statements

[loufitz]

Hi there
Just one thing I am thinking about before starting proceedings, I am just wondering if when joing the bank I would have signed anything to say I accept charges, but joined it at the tender age of 15 many yrs ago so really dont remember!
Also for those of you trying to get past statements aI have just joined online banking and can now access my statements for the past 3 yrs
Louise

[caro]

Don't worry if you did sign something in your youth accepting charges. The charges are punitive and therefore unlawful, so that would not hold up in court.

Keep us posted and good luck.

[joneshousehold]

Welcome on board and good luck with your claim. Glad my thread helped. Keep us posted and I will follow your thread with interest.

Don't worry about anything, we all signed up to the same terms and conditions. If they are unlawful it applies to us all.

Abbey will take this to the wire so be prepared to put a claim in court. I wager you will not have to actually go to court but you will not get any offer to settle until you put the claim in. Don't be put off, just go for it.

[loufitz]

Thank you!
I have had a particually bad month due to work redundancy and have been charged £170 this month! Banks do not give you a chance to get back on your feet.
I would worry about court action but fair is fair. Have you got a court date yet and when did you start your claim?

[joneshousehold]

My claim was completed on Moneyclaim about 4th May and was issued on 5th. Abbey said they would defend the claim and I have recently sent back a form called the Allocation Questionnaire which the judge uses to decide when the hearing takes place. During all this time we have had various letters from Abbey's solicitors DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary offering 50% settlement and I am told they will offer 100% now the allocation questionnaire is in, so a court hearing will not take place. Let's see what they actually do.

The lesson to learn from all this is to take those steps one at a time because they all seem daunting and only last April I hoped we wouldn't have to put the claim in Court. I was nervous about taking that final step but it proved the only way to get a result. When we were at your stage I never dreamed we would be doing what we are doing now but Abbey have pushed us all the way. The irony is that now they have forced me to take this step I now have no fear of the court procedure and will willlingly take them and anyone else on in future. We get told people are far too litigious these days but in my view it's because organisations like the bank push us to take these steps because they hope to put people off and in doing so make matters worse. That's not just for the original claim but also in the future when some other issue comes up, I will be down the courts at the drop of a hat in the future - all thanks to Abbey (and Nationwide to be fair!)

Anyway, don't be daunted because it's all a natural progression and not as bad as it seems. Sometimes all you have to do is reread some of the dreadful letters you get from the bank to give you the impetus to take the next step. Just take a deep breath and go......