Hi , I am just about to drop this letter off in my local branch. Anyone have any advice before I do. I really am at my wits end as we have been in a debt management plan for the last six years. Only now are we debt free thanks to the mis selling of PPI but the RBS still seem to want more blood. Its the principal of the thing now!!

The Manager

Royal Bank of Scotland

Xxxxxxxx

xxxxxxxx

13 May 2013

Account Numbers - xxxxxxx, xxxxxxx, xxxxxxx

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing a letter of complaint over the way in which we have been treated over the years as a Royal Bank of Scotland Customer.

We fully intend sending this complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service depending on your reply.

The “last straw” was a letter which we received on the 10th of may 2013. xxxxxxx xx.

We paid off our account in full, including solicitors on 27 Nov 2012.

Yet we have received a letter saying that the bank is pursuing us for 2 lots of solicitor’s fees after this date.

We also have in our possession a letter from the solicitors instructing our file be closed dated 21st Nov 2012.

The amount is for a paltry £53.16.

Considering the thousands of pounds unfair charges, interest and Payment Protection which I have paid over the years

it felt like one final kick in the Teeth from the illustrious (bailed out) Royal Bank of Scotland.

I shall note a few of my complaints in no specific order but please review complaint as a whole as the problem seems to be endemic to the RBS.

1. Recieved Letter of Default the first time for account xxxxxxx on the 19th April 2007 (copy available if required)

Recieved copy of notice to Default first time for account xxxxxxxx on the 19 April 2007 (copy available if required)

These Defaults are still shown on my Credit File and are still having a detrimental effect on my credit score.

Could you please remove at earliest opportunity as these are now expired as more than six years from date of default?

Why have I continually received default notices for same accounts up to 2011 (copy available if required) Defaults may only be issued once on one account.

2. Prior to our going into serious Debt my wife and I were punished with an astonishing amount of Unfair Bank Charges.

Alongside the seemingly perpetual Miss sold payment Protection (which we have now had refunded)

Each Time we contacted the RBS because we were struggling a personal finance manager would convince us that a refinance loan was the answer to all our problems.

“We were not aware at the time that a commission was paid to these employees on a target basis. Can you confirm this please?

Due to the nature of my job up to 50% of my income was overtime which my wife and I always went to lengths to explain to your employee.

At the time the person selling the loans always suggested that we put the larger amount on our applications.

With hindsight I always felt rather uncomfortable with this but considering our worsening

financial position was in no position to resist as your finance manager obviously knew best.

I now realise that due to the banks policies of meeting targets I was the victim of irresponsible lending by your establishment.

Unfair Bank Charges from January 2007 – May 2008 = £2732.00 (17 Month Period)

I would also like to point out that previous to this period the charges are not much better.

My wife and I really were quite a good source of income for the RBS while it lasted.

3. It was January 2007 that I finally faced the truth about my financial affairs as I simply could not handle the unfair charges any longer.

I went to a Debt management Company by the name of Payplan.

“This is a Company which the RBS endorses on all your Debt Advice Literature even to this Day.”

We tried to be as cooperative as possible at this time as we always intended and now have, to pay all our creditors.

The RBS seemed to go out of its way to be as threatening as possible.

We followed Payplans instructions religiously and contacted all our creditors, except the RBS as instructed by Paylan who are “endorsed by the RBS.

We paid as much as possible to our creditors after completing a an income and expenditure sheet but the RBS continued to add

unfair charges, interest and then solicitors fees after taking us to court a year later.

(We had not missed a payment through Payplan).

All through the difficult times my wife and I never missed one mortgage payment.

4. Recieved a letter from RBS on 19 April 2007 which seemed typical at the time but scared my wife and I witless.

It was a demand for immediate payment of £853083.80. If we were lucky our house was only worth £100000!!

This scale of incompetence as it seems now was what constituted to our situation in the first place!! (A copy is available if required)

5. Although we never missed a payment on our mortgage we reached a stage where I was not working full time due to the weather

and requested a payment holiday on my mortgage.

As this was a repayment mortgage this was an agreed option when we took the mortgage.

This was only for a month to help out but was refused on the ground of our other accounts.

Another incidence of not interested in helping.

“We stll managed to keep up payments but my family suffered.”

I really did not intend making any complaints to the RBS after the PPI scandal but as I have said the pathetic attempt

to elicit another paltry amount from my family really does make me angry.

The misery that your rotten institution has caused my family over the years does not bear thinking about.

We do realise that we must take some of the blame but your bank as far as we are concerned should accept responsibility where due for its irresponsible lending.

I would like all my charges and interest paid for charges returned, to put me in a position to which I would be if I had not paid them.

I Have all paperwork and statements to prove any claims which I have made.

I await your response and I shall be contacting the Ombudsman if not satisfied.

Xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx

Thanks for your help

Don't bother sending a letter like this to the RBS or anyone else.

It is too long, for starters and they won't read it and what they do read they won't pay any attention to.

I suggest that you start of practising here by explaining your story in a brief and effective way.

Then if you feel that you have a complaint to make, then make your letter to the RBS, a formal complaint and tell them that you want it escalated to the Ombudsman.

At least that will put it into procedure.

I'm sorry to say that the letter which you have written here is more of a story and not a complaint. You are clearly very angry and frustrated but letting off steam in a long letter doesn't do much good, really.

Set it all out here carefully.

Then maybe we can help you distill it all and identify areas where you might have a valid complaint and what you can do about it

I agree with BankFodder. Make a formal complaint which is clear and bullet pointed, used appendices if need be.

I had to wait 10 weeks for a response which eventually came from group executive office, so it may be worth sending it there instead of the registered address. The address is-

Group Customer Relations

Business House F

Gogarburn

Edinburgh

EH12 1HQ

Don't expect a response in your favour as they will most likely gloss over your points and give poor reasoning. However once you have received this response you can then take it to the FOS and go from there. I am currently at that point now and waiting for the FOS to get back to me, you can view my thread here- http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?380534-RBS-say-I-owe-them-money-my-account-s-are-in-balance.&p=4228736#post4228736