Dear experts
I will try to give a complete background of the issue here.
In 2009, I took some membership with a private company which provided health insurance (which includes some health check up plans) by paying x amount. In December 2010 they called me for renewal and again I paid some amount to them. Then, I told them that I want to cancel the membership. But they said there is no such provision. However, after repeated requests, one of their executives whom I was interacting with, said that he will push for cancellation by telling that I am his close relative and I am facing some financial issues. I agreed to this as I just wanted to get rid of this. However, he informed me that I had to pay some amount to the company as a cancellation fee.
For the next three months they kept calling me almost on a weekly basis charging me for the some or the other service which is a part of cancellation. And they were issuing me some discount coupons throughout this period. They used to threaten me that if I don't pay, they are authorised by RBI to directly charge my credit card 300% of the amount I have to pay. I, foolishly, believed them and continued to pay till I ran out of my savings and all other resources.
After repeated insistence, they even sent one email that I have completed the payments of all the products. Now, they have come up with some other service which they say is a part of my membership and I MUST pay.
Over the last three months, I have stopped paying them even a single rupee. However, I still receive calls from them (from various numbers), which I promptly disconnect. Meanwhile, I have been looking for a change in job and there is every possibility that I might have lost certain opportunities as I might have disconnected a call from a prospective employer assuming that it is a call from the company harassing me.
Now, they are telling me that they will visit my family to explain the benefits of the plan I have taken. But, I am sure this is their plan to extract money from my family since they are not able to reach me.
What action should I take against them? Which court should I approach? I am seriously down on my finances (so much that I have stopped paying my family for the last 5-6 months). So, what are my options here? On the best case scenario, I want to get money back. Or, I will be glad even if I can manage to stop harassing me and my family.
Most of my transactions (almost 97%) were done through cheques or cards. I believe this will be some kind of proof of the amount I have paid them.
Please guide.
