And So It Begins..... - **WON**

Rusty-London · 21st May 2006, 22:21

Hi all, I'm new to this forum and after reading through the FAQ's and weighing up the pros and cons I've decided to go for it and put in a claim against HSBC.

I closed the account with them at the end of last year after deciding that I was sick and tired of there excessive charges when i had some financial problems after losing my job.

I've just completed my Data Protection Act letter and will send it off to the HSBC head office tomorrow morning by Recorded Delivery. I'm not sure how much the charges will add up to over the past 6 years, but I suspect that it will be a substantial amount!

Hopefully it will be plain sailing and they'll refund me my charges straight away.....But then again it's often been said that I live in a dream world!

I'll keep everyone updated with what happens and when.

Cornucopia · 21st May 2006, 22:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rusty-London

Hi all, I'm new to this forum and after reading through the FAQ's and weighing up the pros and cons I've decided to go for it and put in a claim against HSBC.

I closed the account with them at the end of last year after deciding that I was sick and tired of there excessive charges when i had some financial problems after losing my job.

I've just completed my Data Protection Act letter and will send it off to the HSBC head office tomorrow morning by Recorded Delivery. I'm not sure how much the charges will add up to over the past 6 years, but I suspect that it will be a substantial amount!

Hopefully it will be plain sailing and they'll refund me my charges straight away.....But then again it's often been said that I live in a dream world!

I'll keep everyone updated with what happens and when.

Hi there, just wanted to wish you good luck! I haven't started an HSBC claim yet as they are my main bank account but today started with Barclays, Halifax and Tesco Personal Finance!

So, fingers crossed for you!!!!

Rusty-London · 23rd May 2006, 21:40

Thanks for that Cornucopia, good luck with your claims too!

I've got a quick question and was wondering if anyone could help?

The account that I'm claiming on was closed at the end of last year and I've moved house since then. I sent the Data Protection Act letter out with my old address on it and I have a mail redirection set up to my new address. Should I continue to use my old address which I used for the account and continue with the redirection, or should I wait for the response from the DPA letter then tell HSBC that I've moved and tell them to use my new address?

A bit of a strange one I know, but I'm sure someone will know what to do!!

Cornucopia · 23rd May 2006, 21:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rusty-London

Thanks for that Cornucopia, good luck with your claims too!

I've got a quick question and was wondering if anyone could help?

The account that I'm claiming on was closed at the end of last year and I've moved house since then. I sent the Data Protection Act letter out with my old address on it and I have a mail redirection set up to my new address. Should I continue to use my old address which I used for the account and continue with the redirection, or should I wait for the response from the DPA letter then tell HSBC that I've moved and tell them to use my new address?

A bit of a strange one I know, but I'm sure someone will know what to do!!

Hi there, I personally would have made it clear that you have moved and provided your new address whilst quoting the old one too. I would say that when you receive your response via re-direction, you should write to HSBC and ask them to update any records they have because re-direction will only delay proceedings and maybe even give them an excuse to delay too!

Anybody agree/disagree? I should think that it will be difficult to pursue a claim from an address you no longer live at, so I would let them know as soon as possible. You could perhaps provide a photocopy of your Data Protection Act letter with a covering letter explaining your change of address? Send that recorded aswell!

Good luck and look forward to hearing how you get on!!!

Spiceskull · 23rd May 2006, 22:09

It is possible that they may ask for proof of ID, to verify that you are authorised to receive/request the data. However, as you are using your old address this may not crop up.

If it does, a quick trip to your local branch will enable them to make a certifed copy of a driving licence or similar.

Once you have your statements/transaction history, it may be prudent to notify the bank of your old and new address in your preliminary letter, and the reason for the change (that you have moved.) The reason is that this will simplify processes once/if you raise a claim.

Good luck.

To see the steps I took to recover unfair bank charges with the help of Consumer Action Group, please read my thread Spiceskull v HSBC.

Rusty-London · 23rd May 2006, 22:26

Many thanks for that guys, That's pretty much what I was thinking of doing.

When I receive the statements from the Data Protection Act request, I'll send a preliminary letter asking for the money and notifying them of the change of address.

Better safe than sorry!!

Rusty-London · 29th May 2006, 12:39

I've looked through the FAQ's and numerous threads but can't find an answer for this....
How long does it normally take to receive the statements from a Data Protection Act request? and also is it normal for the bank to not send any kind of acknowlegement letter after receiveng the DPA request?

barracad · 29th May 2006, 12:46

It took me about a month to get a response from HSBC. Other banks seem to manage to do it within a week or so.

They have 40 days to provide the information requested.

Rusty-London · 8th June 2006, 20:39

AT last!!!!

HSBC have finally sent an acknowledgement of my Data Protection Act request. From looking through the forums it seems that it's the same bog standard reply that most people are getting from Ian Shepherd.

From now on should I sent all my letters to the Coventry address that this letter has came from, or should I continue to send them to my branch?

maverik1979 · 8th June 2006, 21:15

its up to you, they should all end up in the same place, via the internal system , however it may be easier to stick with one address for simplicity sake

Cornucopia · 8th June 2006, 22:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rusty-London

AT last!!!!

HSBC have finally sent an acknowledgement of my Data Protection Act request. From looking through the forums it seems that it's the same bog standard reply that most people are getting from Ian Shepherd.

From now on should I sent all my letters to the Coventry address that this letter has came from, or should I continue to send them to my branch?

Hello! That's good news. I didn't send a Data Protection Act request as I got all my info on-line. I have received an offer (approx £300 short of my actual claim) and I have returned my correspondence to the person who has written to me. My intial prelim letter was sent to my branch but offer came from Leeds. It is up to you I guess, but in my case, I will be corresponding directly with the person who has written to me!

Good luck!

Rusty-London · 16th June 2006, 12:10

I finally got some statements through from HSBC today after my Data Protection Act request. I got the statements from opening the account in 2000 through to December 03. I totalled the charges up to £737.50 :o I was expecting my total claim to be around £300!!

Should I now contact HSBC and chase them up for the remaining three years of statements, or should I just wait until the 40 days is up on the Data Protection Act then get in touch with them?

Spiceskull · 16th June 2006, 12:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rusty-London

or should I just wait until the 40 days is up on the Data Protection Act then get in touch with them?

I would wait until they have a week to go, and then send a reminder.

However, I received two years worth of statements promptly, and the balance on the 40th day...

If you are keen to get a prelim out, then you can download ALL transaction history from the interenet, if you have set up internet banking with HSBC...

Good luck though, and keep us posted.

To see the steps I took to recover unfair bank charges with the help of Consumer Action Group, please read my thread Spiceskull v HSBC.

Rusty-London · 16th June 2006, 14:09

Thanks for the advice mate, I'm gonna have a look through your thread now!

I just went down to check the post before and the rest of the statements have arrived

. I totalled up the rest of the charges and it came to a grand total of £1247.50!! The shock almost killed me when I saw the final amount:o.

I'm just going to send out a preliminary approach letter now and advise HSBC of my change of address.....Fingers crossed!

Spiceskull · 16th June 2006, 18:59

Good luck - £1,200 should come in handy for the summer...

To see the steps I took to recover unfair bank charges with the help of Consumer Action Group, please read my thread Spiceskull v HSBC.

Rusty-London · 23rd June 2006, 20:48

Evening all...

As I said in my previous thread I've sent a preliminary approach and change of address notification to HSBC and addressed it to Ian Shepherd at the Coventry address. The letter was sent first class recorded a week ago and I've not yet received a reply. More worryingly I've tried numerous times to use the track and trace thing on the Royal Mail website and it just tells me that information is not available on the item.

The question I'm building up to is...................Do I just not worry about it then after the 14 days is up send an LBA, or do I send another letter but to my branch this time?

maverik1979 · 24th June 2006, 01:07

the address if it was one from this forum should be fine, however i would stick to your original timetable, and post of your lba as and when that dictates, but i would personally send it to your local branch, as then you know that there wont be any confusion

regards royalmail online, the digital proof (scanned signature) can take up to 72 hours, but standard confirmation is usually straight away

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