Financial Ombudsman - a recommendation

[Battleaxe]

I saw the film Easy Rider with Peter Fonda

[Kevin Allen]

I had no idea that the FOS was held in such low regard. I thought my experience with them - I ended up just doing everything myself - was an unfortunate rarity and put it down to bad luck but reading your message it seems I am one of many.

This morning I received a reply from the Nationwide Building Society to my initial letter claiming back bank charges - more or less telling me to get lost - in which they advise contacting the FOS if I am not happy with their response.

It seems I would be better off dealing with the matter myself.

However, in light of your message I shall certainly be writing to the FOS.

Thank you.

[acrab]

Re: Cadencealex.............. .....Its a shock to me that your beneits are being taken by a bank to pay off bank charges. This is a disgusting form of extortion which you would only expect from Mafia loan sharks. I do believe, any kind of state benefit cannot be used for loan paying nor indeed for penalty charge payments. The money in all respects belongs to the children concerned and indeed a parent receiving these payments does so, merely as paymaster for a minor. I suggest you preuse Social Security legislation to firstly establish what benefit payments cannot be used for - Good Luck

[bill-k]

Originally Posted by Kevin Allen

I had no idea that the FOS was held in such low regard. I thought my experience with them - I ended up just doing everything myself - was an unfortunate rarity and put it down to bad luck but reading your message it seems I am one of many.

This morning I received a reply from the Nationwide Building Society to my initial letter claiming back bank charges - more or less telling me to get lost - in which they advise contacting the FOS if I am not happy with their response.

It seems I would be better off dealing with the matter myself.

However, in light of your message I shall certainly be writing to the FOS.

Thank you.

Hello Kevin

Yes, you got a standard "SodOff" letter, which is what we all get from them. The FOS has its' uses I guess, but apparently not in the case of reclaiming penalty charges.

But, as you will know, I think, you don't have to deal with the matter yourself. You can deal with it with the help of all these good people here.

...and boy, are they good !!!

Welcome and good luck.

Bill.

[bill-k]

Battleaxe - apologies for my Chauvinism !! Just thought I should have covered your ears back there. As it 'appens I feel like I'm now having to cover mine, whilst square-bashing. :o

Lovely piccie of your Gran, bless 'er.

[Rhino69]

I have just written back to my bank, Norwich and Peterborough as they threatened to close my account and just pay me 50% of charges they EDITED from me.
I have also re-written to the Banking Code Standards Board and to the Financial ombudsman. Here is a portion of my letter to them!....

I am very disappointed at your response to my letter of (***) as you failed to support my complaint against Norwich & Peterborough Building Society.
This, and other banks have caused me to suffer great hardship by their arrogant attitude and continuing denials that their excessive charges are lawful yet I know, and you know that they are indeed not!
As Ombudsman, it is your duty to protect vulnerable account holders from the might and monopoly of the banks, building societies and other financial institutions who use and abuse their positions of wealth and power to victimize the poorer members of society by continuing to commit offences under the 1977 Unfair Terms (contracts) Act and the 1999 Consumer Credit Act (Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts) including possibly the Sale of Goods Act, and many others.
These companies are constantly flouting and breaking the law, seemingly with impunity, causing many of their customers (especially myself!) to suffer serious financial hardship, stress anxiety and ill-health brought on by the worry and the need to needlessly pursue the right to have these charges refunded.
In some cases, customers have been driven to suicide because of the actions and attitudes of greedy, predatory financial institutions in their pursuit of their obscenely high profits!
It is well past the time that all of these lawbreaking companies are forced to stop applying these unlawful and punitive charges and refund all charges to those who have been targeted, without the customers being harassed and forced to pursue the right to get these charges refunded without suffering the stress, anxiety and extra expense of having to write several letters to these companies who continue to break the law by insisting that their charges are lawful!
These companies should also be forced to pay punitive penalties for their years of abuse of customers accounts which, in some case could be construed as THEFT!
I have now passed this on to my Member of Parliament, asking him to put this before the Independent Parliamentary Banking Committee.



I have now opened a new account elswhere, and will now ask N&P to accept a payment plan for my overdraft and freeze any interest - less of course, the £59.00 they still owe me.

Don't depair. Don't be frightened by their threats - Go in guns blazing - I do!

Rhino69

[bill-k]

Right on, Rhino. Watch out - you might get a word in line 2 forcibly edited by a mod (and they don't use local anaesthetic !) I have so far managed to get away with "nicked" - if you want to edit it yourself !! Notwithstanding the above, I share your rage !!

[conar686]

NIce one Rhino

Done mine but does anyone think that complaining to an ombudsmen can achieve anything. I'd rather sign up to an online petition - how about that CAG

MAC

[midge61]

Hi all
I have just signed up to the Phil Whitmore petition and there are only 22 sigs so far. Surely it would be good to get it put somewhere more prominent on the site and get every site user to sign.

[bill-k]

Originally Posted by midge61

Hi all
I have just signed up to the Phil Whitmore petition and there are only 22 sigs so far. Surely it would be good to get it put somewhere more prominent on the site and get every site user to sign.

Can you post a link here, Midge ? We can relay it around ourselves, then.

[midge61]

Hi

Heres the link

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Force the banks to repay unlawful bank charges and remove the six year time bar, forcing them to pay back everything from at least 1980.

[bill-k]

Originally Posted by midge61

Hi

Heres the link

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Force the banks to repay unlawful bank charges and remove the six year time bar, forcing them to pay back everything from at least 1980.

Cheers mate, well done. Now I think of it, an earlier post mentioned this and I duly signed then, but can't remember doing it !! (which is bad). But the "CRAFT" factor is worth exploiting too with petitions (which is good), so "Gwa'an, gwa'an, gwa'an" - it's well worth repeating the link (á la Mrs Doyle!!).

Hopefully, the exponential exposure to the link will prompt such a signing-on level that even Our Tony has to admit that there's a feckin' problem, here. "Noo Labor" (sic) must be reminded, it seems, that "Plebiscite" and "Parasite" may be found at opposite ends of the spectrum. Not sure which end of it the mythical "Crock of Gold" reposed, but it ain't there, now. Let's go get it.

[BankFodder]

Originally Posted by conar686

NIce one Rhino

Done mine but does anyone think that complaining to an ombudsmen can achieve anything. I'd rather sign up to an online petition - how about that CAG

MAC

Every letter counts.

The FO needs to be reminded agaikns and again that his standing amongst the public is extremely low and that there is no confidence in what he does.
Complain also to the OFT and ask you MP why he is not doing anything.

Beware - all of these people will flannel you with a standard letter.

You must knock back their letters. Make it clear that you know that you are being flanelled and insist on a direct considered response

[bill-k]

Originally Posted by BankFodder

...insist on a direct considered response

I shall do that, in future - thanks BF

I have placed a link to the above petition in my sig., now, and will be referring to it in my posts as often as I remember (seein' as our sigs are not showing up on every post now).

However, I have seen a post where the idea of doing this without admin's permission is a bit cheeky. Fair enough, and I'll remove it if I must.

Can you tell us if this is OK, or not.

And congratulations on Friday's demo. OFT appear to have publicly condemned themselves by their lockout and neg. response to your request to parley.

[vicki agnew]

Hi,
I have tried to find any small business's in the ML10 area of Scotland who would like to start a campaign regarding the crucifying RBS bank charges .
The difficulty I am having is that most of your site are consumers and the situation is slightly different. I am currently awaiting a response from the Ombudsman and the wait is excruciating.
I have had some very good and encouragement from "hageuk" but I feel out on a limb at present, as I'm sure you know once you contact the Ombudsman everything grinds to a halt.
Could you put me in touch with any other small business'?
Thanks,
Vicki