Written by John Kruse, one of the leading experts on Bailiff Law, this consumer friendly guide is essential reading for anyone who comes into contact with a bailiff.
The book is easy to understand and clearly explains the rights
a bailiff has, and also what they cannot do when collecting debts and repossessing goods etc.
I would appreciate any advice from anyone who has experienced similar circumstances with Lloyds. I am in the process of reclaiming bank charges which have been applied by Lloyds totalling £5865. I issued the initial request for repayment of charges letter on 25 January 2006 and received a pretty standard reply from Lloyds stating that they were sorry I was unhappy, but as far as they were concerned they did not agree with the OFT’s thinking regarding charges.
I proceeded with the 14 day warning letter to which they did not respond, so issued the N1 claim form on 1 March 2007. The court have acknowledged the claim and tell me that I should be advised of the date for my hearing within the next few weeks. The N1 claim includes the charges £5865, S69 interest £1585 and a court fee of £250, so in total I am now claiming £7700.
In the interim, I have been unable to access my Lloyds account. I cannot view the account over the internet, so I went into the branch (approximately 1 week ago) and they advised me that there is a technical problem. On Friday 23 March 2007, Lloyds telephoned me and left a message on my voicemail to say that I should not use my account until further notice. The call appears to have been made from a call centre and I do not have a number to call them back. I assume Lloyds are being intentionally difficult with me. I have not tried to use my debit card in a cash machine, through fear of it being retained.
So today I went into the branch. At first the desk receptionist said she could not access my account due to technical difficulties, so I made a fuss and eventually spoke to someone describing themselves as an account manager. He told me the balance of my account (only £100), but said I could not withdraw any money. He said he was aware that my account was the subject of a review, prompted by my claim for bank charges. His reason for not allowing me to withdraw any money was that Lloyds did not agree the OFT’s thinking, and that once they have established their charges to be “lawful”, they will be applying further charges to my account. The £100 would therefore be held for future charges. I argued the money belonged to me, but he would not budge.
I assume Lloyds are just being difficult and I am half expecting them to close my account in time, but how should I best deal with this situation. Essentially I just want to be able to access my money. Pay day is coming round soon, so of course need to make withdrawals.
I have contemplated closing my Lloyds account and opening another account. However this is proving difficult. Historically my accounts and finances have been very poor, so I believe my credit rating is not good. I have recently been turned down for an Abbey current account (2-3 weeks ago). Does anyone have any ideas or experience of opening an account with a poor credit history? I have asked Lloyds to remove any default entries from the register.
Hi
Sorry to hear you are having this trouble, I wouldn't have thought they would be able to do this at all.
Try opening a Nat West Step account, it is only a basic account, but if you have a poor credit history it is ideal.
Hope someone can help you with your problems.
Good luck!
Barty
They will have a very long wait to prove the charges are lawful. No report from the OFT will be legally binding, and even if it were I don't see how they can hold on to your money on the off chance that the law might change in the future.
I agree that you should close your account (I opened a Nat West Step account with no problem) and write and complain in the strongest possible terms that you want your money back and will take further court action should they refuse. I'm not sure what the Banking Code would say on this matter, but a complaint to the fos if they don't deal with your complaint to your satisfaction would be in order I believe.
When the Liberals and Conservatives were in opposition they both agreed that banks should pay back high bank charges to customers. Nothing seems to of happened since they came into power as a coalition. PPI insurance has been sorted now they should turn their attention to bank charges and help customers get exorbitant charges refunded.
Should you be offered help that requires payment please report it to site team.
Alliance & Leicester Moneyclaim issued 20/1/07 £225.50 full settlement received 29 January 2007
Smile £1,075.50 + interest Email request for payment 24/5/06 received £1,000.50 14/7/06 + £20 30/7/06
Yorkshire Bank Moneyclaim issued 21/6/06 £4,489.39 full settlement received 26 January 2007
Advice & opinions given by Caro are personal, are not endorsed by Consumer Action Group or Bank Action Group, and are offered informally, without prejudice & without liability. Your decisions and actions are your own, and should you be in any doubt, you are advised to seek the opinion of a qualified professional.
Please don't pm me about specific questions unless you have posted and it has not been dealt with or unless the matter is confidential. Please include a link to the post you want me to look at. If you have received a defence, contact me.
Advice & opinions of BankFodder, The Consumer Action Group and The Bank Action Group are offered informally, without prejudice & without liability. Use your own judgment. Seek advice of a qualified insured professional if you have any doubts.
I am in the process of claiming my bank charges back from Lloyds TSB. My charges total £5865.91. I have issued the N1 court claim form, so have now included s69 interest £1585.01 and court fees of £250, which makes my total claim £7700.92. I am still waiting to hear from the court regarding a date. I spoke to them just last week and they told me the form was being processed.
In the meantime, Lloyds have written to me offering me £750 as Full and final settlement and have advised me it will be paid into my account within 10 days. Naturally I am going to reject their offer. I intend to write to them confirming I accept as part settlement and will proceed with my court case unless I am reimbursed in full. Am I correct that I continue to request interest and the court fees.
I have looked at the example letters, but they seem to be relevant for an offer before issuing the court form. I am intending to tailor one of the letters to my circumstances, but if anyone has a suitable template I would be grateful if they could show me.
Difficulty with Lloyds
. I am in the process of reclaiming bank charges which have been applied by Lloyds totalling £5865. I issued the initial request for repayment of charges letter on 25 January 2006 and received a pretty standard reply from Lloyds stating that they were sorry I was unhappy, but as far as they were concerned they did not agree with the OFT’s thinking regarding charges.
Reply With Quote
Re: Difficulty with Lloyds
Originally Posted by daza
