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Just had partial refunds hit both accounts, just need the free nights to post now and I’ll be closing them.
After 16 months since my FOS complaint was lodged, it has now ended. Compensation package is enough for me to retire, so sucks to be you Creation!
How long is it taking for Free Night Vouchers to drop into people’s accounts?
I claimed directly through Creation, and they wrote back on 23 May saying they will provide me with a voucher which will be awarded to my IHG account “within 6 weeks”. That was 6 weeks ago, and surprise surprise no voucher.
Anyone else in the same boat?Further to this, Creation have now replied, claiming that “the file has been sent directly to IHG for them to add the benefits…IHG are responsible for adding these benefits to your Rewards Account”. Echoes a similar recent response in this thread. I suspect I may still have a bit of a struggle on my hands…
Creation did not accept the FOS outcome of £50 comp. Now gone to ombudsman for review. Great way to waste everyone’s time given tiny sums.
After 16 months since my FOS complaint was lodged, it has now ended. Compensation package is enough for me to retire, so sucks to be you Creation!
‘enough for you to retire’.
Delicious. Care to hint more?
I was joking about the last sentence.
But the case did get closed today.
I only had a white card, so a very small amount of points due (I stopped using the card when things started to look fishy back in 2021), no free night.
Asked for the points plus compensation.
When the FOS sent out the notices about proposed settlement I did not receive one.
My case handler was assigned shortly after that.
After a few weeks, the case handler said that Creation had made an offer for settlement offering the points but no compensation. I did not accept.
The case handler then decided that Creation was in the wrong and had violated multipled FCA principles. But they also said that the offer was appropriate and only awarded me the points (ie no compensation).
I said fine, I accept.
Case handler said Creation would contact me and deposit the points in 4 weeks. Spoiler alert: they did not.
I contacted case handler yesterday saying that I was still missing the points. He called Creation, which apparently transfered the points on the spot (case handler called me after saying this). Creation being true to their honesty right until the end…
Points were on my IHG account today.Just got my pay out of 30k points, free night and partial refund.
I was joking about the last sentence.
But the case did get closed today.
I only had a white card, so a very small amount of points due (I stopped using the card when things started to look fishy back in 2021), no free night.
Asked for the points plus compensation.
When the FOS sent out the notices about proposed settlement I did not receive one.
My case handler was assigned shortly after that.
After a few weeks, the case handler said that Creation had made an offer for settlement offering the points but no compensation. I did not accept.
The case handler then decided that Creation was in the wrong and had violated multipled FCA principles. But they also said that the offer was appropriate and only awarded me the points (ie no compensation).
I said fine, I accept.
Case handler said Creation would contact me and deposit the points in 4 weeks. Spoiler alert: they did not.
I contacted case handler yesterday saying that I was still missing the points. He called Creation, which apparently transfered the points on the spot (case handler called me after saying this). Creation being true to their honesty right until the end…
Points were on my IHG account today.Sorry to hear that. Especially as Creation failed on what they’d agreed, 2nd time round I’d have revoked my acceptance and said I am not accepting without extra for the inconvenience and repeated efforts I’ve had to make, especially as it was already confirmed they’d breached several FCA principles and were continuing to do so.
Pro-rata refund email earlier, and credit is already showing on the account
I complained about my missing points to creation a couple of months ago.
Creation upheld my complaint and agreed points would be transferred within 6 weeks.
Guess what, it’s been 6 weeks and no points!
Got an email from them today to inform me their relationship with IHG ended at the end of June. After I booked a Holiday Inn Express stay with them! This is the final straw. Once my bill is paid and the pro rate for the annual fee is sorted, I cannot be shut of this card fast enough. Service has always been awful, security more onerous than any other card I’ve used, including having to enter my PIN code more often than not (ant the height of a pandemic) and they never supported Google Pay.
What does your hotel booking has to do with Creation?!
Ombudsman staff really aren’t that sharp. Case was passed on to an Investigator as I rejected Creation’s offer. The Investigator has just repeated the same offer to me. No wonder there are backlogs
Ombudsman staff really aren’t that sharp. Case was passed on to an Investigator as I rejected Creation’s offer. The Investigator has just repeated the same offer to me. No wonder there are backlogs
What is it that you are asking for over and above Creation’s offer? The reason the investigator has seemingly repeated the offer isn’t that they are stupid, but that’s what the FOS (not just your investigator) considered to be a fair solution so some report above they have accepted the investigator offer, sometimes with a two figure inconvenience payment although Creation has pushed back on these with some success.
What does your hotel booking has to do with Creation?!
IHG hotel; IHG credit card. I’ve been out of he game for a while but think it rather unsporting of creation not to notify me until after the fact. I’ve had nothing else in the post or via email from them. So, I’ll not be getting points via the card itself, for my upcoming stay in Cambridge. I doubt I will be getting points via the card for a recent stay in York (booked a few days before Creation and IHG divorced).
What does your hotel booking has to do with Creation?!
IHG hotel; IHG credit card. I’ve been out of he game for a while but think it rather unsporting of creation not to notify me until after the fact. I’ve had nothing else in the post or via email from them. So, I’ll not be getting points via the card itself, for my upcoming stay in Cambridge. I doubt I will be getting points via the card for a recent stay in York (booked a few days before Creation and IHG divorced).
Creation have been deceitful and wasted lots of my time. They should be asked to compensate for that. What’s taken the investigator more than a month to get the same offer from Creation? They are slow and ultimately seems like they don’t talk to each other when a case is passed over. Basic stuff really and ultimately end up wasting more time than is needed causing more frustration for the consumer
What does your hotel booking has to do with Creation?!
IHG hotel; IHG credit card. I’ve been out of he game for a while but think it rather unsporting of creation not to notify me until after the fact. I’ve had nothing else in the post or via email from them. So, I’ll not be getting points via the card itself, for my upcoming stay in Cambridge. I doubt I will be getting points via the card for a recent stay in York (booked a few days before Creation and IHG divorced).
The credit card is from Creation, not IHG. But IHG has in fact registered you for bonus points for having been a previous cardholder.
If you paid for the stay before the card was closed, you’ll get the points via that. If not, you won’t.Text from Creation:
Remaining IHG One Rewards points and Anniversary Nights earned up to and including 27/06/23 will be credited to your IHG One Rewards Account by 30/09/23
I had hoped it would be before that.
s it that you are asking for over and above Creation’s offer? The reason the investigator has seemingly repeated the offer isn’t that they are stupid, but that’s what the FOS (not just your investigator) considered to be a fair solution so some report above they have accepted the investigator offer, sometimes with a two figure inconvenience payment although Creation has pushed back on these with some success.
I’ve asked for consequential loss to be part of my settlement, namely the 25k bonus points for retaining spire status at year end. My investigator put that to creation who have asked for proof of the loss so i have had to send them all the rules of the IHG Club as it was back then which isn’t easy now all the names and benefits have changed. Anyway, now we wait (again) to see what other rubbish Creation come back with.
s it that you are asking for over and above Creation’s offer? The reason the investigator has seemingly repeated the offer isn’t that they are stupid, but that’s what the FOS (not just your investigator) considered to be a fair solution so some report above they have accepted the investigator offer, sometimes with a two figure inconvenience payment although Creation has pushed back on these with some success.
I’ve asked for consequential loss to be part of my settlement, namely the 25k bonus points for retaining spire status at year end. My investigator put that to creation who have asked for proof of the loss so i have had to send them all the rules of the IHG Club as it was back then which isn’t easy now all the names and benefits have changed. Anyway, now we wait (again) to see what other rubbish Creation come back with.
I don’t understand. How was that a loss? Creation always had a right to cancel your card, and that right has never been disputed in any FOS or MCOL ruling that has been reported here. The complaints were over withheld points, vouchers and pro-rated annual fees, not over withdrawal of the card.
I’ve held my counsel on this thread for a long while, but, now that almost all of us have received what was due, I have a few reflections.
First, this saga demonstrates the fundamental difference between law and principles-based regulation. MCOL rulings appear to have been inconclusive, and it has never been clear to me that Creation was in breach of its contractual terms when it closed accounts, withheld points and vouchers, and failed to refund annual fees. Whilst a case could be made under the Consumer Rights Act that the contract was unfair, the argument was far from clear-cut. If Creation sold energy drinks instead of credit cards, it could probably have got away scott-free.
But Creation’s management and, presumably, its lawyers, seem to have forgotten that the FCA expects regulated firms to go far beyond the law. Creation’s marketing prominently featured benefits that the contract allowed to be withdrawn on a whim without bringing this important product limitation to applicants’ attention; in so doing, Creation breached multiple FCA principles, rules and guidance, and, as I pointed out on the very first page of this lengthy thread, a well-presented case made through FOS would almost certainly succeed.
Second, the case demonstrates that FOS ultimately works well in most cases. It’s an unacceptably slow process, but wide-eyed claims, regularly made in this thread and elsewhere, that FOS is in the lenders’ pockets and always seeks to defend the industry ahead of the poor, downtrodden consumer are laughably wide of the mark. Besides coming to the right conclusion, FOS joined together all the cases so that each individual consumer didn’t have to deal with the tidal wave of documentation that a legal process would have required. I suspect that most complainants here have spent far more time eating popcorn and reading this thread than corresponding with FOS.
Third, the outcome shows that FOS has real teeth despite having limitations in its statutory powers: although negotiations with lenders are conducted in polite tones, an iron fist is hidden within the velvet glove. The lengthy delays we have seen suggest that Creation has exhausted every argument its lawyers could devise, but FOS has simply shrugged these off. Decisions by FOS are final, cannot ordinarily be challenged in court (the nuclear option for firms of judicial review is not realistic), must be associated with root cause analysis and remedial action for affected non-complainants, and can be fed back to the FCA if malpractice is evident. As a result, we’ve seen several examples of point/vouchers/refunds being given to people who didn’t lodge a complaint themselves. That’s a real result.
Fourth, human nature ensures that some people are never satisfied, so some continue to feel that they deserve a distress an inconvenience award. I think that’s excessive: no-one has been distressed, and delay, the biggest inconvenience, means that vouchers can now be used when hotel prices have gone up and at a time when the IHG rewards scheme has become much more generous. I personally welcome the delay for that very reason.
Overall, I’ve enjoyed the exchanges and I would like to thank everyone who has contributed, even those who have made me roll my eyes in despair. Despite the widespread hostility expressed toward his views, and despite having personally reached some different judgements from him, I would particularly call out @JDB for bringing some measured, intelligent, cautious analysis to the hysteria.
Thank you all. I’m not sure where I’ll find my entertainment in future.
s it that you are asking for over and above Creation’s offer? The reason the investigator has seemingly repeated the offer isn’t that they are stupid, but that’s what the FOS (not just your investigator) considered to be a fair solution so some report above they have accepted the investigator offer, sometimes with a two figure inconvenience payment although Creation has pushed back on these with some success.
I’ve asked for consequential loss to be part of my settlement, namely the 25k bonus points for retaining spire status at year end. My investigator put that to creation who have asked for proof of the loss so i have had to send them all the rules of the IHG Club as it was back then which isn’t easy now all the names and benefits have changed. Anyway, now we wait (again) to see what other rubbish Creation come back with.
I don’t understand. How was that a loss? Creation always had a right to cancel your card, and that right has never been disputed in any FOS or MCOL ruling that has been reported here. The complaints were over withheld points, vouchers and pro-rated annual fees, not over withdrawal of the card.
Creation closing the card is not disputed by me either. Just them being unfair withholding of benefits during the notice period.
You could earn top tier Spire status in IHG by earning 75,000 points in a calendar year. That meant spending £37.5k on the creation card. I had spent the money.
So the loss occurred, because Creation failed to pass over the earned points before year end. This meant I was nearly 40k points short which prevented me from remaining Spire elite. One of the choice benefit for retaining Spire was a further 25k bonus points from IHG.
So on the basis that creation are at fault for not providing the original base points. I hold them responsible for the consequential loss of 25k points I would have then earned on top.
Data point for anyone still not getting their points and free night:
Emailed Creation on 16th June, acknowledged on 19th. Asked for free night, outstanding points and refund of portion of annual fee.
Creation accepted my claim on 5th July
Points and free night arrived in IHG account on 5th July
Fourth, human nature ensures that some people are never satisfied, so some continue to feel that they deserve a distress an inconvenience award. I think that’s excessive: no-one has been distressed, and delay, the biggest inconvenience, means that vouchers can now be used when hotel prices have gone up and at a time when the IHG rewards scheme has become much more generous. I personally welcome the delay for that very reason.
I agree with most of your post but not this.
I had the white card and was missing some points only.
I asked for the points and a £50 payment for inconvenience which I received.
2 reasons I asked for this.
One I felt it was justified because of the amount of time I wasted emailing to and from Creation arguing the case I was due the points.
More importantly if they were allowed to get away with just awarding the points why would they not try their luck and try and do it again if the worst outcome is the same as the outcome if they don’t try it?
I donated the £50 to charity.
Creation then screwed up and awarded me the wrong amount of points (they put a 0 on the end of what I was owed) I kept those points and donated another £100.
More importantly if they were allowed to get away with just awarding the points why would they not try their luck and try and do it again if the worst outcome is the same as the outcome if they don’t try it?
I’m sceptical that a few £50 inconvenience payments would have Creation’s management quaking with fear next time they decide to ride roughshod over FCA principles.
This whole process will have been immensely bruising for Creation. It’s inconceivable that a Board with non-executive directors would have approved digging-in unless management persuaded them that they were in the right. it’s equally inconceivable that a well-run Board would have been unaware of a slew of cases at FOS had suddenly been lost.
In my experience, the consumption of humble pie concentrates the minds of executives far more than a few payments that amount to less than a day’s dining expenses for the CEO. I would be both gobsmacked and dismayed if I learned that awkward questions are not now being asked by the Board about unnecessary legal spend, reputational consequences, wasted internal resources, management judgement, business ethics, and bridges burned with FOS.
This is not an episode that Creation would want to repeat.
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