Your MP

[Steven1964]

Mr Darling is my MP and I recieved a "I have received your letter" nothing else since.

[angeljen]

Does the government just not give a...?

Lets get some signs and stand outside Downing Street. PROTEST ANYONE?

[JonCris]

We ain't allowed to anymore!!!!!!!!!!

Not since Tone & his bunch changed the law. Great init the Mother of Parliaments & we can't protest outside it & if you try 40 woodentops will turn up for each demonstrator.

[angeljen]

What a load of crap! Did no-one protest when they were thinking of making that law?! lol

(I've only just started getting into politics, don't really know my stuff)

Can we at least protest outside OFT?

[reidnet]

Got this reply from My MP this morning,

5th October 2006

Dear Mr Reid

Penalty charges issued by high street banks

Thank you for your e-mail to me about the above issue. I have to admit that the evidence provided by the two websites you recommended along with some other information I picked up from Citizens advice is very persuasive. In addition I am aware that the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has recently announced that in their opinion excess charges (someting they loosely define as an amount more than £12) on credit cards are unlawful.

If the OFT are willing to pronounce on the credit card charges they probably will be on bank charges also. However, even if they do make an announcement or a policy recommendation on these issues they can only express an opinion and cannot lay down the law. I imagine that as you say, the common law will be enough to rule out the banks high charges. However, I am not sure that these cases will ever reach the courts and this is the real problem.

During my first year in parliment I was a strong campainger against cash machine charges and have fought hard to get a better labelling of these and also more fee free ATM's. I see this issue in much the same way. After all ATM charges most effect the poorest in our society much like these excessive bank charges do. Not only are the poorest most likely to slip into their overdrafts, in addition the fees make up a bigger proportion of their income.

I share your concern about these and have taken this opportunity to write to Alistair Darling, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to see what we, as the Govering party can do about them. I will also seek to raise the issue in Parliment once we come back into session.

I will get back to you as soon as I have some further information for you. In the meantime if there is anything else I can help you with please do not hesitate to get in contact with me.

Jim McGovern MP
Dundee West

[Bookworm]

Originally Posted by angeljen

Can we at least protest outside OFT?

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk...fair-bank.html

(Just in case you'd missed it, lol)

[reidnet]

I didn't Miss it..lol Handy that it the same date as the Crimbo Party ..
Im seriously thinking of trying to get down for the day out and the Party at night, where it would be nice to have a few light refreshments with the Gang..lol

[BankFodder]

He has ask you if there is anything else he can do.

Tell him that you are in direct contact with the administrators of The Consumer Action Group. Tell him that you are aware that they have written to him by e-mail and that they are very disappointed that they have had no reply from him. They would very much like to hear from him. Tell him that The Consumer Action Group now has almost 80,000 registered users, that we are holding a rally outside the offices of the office of fair trading on the first of December at two o'clock in the afternoon and that BBC television news has already expressed an interest in coming along.

Tell him that The Consumer Action Group will have over 100,000 registered users by the time of the protest.

Tell him that The Consumer Action Group has a regular e-mail newsletter which reaches all 100,000 registered users and that we are informing them all which members of parliament are interested in supporting the bank charges issue and which of them may be attending the first of December protest.

Ask him if he is proposing to attend.

You can also tell him that you understand that Mohammed Sarwar MP has begun a campaign against bank charges in association with the trades union Unison and that The Consumer Action Group will be involved in it too.

Please let him know that if he would like to contact us -- or if he would invite asked to contact him we would be pleased to discuss the matter with him and also to pass on any message that he might have to our 100,000 registered users.

[angeljen]

Originally Posted by Bookworm

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk...fair-bank.html

(Just in case you'd missed it, lol)

Hey! That was posted after I asked!

I'll take credit for that idea!

[angeljen]

29 September 2006

Department of Trade and Industry

To: Alan Meale MP

Re: Default and Penalty Charges Levied by Banks

Thank you for your letter dated 5 September to Gordon Brown, enclosing correspondence from your constituent, angeljen, about penalty and default charges levied by banks. I am replying as this matter falls within my portfolio.

I know the whole issue of default charges levied by financial institutions is something that has been attracting increasing attention over recent months. The Office of Fair Trading has been looking at the issue in the context of the level of default charges imposed by the eight leading credit card issuers in July last year to advise them of their provisional conclusion that they are not entitled to recover more in default charges than a reasonable pre-estimate of their costs in dealing with the default, and requested them to change their approach.

The OFT produced a statement of the principles they think card issuers should follow in order to set fair default charges. This is intended to protect consumers from being charged unfair amounts, but also to enable banks to compete vigorously and fairly. the banks were asked to confirm by 31 May their response to this statement and their willingness to make any necessary adjustments to their credit card default charges - the majority almost by half.

As a result of the subsequent reduction in charges across the market, the OFT is satisfied that no further intervention is warrented in this area at this time and that this change has bought about substantial benefits for consumers. The OFT remains of the view that the broad principles do read across to the retail banking area and has decided to undertake further work on the application of these principles to bank current accounts. The fact-finding exercise is expected to take up to March 2007, at which stage the OFT will consider whether a further detailed investigation of the fairness of individual bank default charges is needed.

RT. HON. IAN McCATNEY MP
Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs

[Enron]

Gonna send a letter off to Steve Webb MP on Monday.... will be interesting to see his response.

[angeljen]

Should I send a follow up letter...?

[Vital Spark]

Hmmm, I wonder, if, in Scotland, Margo MacDoncald and oh what's the tan one in the news for claims about his sexual exploits: (can see his face, how could I forget this name?) would be prepared to lead something in the Scottish parliament and maybe shame some Westminster MPs into following suit?

I believe both referred to above are more ready to stand up and be counted while acting in the interest of their constituents than are they able to be pushed into towing the Party line by their fellow Party members. That old Scottish tenacity, which can be invaluable at times like this.

I'm telling you, Party Politics prohibit democracy.

Let's get party politics abolished. I'll start the thread if someone can tell me how to start a thread on here. I sent a mail to the webmaster wo replied directign me on how to do it but I am still lost.

[JonCris]

Originally Posted by angeljen

Should I send a follow up letter...?

Yes ask him how allowing the banks to continue to act unlawfully benefits the consumer & he shouldn't forget the electorate.

Tell him that if he does consider its OK then perhaps his opinion should be made available to a wider public on this & other websites so we can all take comfort in knowing he as a pillar of the establishment who like some of his colleagues sanctions such activity.

[Vital Spark]

Here here!

[reidnet]

Follow up letter to My MP..
See what response this one gets



Mr Jim McGovern
House of Commons,
Westminster,
London. SW1A 0AA



Dear Jim,
Thank you for your letter dated 5th October 2006 regarding Penalty charges issued by high street banks.

Many members including the Administrators of the Consumer Action Group have already written directly to Alistair Darling regarding this matter, to date no one has had any reply from Mr Darling.

The Consumer Action Group have in the region of 80,000 members and this number is rising daily, By December it is estimated that the membership will be in the region of 100,000. I myself am in direct contact with the Administrators of this website on an almost daily basis.

I also understand that Mohammed Sarwar MP has begun a campaign against bank charges in association with the trades union Unison and that The Consumer Action Group will be involved in it too. Mohammed Sarwar MP has written directly to Gordon Brown on this matter. We have not seen any response to this letter as yet.

The Consumer Action Group now has over 80,000 registered users. The Consumer Action Group are holding a rally outside the offices of the office of fair trading on the first of December 2006 at two o'clock in the afternoon. BBC television news have already expressed an interest in coming along to this rally. I intent to be present at that rally if at all possible. It would be good to see some of our MP’s attend this rally and offer their support.

CONSUMER ACTION GROUP & PENALTY CHARGES FANCY DRESS RALLY

When: 1 December 2006 at 2.00pm

Where: Gather outside the OFT offices in Salisbury Square EC4 (nearest Network Rail Stations Blackfriars and City Thameslink).

Click here for map
The Consumer Action Group (www.consumeractiongroup.c o.uk) and Penalty Charges (www.penaltycharges.co.uk) will be holding a peaceful protest against unfair and unlawful bank charges at 2.00pm on 1 December 2006 outside the Office of Fair Trading in London.



The Government and OFT have repeatedly been asked to take action against banks and credit card providers who are unlawfully penalising their customers. So far they have failed to do so.

For years the banks have been levying penalty charges at levels that, for many, create a vicious spiral of debt and poverty. These charges have the biggest impact on the poorest members of society some of whom see their benefit payments swallowed up by bank charges. Even worse, it is now apparent that these charges are set at levels that are clearly unlawful.
The Consumer Action Group and Penalty Charges campaign were set up to help people fight back and recover these unlawful charges from their banks. So far 84,000 people have registered with the two websites and thousands of them have recovered millions of pounds in charges.

The objective of both sites is to demand that the banks respect the rule of law and, if they fail to do so, for the Government and OFT to intervene to compel them. To help reach their objectives, they will be holding this rally to get the OFT to take action against the banks' unlawful activities.

In order to demonstrate to the Government how serious the situation is, the rally will have the theme of 'A Christmas Carol' and members are asked to attend dressed as beggars - Bob Cratchitt, Tiny Tim, and generally poor people in rags - down and out people, to ensure the Office of Fair Trading understand the somber message that their failure to deal with this issue is leaving hundreds of thousands of people in poverty at Christmas and throughout the year. Members are also asked to wear masks to symbolise the hidden nature of unlawful bank charges.

It is also now becoming more common for the courts to be applying stays to these claims until the results of a test case have been announced. As you are well aware this is playing right into the banks hands as they will always settle claims right at the last minute. It is really about time that the banks are made to stand up in court and account for their actions.

Some cases are now being transferred away from the Small claims track to the the mercantile court in London

The prospect of taking on a huge financial institution with a team of specilist lawyers is daunting in the extreme, however, I must stress that I believe in the justice of these cases and so have little choice but to bear the burden which could place myself and my family under huge financial and emotional distress. I would like to make my feelings clear at this time that the burden of any cost should ultimately be borne by the Office of Fair Trading, who have both the power and the resources needed to bring the necessary test case against the banks.


Ian Reid