Nominate your Scrooge of the Year 2008

"A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!" That's how Charles Dickens described the miser Ebenezer Scrooge in his 1843 classic, A Christmas Carol. Judging from readers' letters and emails, the same words describe a number of British companies, organisations and officials from broadband providers to banks, energy suppliers to insurers. Times Money will name and shame the worst offenders in print and online - but first we need your nominations

LATEST: Many thanks for all your votes and comments. Our Scrooge of the Year award for 2008 goes to Norwich Union, with Gordon Brown, npower, Ryanair and Standard Life as runners up. Read why here and leave your comments below

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Comments

[C Burghard]

Norwich union, they took an extra month's mortgage insurance payment from me ,AFTER our mortgage had been paid off!

[Douglas Kemp]

I nominate two companies ADT alarms for their excessive charges and CITIbank for their excessive interest rates on credit cards. I recommend you do not do any business with either!

[A policy holder]

Norwich Union we have paid into for the last 39 years they have had our hard earned cash and When the policy matures we have to pay a shortfall WHY if they have all this money in the pot why have we got shortfalls and they will pay us a pittance in so called special bonuses shame on you;

[Danny]

Bah humbug. it has to be norwich union, what a disgrace, even columbo would be hard pressed to get an honest answer off these clowns.

[Arroc]

It has to be Norwich Union.
What an awful company. Their treatment of with-profits customers is cynical in the extreme.

[Fred F]

I'd like to nominate Norwich Union, due to the poor returns on with profits, the phasing of the special distribution locking people into the fund and the fact that all the inherited estate wasn't put up for distribution rather than using a large proportion for reatribution benefiting shareholders more than they deserve.

[Robert J Fox]

Sorry your all wrong !For someone who is not a pensioner or who has never worked a day in his life , apart from a two gap year with the BBC Mmmm ! Has to be James Purnell I mean ! picking on the unemployed in a ression kicking the disabled when they are down ,stopping your benefit if your partner works part time,As he puts it there are no computer arrangements for these people and sorry its not our department people .Is he a secret recruiter for the National Front ???

[Victoria]

This nomination process has led to an organised vendetta and is a farce. What I mean is this: some people on another internet forum have been actively telling people to nominate Norwich Union/Aviva. They have also been encouraging their friends and family to do the same, which is unfairly inflating the number of nominations and making the company out to be worse than it actually is. NU has done many good things recently, for example actively re-uniting 40,000 customers with their forgotten assets.

[S Gooch]

I nominate NORWICH UNION, what other business would be allowed to use customers money for their own ends. With profits policies they are a joke, or is it with profits for NU. Closely followed by the FSA and the FOS, who are hand in hand with NU.

[Rene]

Norwich Union for the way they treat their customers, for changing terms and conditions of policies as they go along and retrospectively, and for making threats to take me to court, send the baliffs rounds, because I refuse to pay £58 pounds for cancelling my car insurance policy with them. I was threatened by staff from their Indian call centre. When I bought the policy, it stated "there may be a cancellation charge" which would have been £20.

I feared for my credit rating and bailiffs coming round to my house that I paid up in the end :(

I will celebrate when Norwich Union go bust.

[BEN]

THE PRUDENTIAL,I HAD A ENDOWNMENT WITH THEM AND I GOT LESS THAN WHAT I ACTUALLY PAID IN,IN PREMIUMS

[Paul C]

Norwich Union.

They have scammed their policyholders big time...I wish I had never invested a penny with them now.
The brilliant thing for them is that what they are doing is legal, and the FSA just will not act. As for their Policyholder Advocate..Clare Spottiswood...she is just another crony..who gets paid ludicrous sums of money to "pretend" she has the policyholders interests at heart.
BUNKAM

[Elizabeth]

Barclays/Woolwich for repeatedly telling me that my fee free tracker mortgage offer is approved/secured then informed me that the interest rate (above BoE) will go up after the cut in interest rates was announced. Then they withdrew all tracker mortgages. I took another deal with different mortgage provider but I am losing 1.5K/year plus fees. Banks make their own low and customers dont have enough protection.

[F Daly]

Norwich Union.

Having held CGU Policy,s for the full term 25 & 20 yrs we have been ripped off by these crooks.

(A) Very poor returns. Yearly & Terminal Bonus (Invisible)
(B) Endowment Shortfall (Big Time) & No Compensation
(C) Inherited Estate/Redistrubution Con Trick

The sad part is that it appears No one can stop them.

Not Regulators,Not Government.

It should be called the
(Great With Profits Robbery)
When will the Crooks be sentenced?

[Maureen Jones]

I wish to nominate Norwich Union Aviva, for the way they are treating customers, and their utter failure to protect loyal life policyholders investments, and the plundering of the policyholders Iherited estate. For things like mis-seling to the tune of £182 milion. To fund the staff pension defict by £83 million. to pay shareholders tax circa £40 million. To fund the purported so called new business, by a further £105 million. Thus robbing the Inherited estate to the tune of circa £410 milion. And then having the audacity to impose final bonus penalties of up to circa 11%, and applying a MVR up to 22%, thus to reduce the policies further. On top of this, they are attempting to hold back £1.1 million for shareholders, in the proposed special distribution, whilst offering policiyholders only £1 million, but then spreading it out over a three year period. This Company Norwich Union are in my opinion the biggest crooks that I have ever come across.What a disggraceful advert for the Insurance industry.This is on top of dismal annual bonuses.I therefore wish to Nominate Norwich Union as not only the scroge of the year, but the Scrooge of the Century.

[Ronny j]

I wish to nominate Norwich Union as the super scrooge, of not only this year, but the past to years. They are not treating policyholders fairly, are failing the loyalist of their customer policyholders, they issue factual mis statements, they take money from the Legacy IE fund, they act with total arrogance, when questions are raised, and they are giving with one hand, and taking back with the other, by the imposition of reduced terminal bonuses, and the further application of a MVR. All this is in relation to the proposed special distribution and reatribution. What a advert for the Insurance Industry, these people are highway robbers.

[Roger]

HSBC Bank - Whilst paying an overdraft (made up mainly of bank charges and interest)at a fixed monthly rate, they are charging 18.3% interest - making the interest each month more than the repayment?? Thus making it impossible to clear, they repeatedly refuse to negotiate on this. This is just one of many ongoing problems with this bank.

[Mike]

Norwich Union for the way it uses it's With-Profits inherited Estate for it's own benefit and not the policy holders.

[Ken]

On a corporate level there are many many qualifiers for the title of "Scroog of the Year 2008". " A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!" However, I propose that Norwich Union currently stands head and shoulders above the rest! With their reattribution of their "Inherited Estate!" What a rip off of decent hardworking people by a mega(large not nice) company!

[Brian Sparks]

I wish to nominate Norwich Union as Scrooge of the Year because their delaying tactics are certainly going to prove beneficial to them if the delay is over future years. I am 70 year old have beaten one cancer already and now have another. Will I beat this one and live to receive any benefit only God knows! Get your finger out Norwich Union and pay us the money we so rightly deserve.

[N J Clark]

Barclays bank were very keen initially to 'help' me and 'protect' me by 'hedging' my business against the affect of future rises in interest rates. It turned out this was a cover to charge me an initial higher interest rate and now rates are down they insist on £100k fee to allow me to benefit. So much for their 'protection' they are only 'protecting' themselves! - and making huge profits out of me!

[J Knight]

Nomination_Norwich Union/Aviva.
Reattribution of Orphan Funds.

Aviva are :- Disingenuous, circumspect and manipulative towards policyholders. They are stretching the rules of already inadequate regulation by the FSA to the very limit to their advantage.

The Advocate system is open to abuse since it is financed by the Insurance Institutions themselves. The FSA is biased too.

As a policy holder I have received no bonuses for many years despite Norwich Union's statements in their sales literature that bonuses are added every year The excess funds that they have built up in so doing are now being raided under the guise of Reattribution.

The arrogance and greed of the Financial Service Industries in the UK strikes again and we remain as contributors to to our Pensions and Insurances defenceless to ensure ethical fair play.

[Paul Williams]

I'd like to nominate Thomas Cook Credit Card Services.

In April, they notified me of unauthorised use of my card, which would be cancelled. Fair enough. Since then however, I have encountered at their call centre a level of incompetence beyond belief, and a surly indifference to helping me. I simply cannot get a usable replacement card or a refund of the unauthorised transactions. (I'm not sure I want the card, but they still owe me money).

Just writing this makes me seethe with anger and frustration. (Calm down Paul, they are really not worth it)

[J]

Yorkshire Building Society - for refusing to ditch the 3% 'collar' on their tracker mortgages when other lenders all around are waiving this mean-spirited and nasty little Catch-22 .

[Terry Ridge]

Norwich Union for its reattribution scam:
1) Phased 'Special Bonus' so many loyal policy holders lose out payments because thier policy's mature before final payout
2) Miserly bonus payments for many years.
3) Using the inherited estate (policy holders money put aside for 'smoothing' during the hard times - see point 2) for A) paying shareholders tax B) paying employee's pension shortfalls C) paying compensation to policyholders who claimed for misselling of endowment policies - ie giving the policy holders money back to them after first taking it off them, as compensation!!!

[D Morgan]

South West Water. Despite years of claiming that they are improving our water supply, residents of the SW are still charged the highest rates in the country. This in an area where income is below the national average - i.e we're poor; and this from an organisation whose resevoirs are 97 % full. The shareholders are laughing all the way to their off-shore bank.

[Dave Monk]

My nomination goes to HM Treasury Solicitors.
Before returning to full time employment 2 years ago I carried out some contract work and had to encorporate a company to do so. No longer needing the company I paid my Corporation Tax 9 months in advance and asked my accountant to wind it up. I was due a tax rebate in respect of the early tax payment but HMRC told me that they could not pay it as the company no longer exists, so they have sent it to HM Treasury Solicitors. Likewise Abbey did the same with the balance in the business account which I was only keeping open to receive the tax rebate. HMTreasury solicitors say they will only repay my money if i a) Re-incorporate the company (Companies House fee over £1k) and b) pay an 'admin fee' of £150 for them to write a cheque. Moral - never pay your tax early!

[Beryl Leatherland]

The biggest Scrooge of the year has to be Gordon Brown. After years when he got us further into debt, spent public money without overseeing its effective use [what have we got to show for all the debt we are in???], selling most of our gold reserves at a rock bottom price, destroying the savings ciulture of this country, failing to ensure our manufacturing industries survives competitively and ruining our pensions industry, while continuing to mislead the public in his various announcements [does he think we do not see through his economies with the truth?] he has continued in the same vein this year and in addition continues to allocate all blame on the Americans. I really feel sorry for Darling who has inherited an almighty mess. The careful, prudent and responsible citizens of the country are thoroughly penalised by his policies while the profligate and irresponsible are rewarded by his policies. A return to the Labour Govenments of the past is currently taking place.

[J Ward]

Norwich Union for the disgraceful way they have handled bonuses over the past ten years. Having paid almost no bonus when my policies matured, leaving me with a mortgage shortfall, they discover their 'inherited estate' to which I have no access because my policies have matured.

[Benjamin]

Vodafone who assured me my phone would work in Japan and that I did not need a 3g model..When I said are you sure they said, it is to late now anyway we just renewed your contract you have to wait 12months to change it now..... swine.

[j hill]

norwich union / aviva

reatribution fiasco / con

[Hugh]

Norwich Union. I have invested my pension savings with them for over 15 years now and will regret it for long. The returns have been very poor lately due to market conditions; however, to shore up the returns when conditions are bad (and smooth down when they are good), money is set aside. This money piles up for hard times and should now be used to partly compensate for the adverse result. Instead, Norwich Union chose to raid these funds and attribute more than half of it to its shareholders, which is something they technically are allowed to do but is against the spirit of these policies.
Had I known, 15 years ago, I would have put my savings in a savings account at any bank and have ended up far richer. No doubt their directors have had fat bonuses all these years however.

[Andrew Brown]

I nominate Npower. I had the misfortune to be a customer for 15 months during which time they completely mismanaged my account. My final accounts contained 4 errors, all in their favour. After spending hours sorting it out they still sent 4 debt collection agencies after me. Every time I rang them up and we agreed something, the clerk put the phone down and did nothing

[Jenny]

British Gas - 300% increase in direct debit. But of course by signing up for direct debits you agree to 'fluctuations' and they give seven days notice so what's to complain about...
Followed closely by the Government who run this country (down) using the same customer service approach.

[j bartlett]

N-pwer: simply the most inefficient company i've ever had the misfortune to be involved with. details would take too long to relate. I got out after just over a year! I also cancelled my gas direct debit and was threatened with the bailiff.

[Susan Sullivan]

I nominate Gordon Brown and the rest of his government as his policies have not improved on last years vote but have instead got worse and worse, i think that many of his policies are evil.

[colin]

Waste of time

[colin]

No comments.
My e-mail was self-evident.

[colin]

Npower again.
Earlier this year Npower tried over charging me by more than 50 pounds even though I had paid exactly what they said in their agreement.
They threatened to send in the bailiffs but eventually hastily retracted their letter.
They have still not got their 50
pounds.

[James Cole]

NP Power!!! Charged me for power I didn't use. Then started playing stupid games. How on earth this company is allowed to trade is beyond me. They should be shut down!

[Anne I. P]

I took out my investment with CGU Life with Great Expectations but
since Norwich Union has taken over this investment I now face Hard
Times and a mortgage shortfall and face living in Bleak House!
Norwich Union has organised a "reattribution" of the so-called "Inherited estate" and disguised this con trick - it's a complete Twist!
I have attempted to complain to the Office of Circumlocution (FSA) and would like to know what the Dickens is going on.
I nominate Norwich Union as
"Scrooge of the Year", but in reality Norwich Union is Fagin.

[Kyle]

Norwich Union for not keeping their word with reattribution to policy holders.

[Keeta]

Norwich Union for the rip off they are trying to pull on G&A policy holders

[Pauline Woolham]

Norwich Union for it's reattribution scam and the phased "Special Bonus"

[chrisrutt39@gmail.com]

Norwich Union must be among the most evil companies going. Their handling of the Inherited Estate and Redistribution has already been criticise by Government, by MPs, Select Committees, Which, and even the toothless FSA, so who is more deserving of the "Scrooge" title than this load of self opinionated ********

[ALAN]

AVENANCE. After being TUPE'D(should that be duped?)to their company from the MOD nearly two years ago they have still not paid my grade salary as they are obliged to do by law. Moreover, after leaving their employ in disgust they have ignored my repeated requests to return my pension contributions: they have not even acknowledged my letters. Take heed all government employees who may soon find themselves transferred to such uncaring companies. Once your contract has been sold the government wash their hands of you.

[Don Saltaire]

I vote for Ethical Superstore. The Christmas party was held at an empty cafe where we ate sandwiches and crisps at a plastic table. Mean enough but made meaner when we found the directors paying themselves five times the salary of the workers. And this from an 'ethical' company!

[Daniel Wilson]

NORWICH UNION - My family has held life and other products with them since 1971, that's 37 years of one way loyalty, but no longer. Their handling of the reattribution and the NOT SO SPECIAL BONUS has demonstrated their true attitude to what rewarding customer loyalty and Treating Customers Fairly means to them. ZERO!

If you do something fairly, you do it in a way which is right and reasonable and treats people equally:-

So does excluding around 50,000 policyholders from a fair and equal share of the Excess Surplus / Special Bonus declared wef 1st January 2008, excluded simply because these policyholders have the audacity to die or let their policy mature before 2010, give them a fair share of the excess surplus? I think not.

Being fair isn't just about ensuring no one walks away with MORE than their fair share. It's also very much about ensuring no one goes away with LESS THAN THEIR FAIR SHARE. You know treating people equally and that's a concept this company doesn't understand.

Needless to say we no longer have any family policies with Norwich Union and never will again. A worthy winner of Scrooge 2008 and no doubt for 2009, 2010, 2011 etc, etc. unless they change and understand what TCF is all about.

[Mike]

Any utility Company - wholesale prices have fallen but have they passed on the reduced costs ..of course not.

I went for an interview a few months ago at EDF - what a palace of an office - guess whose paying for it???

[ALAN]

AVENANCE. After being TUPE'D(should that be duped?)to their company from the MOD nearly two years ago they have still not paid my grade salary as they are obliged to do by law. Moreover, after leaving their employ in disgust they have ignored my repeated requests to return my pension contributions: they have not even acknowledged my letters. Take heed all government employees who may soon find themselves transferred to such uncaring companies. Once your contract has been sold the government wash their hands of you.