Thread: Bank Charges Letter - Handed 14 day letter to my bank BY HAND...so....

Hi Mack,

Which letter is it you're talking about?

Did you get the name of the person who took it from you when you handed it in?

Ah, the preliminary letter (it's a bit confusing if you refer to it as the 14-day letter as the letter before action also gives a 14-day deadline).

I think, unfortunately, you're right - you'll have to send it again as you have no proof it was sent in the first place which you'll need, should the case progress to court (highly unlikely, but it's better to play safe with these things). I prefer just sending the thing by normal mail and getting a certificate of postage (free, available from the post office if you take your letter there to be posted) is better than recorded delivery. I have heard banks receive such large quantities of mail that they don't always sign for each one, then can later deny receiving letters sent this way. If you have a certificate of postage a judge will assume your letter was received, and it's also cheaper.

Either way is probably fine so long as you have proof you sent the thing. If I were you I would add a brief sentence in each letter saying something like: "please note I have obtained proof of postage for this letter."

The way they stall is annoying, but keep at it - you'll have a fat wad of cash in a few months' time.

In future, if you are going to hand in correspondence to the branch, do it during office hours. Go in with two copies - one in a sealed envelope addressed to the bank, the other your own copy. Tell them you are here to hand in a letter, but need a signature - present the back of your file copy for them to countersign. Ensure they leave sufficient details for traceability - more than simply "received at <branch> <date>". If they leave enough information, then it's as good as a Royal Mail receipt. In fact, it's better, as if you hand-deliver, Royal Mail won't be able to lose your letter in transit.