Whilst overseas some years back I signed up for a 10 year Generali Vision plan in the belief that my initial investment would have to remain in the scheme for 10 years, i.e. like a fixed term investment.
I made regular monthly payments into the scheme for 2 years and then stopped, as I had planned from the very outset. Now that the scheme has matured, I find that Generali have been deducting Administration Charges (undisclosed on their statements) in the form of units as though my monthly statements had continued for the whole 10 years.
The net result is that their charges have amounted to in excess of 65% of my investment with a pay-out little different from my initial investment!! Having studied in detail their small print (Vision Policy Conditions) and the one and only application form that I signed, I can see no explicit declaration stating that I was in effect signing a contract committing myself to maintaining my monthly payments every month for the whole 10 years with a statement of the penalties and continuing charges if dropping out early.
Generali International Ltd is based in Guernsey, Channel Islands and is regulated by the Guernsey Financial Services Commission (GFSC). The GFSC has no ombudsman and has no power to adjudicate in disputes. Guernsey based law firms are not permitted to take on cases on a “no win, no fees” basis and non-Guernsey based firms have no jurisdiction in Guernsey. The only recourse is therefore the potentially very expensive and risky option of hiring an advocate. Amongst other factors, the attraction for investment firms to operate out of Guernsey is obvious.
If you have a similar complaint re. Generali Vision, there is an online petition:
If in agreement, please sign and spread the word – Facebook, Twitter, email etc.,etc.