20.18 A Payment Holiday means that you will not be obliged to make your next Minimum Repayment on the Repayment Due Date.

20.19 We agree that we will allow you to take a Payment Holiday under the terms of the Plan if:-

20.19.1 your Account has been open for at least 6 months; and

20.19.2 you have not taken a Payment Holiday on your Account which allowed you to miss making either of the last two Minimum Repayments on your Account; and

20.19.3 a Lifeline has not been used in respect of either of the last two Minimum Repayments on your Account; and

20.19.4 you have not already taken a Payment Holiday at any time in the current Customer Account Year; and

20.19.5 your Account is not and has not at any time within the last 2 months been subject to a payment arrangement agreed with us under which you have made repayments lower than those which would have been due under the terms and conditions of your Account; and

20.19.6 your Account is not frozen under the Plan in accordance with paragraphs 20.12 - 20.17; and

20.19.7 you are not in breach of the terms and conditions of your Account.

20.20 If you wish to take a Payment Holiday and are eligible under paragraph 20.19, you must contact us to request it before midday on the day of your Repayment Due Date or, if that day falls on a non-working day, you must contact us to request it before midday on the last working day before that non-working day. If you do so and you are eligible for a Payment Holiday we will allow you to miss making the Minimum Repayment on the Repayment Due Date.

20.21 Interest will continue to accrue on your Account and will not be suspended during any Payment Holiday.

Lifeline

20.22 We agree that if you do not make your Minimum Repayment on your Account by the Repayment Due Date we will provide a Lifeline on your Account if:-

20.22.1 your Account has been open for at least 6 months; and

20.22.2 you have not taken a Payment Holiday on your Account which allowed you to miss making either of the last two Minimum Repayments on your Account; and

20.22.3 your Account is not and has not at any time within the last 2 months been subject to a payment arrangement agreed with us under which you have made repayments lower than those which would have been due under the terms and conditions of your Account; and

20.22.4 you have not already had a Lifeline provided on your Account at any time in the current Customer Account Year; and

20.22.5 a Lifeline has not been provided in respect of either of the last two Minimum Repayments on your Account; and

20.22.6 your Account is not frozen under the Plan in accordance with paragraphs 20.12 - 20.17; and

20.22.7 you are not in breach of the terms and conditions of your Account.

20.23 If you are eligible for a Lifeline on your Account, that means that we will:

20.23.1 notify you that we have provided you with a Lifeline on your Account;

20.23.2 suspend your Account so that you will not be able to use your Card or Account until we have received the Minimum Repayment which you have not paid;

20.23.3 suspend your obligation to make your Minimum Repayment (to which the Lifeline relates) on the Repayment Due Date in accordance with the terms of paragraph 20.24 below;

20.23.4 waive or refund any Late Payment Charge or Over Limit Charge that you would have had to pay, as a result of your failure to make any Minimum Repayment, if the Lifeline had not been provided to you; and

20.23.5 subject to you meeting your obligations under paragraph 20.24, report your Account as 'current' when we next report the performance of your Account to credit reference agencies.

20.24 Following the provision of a Lifeline, you must pay the Minimum Repayment you have missed and to which the Lifeline applies before the next Repayment Due Date for making a Minimum Repayment on your Account. If you do this the suspension of your Account under paragraph 20.23.2 will cease as from the next working day following the date the payment reaches your account. If you fail to do this and you also fail to make the next Minimum Repayment on your Account by the Repayment Due Date applicable to that Minimum Repayment, the suspension of your Account will continue and we will report to credit reference agencies that you have missed those two payments.

20.25 While your Account is suspended following the provision of a Lifeline:

20.25.1 interest will continue to accrue on your Account;

20.25.2 you will continue to be liable for all Charges and Fees apart from those which have been specifically waived or refunded under paragraph 20.23.4.

SMS Text Service

20.26 The SMS Text Service is available to you provided that you are not in breach of the terms and conditions of your Account and you let us have a mobile telephone number to which we can send text messages and also let us know of any changes to that number.

20.27 Under the SMS Text Service we agree that we will send you a text message each month which will contain your Account balance, your available credit, the amount of your Minimum Repayment on your Account and the Repayment Due Date for such payment.

20.28 Further, under the SMS Text Service we will send you a text message:-

20.28.1 to let you know your Account balance is close to your credit limit where your credit limit is up to £1,000 and your Account balance is between 90% and 100% of your credit limit;

20.28.2 to let you know your Account balance is close to your credit limit where your credit limit is over £1,000 and your Account balance is between 95% and 100% of your credit limit; or

20.28.3 to let you know where you have exceeded your credit limit.

The text messages to be sent under paragraphs 20.28.1 or 20.28.2 will usually be sent to you 5 days before your next Repayment Due Date.

20.29 The SMS Text Service terms and conditions will apply to this facility.

 

Opting-out of the Plan/Changing the Plan

20.30 You must notify us by calling 0330 099 3010 if your financial circumstances change after opting-in to the Plan (e.g. you become retired) and you need to be moved from the Full Plan to the Standard Plan or from the Standard Plan to the Full Plan. If you do notify us you will be automatically moved to the appropriate Plan and you will automatically be charged the appropriate Plan Charge.

20.31 You can opt-out of the Plan at any time. If you opt-out of the Plan within 30 days of receiving the information on the Plan and the Plan has commenced, you will receive a refund of the Plan Charge (if any) charged to your Account. If you wish to opt-out of the Plan you can call 0330 099 3010 or write to Customer Service, P.O. Box 399, CHATHAM ME4 4WQ or contact us using any other details we give you.

20.32 We may remove you from the Plan at any time by giving you 30 days' written notice. We may remove you from the Plan immediately if, acting reasonably, we believe the Plan is being misused by you.

20.33 We will remove you from the Plan immediately:

20.33.1 if your Account is closed; or

20.33.2 if you die.

 

Hope this helps

 

James