'Lloyds muddled up my home insurance policy'

When a reader accidentally paid for a household policy with Lloyds twice, it took considerable time and trouble to get the bank to reimburse the money

　

By Jessica Gorst-Williams

　

Four months before writing to me you sent off a cheque to renew you home insurance.

Nearly two months after that, you received two letters from Lloyds Bank Insurance. One was dated a week earlier and advised there was an outstanding amount against the policy. It requested that you get in contact.

The other was dated the day after the other one and said you had not replied to the other letter and the policy was now cancelled. The bank was adamant the first cheque hadn’t been received so you paid the amount again, this time by debit card.

You went to the branch to cancel the cheque but were told it had been cashed two weeks after you had sent it. The bank would not help you identify who had cashed it or where the money had gone.

I took up the cudgels for you but it was a while before it transpired that the money represented in the cheque payment had actually been credited to your credit card by mistake. Presumably this is a card you don’t use much, otherwise surely you would have noticed it.

Lloyds Bank Insurance told you it was due to an error occurring in the banking system.

You have been given £200 for the time you have expended over this and the trouble you have been put to.




Source: The Telegraph