Aviva - Sold Endowment policy or PPI

[jamjar]

Hi, am new to this forum and would really appreciate some advice. In 1998 an Aviva (then NU) rep phoned and made an appointment to come and see us. He told us we would need to take out a new endowment policy as a top up because our other two previous endowments would not pay off the mortgage. He didn't explain how the money would be invested and that it may not pay off the whole loan. Reluctantly, (we had a young family) we agreed to take out the new policy. Years passed, we moved house. We recently got together all our Aviva documents as two of them are maturing next year when we came across a letter from Aviva dated 2009, with information about the policy we bought in 1998. We realised we had no other documentation about this policy.

As the policy was performing badly and we had received no shortfall letters from Aviva we decided to write to them with regarding miss selling of the policy. They responded that as they had sent shortfall letters out to us, (they included copies) that they would not investigate our complaint. However, the copies showed the letters had been posted to our previous address. I rang them and they said if we could prove we moved when we did they would remove the time bar and consider investigating our complaint.

Except, a couple of days after we had received the letter from Aviva declining to investigate our complaint, we received a letter from our previous mortgage company, it was an annual statement of the PPI we had paid over the last year which was arranged with them through Aviva. We have never received a statement like this before and had not knowingly taken out PPI.

The premium we pay for the endowment policy is the same amount for the PPI. I have been ill on and off over the years, i've been involved in accidents when i couldn't work but never claimed on the PPI as i didn't know we had it. Also, i'm self employed so probably would not be successful in making a claim.

Suffice to say, i'm confused. Have we got an endowment policy and or PPI. Perhaps i can't see the wood for the trees! Can anyone make sense of this? Any advice very gratefully received.

[Bill-K]

Re: Aviva - Sold Endowment policy or PPI

Hi Jamjar, and welcome to you. Mortgage PPI and Endowment policies are very similar, but it does seem a bit of a coincidence that the premiums for 'both' insurances are the same. My suggestion is to look for policy numbers, etc., and see if these can be matched up to show they are one and the same policy. You could also ask the mortgage company for more details, and if they won't help, then you could send them a Data Subject Access Request (DSAR). This will cost £10, but they are then legally obliged to send you ALL data they have on you.

Another approach is to bear in mind that - if these are in fact two separate policies, then you will have been paying two separate monthly premiums - so checking your bank statements will be likely to show this.

[TUTTSI]

Re: Aviva - Sold Endowment policy or PPI

I am not at all surprised with Aviva's stance. A friend of mine has made a complaint about them to the FSA and the FOS. Although slightly different to yours, the way your complaint was handled my friends was the same and they would not investigate her complaint either.

You are right they probably would not have paid out as a Self Employed person so most definately you should be able to reclaim the PPI portion of this policy+ interest and as Bill has already stated, send them a DSAR to get all your statements and what you have paid them including the policy documents if you don't already have them. Don't forget to put your old as well as current address clearly.