An odd policy, when cancelling a direct debit to an insurance company doesn't count

I phoned Endsleigh last October to cancel a house contents insurance policy. But Endsleigh, and then the debt collection agency Oriel, claimed I still owed money because I had cancelled the direct debit, but not the policy. They denied I called them. After weeks of harassment I paid the £50 cancellation fee and £20 direct debit default fee. Two months later, Endsleigh emailed again saying I had not spoken to them "since the cancellation of your policy" although they could see I had spoken to Premium Credit. Apparently it deals with direct debits but not with policies, so I was regarded as being in default. But I had phoned the number on the policy and was told the policy had been cancelled. KE, Qatar You had long and increasingly frustrating emails with Endsleigh. Eventually, at the end of December, you received a letter from Oriel confirming that your account was paid in full but Endsleigh was still chasing the money. It knows, of course, that it outsources handling direct debits to Premium Credit but there is no reason for customers to understand this. It's plain logic that you cancelled the direct debit because you were cancelling the policy but Premium Credit did not pass the message on to Endsleigh. Endsleigh is refunding the £20 direct debit fee that you should not have been charged and also, as a goodwill gesture, the £50 cancellation fee. You can email Margaret Dibben at [email protected] or write to Margaret Dibben, Your Problems, The Observer, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Include a phone number.