What if it looks like my charges total more than £5000

[yogachick123]

Hi there
I am in the process of working out charges for last 6 years from the Woolwich and it looks like the total (without looking at interest!) is close to £10,000. can i still make this claim through the small claims court. any advice greatly appreciated.

[Gezmc1606]

Hi there

I'm just starting out myself but had the same problem. If you read my thread there is some advice on there that may help you. Hope it does and good luck.

[debt_mountain]

hi, I made a claim for £11000 from Nationwide and £13000 from Halifax/Bank of Scotland and both have gone through small claims. The Nationwide has had a £10,000 payout and they are disputing the extra interest and the Halifax paid out £5000 ish and disputing the rest.

you should be ok but there is still a random nature to the court system so be prepared for the worst case which is fasttrack in the court and £750 towards the banks fees should you lose (which it very very unlikely).

[yogachick123]

Thanks for responses so far...wow £10,000 from Nationwide - well done you!! Will take a look at that thread thank you. x

[debt_mountain]

Originally Posted by yogachick123

Thanks for responses so far...wow £10,000 from Nationwide - well done you!! Will take a look at that thread thank you. x

that was the second claim against them, the first was for £6000

We had a great christmas and then the new year in Tenerife (Thanks Nationwide & Halifax)

[yogachick123]

Hi All - quick update
After a couple of letters back and forth at the beginning of January regarding my statements, the Woolwich returning my £10 postal order twice!! and finally getting my list of charges which they kindly totalled for me...They have taken a total of £11,748 from me over a period of six years.

I have received what I assume to be a standard letter dated 30 January as follows...

"Thank you for taking the time and trouble to tell us about your dissatisfaction with our service. We work hard at the Woolwich to deliver a first class service to our customers and we are sorry that you feel let down on this occasion. You can be sure that we will do everything possible to put things right for you now, and so that we improve our service in the future.

We would like to explain what happens next regarding your complaint, received 30 January 2007.

We have taken responsibility for fully investigating the issues you have raised, and we aim to resolve this matter by 27 February 2007. In the meantime, if you have any further information, queries or concerns please contact us on 0845 0700360. blah blah blah...."

They also included a Customer Care leaflet for information.

I assume that I will probably hear nothing more from them before the 14 day deadline given in my prelim letter so will send LBA on 13th Feb...

Will keep the forum advised on my progress.

xx

[hughes690]

My 14-day (12 working day) Woolwich deadline for Request for Payment letter has come and passed. I have sent LBA + Schedule on Sat 3 Feb. See Thread Brooksdad v Woolwich for situation. My timescale: Not theirs! My responses were/are as yours.

[paddym]

Standard reply carry on regardless stick to your timescales not theirs your in the driving seat you dictate the pace on things not them !

[yogachick123]

Hey,
Have read through your thread with interest...looks like we are about a week apart in our timescales. I will follow your claim with interest and keep you updated on mine..good luck - I am quietly confident given all of the support available here - not going to let them get away with this any longer!!

[yogachick123]

Thanks PaddyM - having viewed your posts on the forum, it's nice to have you on board xx

[paddym]

no prrobs myself and my good friend BIGAL are here and only too willing to give you all some help or advice when you all need it just post on your thread although we cant be online 24 hrs a day you can rest assured that we will be on at some stage most days !

[kippy2]

hi there i got 13k payout with woolwich openplan and 4k on current account! it was hard work haggling but got it all back. sadly i dont have a thread on here anymore due to other forum politics. But all i can say is keep your cool they will haggle like hell. i got my claim in small court! barclays paid me 1 hour before my court hearing! (this is unusual..as i only responded by email!) make the first move and call them we did.... you will be fine! and they are indeed very pleasant to deal with.

[yogachick123]

Hi all,
and thanks for your encouragement Kimmy, makes me feel like I am not alone. Have been moving house, hence the slight delay in responding. So update as follows - prelim letter sent 29th Jan, letter received acknowledging receipt - no further contact from them so I am sending my LBA tomorrow. Just the letter and another copy of schedule of charges without interest at this stage...is that correct?

Have viewed with interest more tv coverage on this subject just before the weekend...a consumer army is how it was described!!! yay!!

[yogachick123]

okay - update - LBA sent recorded delivery yesterday so waiting for another 14 days (still no further letter other than the standard we will get back to you by the twelfth of never!! in response to prelim). Want to start to get ready to put in my court claim on the dot in a fortnight. Can anyone suggest whether it is better to do claim form at the County Court or on MCOL - bearing in mind the size of the claim at £11,748 + interest of course at that point in time?

I have picked up forms today and a bundle of leaflets, but not sure if it is better to do this online....

Also, suggestion was made by Kimmy to contact Woolwich by phone...should I do this before I put forms in for court, as an initial attempt at negotiation? or start the court claim and then call them?

Any advice as always greatly appreciated.
Yogachick xxx

[yogachick123]

Also one other quick question - if I have to proceed to putting in a claim through court process, I know that I add on the 8% interest for the courts benefit. When the bank decide to pay up (lol) will their offer at this stage include the interest or will it revert to basic figure without interest? (if that makes sense!!!)

[essjaysea]

Once your claim has been filed, you are entitled to add the 8% interest to your claim. So if they make an offer before you file your claim (unlikely, but possible), then they will only offer to pay the basic figure without interest.

I would strongly advise you not to call them prior to filing your claim. They have had plenty of opportunity to resolve your claim up to now, and have failed to do so.

[yogachick123]

Okay - guessing prompted by my LBA letter, I have today received standard letter telling me that "In view of the complex nature of the issue you have raised, your complaint has now been escalated to hour Head Office Customer Relations Unit. All of the relevant documentation has been forwarded for their attention and they will contact you directly with their findings on completion of their review. The address for this department is Barclays, Head Office Customer Relations, Floor 10, 1 Churchill Place, London, E14 5HP"

Also given telephone number 01255 477032, for writer of this letter Jessica Fairbairn, Customer Relations Advisor, Woolwich Telephony Customer Relations Team.

She also states "If I do not hear from you within eight weeks from the date of this letter I will close my complaint file in accordance with our usual practice".

Well boy are they going to be hearing from me!!

My question is this - on the County Court Claim form do I put Woolwich, Bexleyheath address (as per my chequebook), the Openplan Customer Contact Centre in Clacton on Sea, or Barclays Head Office Customer Relations Office as above. I have read on someone elses thread that the courts gave Woolwich an extra month to respond due to "an incorrect address being put on the N1 form". Any advice from someone who has completed a claim would be greatly appreciated.

I know this is just a standard letter which brings me one step closer to getting it all back (and a nice holiday in Thailand .

[essjaysea]

I used the Clacton on Sea address on my claim

[kippy2]

dont forget that woolwich are now part of barclays and woolwich will no longer be from may so i would put barclays, head office london address as above in your thread as further down the line you will start getting correspondence from barclays. and at the end of the day your settlement will be paid from them.

hth kimmy