What other ways are UK consumers slightly screwed over with?
Posted by Comfortable-Fan-5106@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 16 comments
I'm getting a claim for my pet insurance at the moment, it's been approved they have told me the payment has been sent but will take 10 days to clear.
It's a minor issue really but:
When I do a bank transfer it clears instantly.
When I pay them by card it clears instantly.
I assume this 10 day clearing thing benefits them somehow, (interest maybe)
What other very minor ways are UK consumers screwed over with?
TheGreenPangolin@reddit
Also pet insurance- Being locked in because of pre existing conditions and then having to pay a copay when your dog gets older- you don't realise how much it screws you over until your pet already has pre existing conditions and you can't change company. And sooo many companies have it. I'm with waggel because they are the only company I could find at the time that doesn't require a copay and I only even realised it was a thing because I had a previous dog where I got screwed, though it does seem to be more obvious than it used to be. A lot of companies do not make the copay info obvious because it doesn't apply when they are puppies/kittens- only when they get older so you'll have renewed by then. I swear some companies put the copay info smaller and less obvious when you're getting a quote and if it is obvious, it's sold as a way of making the insurance cheaper and like it's actually beneficial to you to have a coapy. But it means if you have £10k cover and a 20% copay, you're paying £2k of that which people can't afford. So you pay this monthly payment every month and then can't afford to claim anyway.
(I have a referral link for waggel if anyone wants it to get a month free).
CiderChugger@reddit
Pre authorising £120 of petrol/diesel when you pay by card but you only want £20 worth
PolarLocalCallingSvc@reddit
This is sensible - ensuring you have enough money to fill up.
However the automated fuel dispensing (AFD) doesn't set a technical limit, so I do wish fuel courts would let you set your own limit on the touchscreen and cut the fuel off at that amount, rather than hard coding it to £100 or £120.
BastardsCryinInnit@reddit
Some do now!!
It is defo coming. I think it was a Shell garage that had this.
BastardsCryinInnit@reddit
Big warning to anyone who goes France - they hold €120 every time and cos we have foreign cards it takes them 7+ days to refund it.
Can be a nightmare if you dont realise and only filling up little and often. That €40 visit is actually €160 for the next 7+ days.
When we go, we have a seperate credit card now just for petrol stops.
FelisCantabrigiensis@reddit
That is simply to make sure that you can pay after the fuel has left the pump and is in your tank. The retailer never actually gets any extra money, as they charge the actual value of fuel dispenses against the pre-authorisation. It's not the same as making money off a float while a money transfer is in progress.
Of course you're likely to ask how it works when you pay at the counter instead of the pump, and the answer is that the retailer takes the risk that you won't be able to pay and they'll have to begin civil action against you (or even call police, depending on the circumstances).
The retailer is removing that risk by pre-authorising the larger amount and limiting the fuel value dispensed to that amount (you can run into this limit - at current prices that's only 60-70l of diesel and my car has a 100l tank, so it could happen to me if I was rather low on fuel and filling up).
PolarLocalCallingSvc@reddit
Minor thing but when you pay by card in the UK it doesn't clear instantly.
An authorisation message is sent to your issuer who then approves it and they deduct the money from your available balance, but not your actual balance.
Some time later, a presentment message goes via the card scheme (visa, Mastercard, etc), at which point your issuer clears it.
The merchant doesn't receive the money instantly, so the delay you're experiencing does actually happen the other way around as well.
Comfortable-Fan-5106@reddit (OP)
Ah I didn't know that, I used Monzo and see it gone from my balance as soon as I spend it and assumed they had it right away. You live you learn.
Classic_Mammoth_9379@reddit
I think this is less being screwed over and more setting low expectations about how long it will take given that most of the process is outside of their control.
Comfortable-Fan-5106@reddit (OP)
Yeah quite possibly, it's probably my sceptical brain makes Ng the worst assumptions.
Responsible_News577@reddit
Wait until you renew your policy next year, prices will go way up.
netzure@reddit
Stop scaremongering, that isn't necessarily true. I made a claim on my pet's policy (few thousand in one go) and there was only a 5% increase at renewal.
PolarLocalCallingSvc@reddit
It depends what the claim was for.
Our doggo ate some onion and we had to take her to the vet to induce vomit and get some charcoal paste.
It barely made a dent on our renewal (though I switched to a different provider anyway).
Comfortable-Fan-5106@reddit (OP)
Yeah honestly I was hesitant to claim as it's only for 600£ and the policy is for cover up to 10k£ per year. I will have to wait and see 😬
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