House insurance: A warning. - Page 8

About 3 years ago we were paying 270 for a detached 155sqm house with detached garage and pool. We had been with the insurer since 2008 when we had another small house in Torremolinos. There we had been paying 440 with BBVA. and it went down to 240 with the new indie agent, so we stayed with him. It is all about rebuild costs (ie sqms) / contents and a few other risks and extras. Now we pay 130 on a 60sqm terraced place. Banks can usually be beaten quite easily, just don't forget to cancel. We cancelled the BBVA  policy immediately AFTER they had renewed it. The new insurer said we could have blocked the payment and said that the legal costs to the bank to recover the sum would be more than it was worth so he said that they they would not pursue it. However we let it be and had sent out the letter of cancellation with a proof of receipt required immediately.

Also with dental / medical or any other insurance read the small print and cancel well in advance if that is your final intention.

M

Hello All Update again

Well, the last few days I've been steadily switching direct debits such as iberdrola, communal fees and hidraqua to my wise account and have managed to get that done with minor hiccups.....but back to sabadell!!

In order to close my account I Was told I had to have account at zero and because my insurance was linked that this had to be cancelled. So after ringing sabadell they said that i had to call the insurance part of sabadell and gave me a different number, on which I called them.

2 days later I am waiting for them to call me, it has been nothing short of a farce, they have hung up on me at least 3 times when I was in the middle of a conversation, their systems have "went down" at least twice! They would not accept Wise iban in order to change my insurance, though why they should even need this is beyond me as I have no intention of ever renewing with them.

Sorry if this sounds like rambling but its pouring out of me. Even their automated phone system is unintelligible.

It just gets me that an insurance product that I was more or less forced to take in the first place and even have to renew sneakily is stopping me from closing a bank account! Thought insurance was there to help and thats why you paid for it!

Bye for now

Is your insurance paid by direct debit monthly? If you have paid it all then I cannot see the issue. I was in the same boat had paid my Sabadell insurance in full and just transferred every single cent out of my Sabadell account and that was that.

Hope you get it sorted so stressful 👍

No I've paid the full amount in January 2023 for the year coming 2023. You would think that it would be easy but they say it is linked to the account, hopefully find out in the next 24/48 hours.

Hi Binz1,

Once you'd emptied your Sabadell account, were you able to close it?  If not, did Sabadell continue to apply maintenance charges?

Kind regards,

Kim

Hi Kim, yes I was able to close it immediately I actually spoke with someone in the England office and to be perfectly honest they were more than helpful. So it was pretty painless but then again this was before COVID hit so maybe this has some sort of impact don't know. 

Yes I had the same problem, with Caixa bank. I was with them since 1997 as well. The insurance we had with them couldn't be cancelled because we were a day late in giving them a month's notice to quit.

That meant we had to renew the insurance with them and we couldn't close the account. The guy concerned at the bank told blatant lies, saying I had to renew for three more years, which meant three more years banking with a third world bank. 

At this point I went to a solicitor, he approached the bank, unofficially and was told that I can shut my account when I've paid my debt to the bank, meaning the insurance I presume. The solicitors are so interlinked through property sales with banks it's unbelievable. I then found a solicitor who didn't do conveyancing, he got in touch with the insurance section of caixa bank. The one month rule for notice is required, but the bank official was incorrect as the insurance was for one year. My new solicitor cancelled it months ahead of the renewal date, he used registered mail, in Spanish I think it's called a Buxon, or something like that, it's legal proof and cannot be denied, also valid in court. I had to do a year at the bank for nothing, as I'd already moved my payments to wise. The Spanish banks are not regulated by anyone it seems,. The day after my insurance ended I was at the banks front doors, awaiting for them to open. By the time they opened there was many people gathering, not queueing, they don't do that in Spain do they. As the doors opened I pushed about three people out of the way, who were pushing In. At last I could see the vermin  sat at his desk, He called me forward, I  sat down he didn't look me in the eye once. He automatically went through the rules asking for passport bank cards etc etc. He even had to send the few euros left in the account to my English account. It was a pleasure walking out of the bank a free man. I hope Ivan reads this and sees himself for the lowlife he is. I've been with Wise ever since, never had a problem. 

You can always ask for a Customer Complaints Form  You can fill it out in the Bank....look on Google .....

Latest update....Now Monday 20th and sat listening to sabadells musik as "all advisers busy".

Yes, of course the promised telephone call last Tuesday within 48hrs never happened! I cannot get rid of them quick enough, still trying to cancel insurance.

first call, told the same number that arranged callback that they hadnt called...."thats not us".....so sorry bye!

it continues!!!!

30mins later I have had to arrange a telephone appointment for 2 days time with my branch manager, we shall see then?

22/02/2023 ....tel appt was at 9am.....and still waiting its now 9.45..... called at 9.45, got "she is busy and will call you back in 10 minutes", now 10.20.....complaint form filled in........

07/03/23...hopefully last update. Finally spoke to someone with sense who had it all sorted within minutes, if I'd only reached them in the first place! So account should be closed(cannot get access to see and no reply to email sent to confirm!) and insurance should not auto renew(will def check in October!). imo a sorry state of affairs with sabadell that must lose them customers