Hi all, I work in a small team of 8 within a sector in the railway industry. We are all on a role clarity contract which means we are contracted to work 35 hours for a fixed salary. There is currently a reorganisation process taken place for the whole infrastructure. We’ve just received letters which states that we will be affected by the reorganisation process and we’re are awaiting confirmation letters with further details. The document states that out level is being made redundant and after a review process these identical jobs are still available at a lower grade within the same company. This document has been sent to the RMT/TSSA unions for consultation. There is also a section that mentions submitting a CV and completing a job preference form for a review panel consisting of HR manager and professional heads from each department. The wages of the team exceed that of the pay band below; after a brief chat with our HR manager she said we could potentially be offered a lower salary than that agreed on commencement of our employment. This could affect some of the team by as much as £18,000+ a year. · Can an employer lower our wages for carrying out the same role with the same responsibilities? · If so how much notice would they have to give us? · I started 5 years ago and my initial salary was within the ranges of the lower band. I have since had good performance related pay rises which have taken me above the upper limit of the lower band; can they ignore my past performance if re-negotiating? Any help or advice would be much appreciated as the worry is starting to stress a few of us out. Regards, Coyney

Hi Dave, First of all I wrote a letter to Currys stating the laws etc. I then recieved a reply instructing me to get an independant Engineers diagnosis. After getting the report with a ridiculous quote attached I wrote back demanding my money, repair or replacement. I knew they wouldn't repair it as the quote was for about £600. Several weeks later I recieved a phone call off of Currys offering me £800 in vouchers which wasn't negotiable. So I ripped their hand off as I had gone too long without a TV. I then sold the TV on Ebay for £180 which in total nearly paid for a £1300 52 inch Samsung from Currys as they price matched the £1050 internet price I found, so I was chuffed with the outcome. Good luck, Martyn

My brother sent off his LBA and has just recieved a letter offering him £75 out of good will going on to say the charges do not cotravene the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations and that they comply with the office of fair trading etc etc. They also say they have carried out a full investigation and will keep the case open for 8 weeks. Where does he go from here? Is there another template letter he can use? What have you done in this situation? Many thanks, Martyn:confused:

Hi Jo, Thanks for your response. I got this after my preliminary approach for repayment which as I said above they refused. I didn't send a LBA because they responded fairly quickly so didn't really need to. Where do I go from here? Many thanks, Martyn;)

Hello all, It's been so long but Abbey have actually written to me now and have sent me a letter stating that the charges were applied correctly and the charges do not contravene the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999. They also went on to state that the office of fair trading announcement was in relation to credit card default charges and not bank accounts. It also states that when I opened my account I was provided with information detailing the terms and conditions. They are basically refusing to pay and say they will keep me on file for 8 weeks. Has any of you had this letter? Where do I go from here? Where did you go from hwere and how did you get on? Many thanks in advance, Martyn

Hi Rosie, Thanks for your reply. I paid for the TV with interest free finance which I paid up shortly after the interest period ended. How long do you think I should give them to respond? I will write a letter tommorow. Thanks, Martyn

Hello all, About 20 months ago I bought a Philips 42PF9946/12 plasma TVwhich has worked perfectly until today. When I switch the TV on the green light comes on followed by sound for 5/10 seconds but no picture, it then switches itself to standby. The red light then goes out for 10 seconds or so and then comes back on flashing. It has been fine all day. I watched footage on my video camera and ever since it has been like this. I have contacted Philips who have offered to refund anything above £303 to repair my TV. I have also contacted Curry’s who have said the cost to send someone out to look at my TV including any labour to repair it is £120 not including parts. Do I have any rights to demand them to repair it or replace it? Any help or advice will be greatly appreciated. Many thanks in advance, Martyn

Thanks again Nick, They seem so unorganized don't they!? I suppose in your circumstance it's a good thing. Are you still paying interest on your overdraft at the lower rate or have they frozen it? I’ve been looking at different parachute accounts. A & L look good, they are offering an interest free overdraft up to £2500 for a year and even after that the rate is slightly lower which would be ideal for me saving me around £200.00 in the next year. What do you all think of A & L? I’ll be sending my first letter tomorrow morning. I used the 1st template from this site. I’m also sending an additional letter in my brother’s name as he is looking to claim about £500. I’ve also just looked through my partner’s statements and she’s had about £150 in charges so I might send a letter in her name as well! I know it’s not a lot but from what I‘ve read it’s rightfully hers. Regards, Martyn

Hello all, I've just written my Data Protection Act letter to Abbey requesting my charges so have done a bit of reading and have made myself familiar with how it works. I had a Barclaycard for 5 years which I changed to another lender about 2 years ago. During that period I recieved numerous £10 charges for missing payments and a few other charges that must total upto about £300-£400. Before I proceed with it, I've got a few questions: Do I send the same letter to them as I did my bank requesting my statements? Do Barclaycard charge for this? If they do, who do I make the cheque payable to? What is the best address to send the letter to? I read a post that said because someone was no longer with the lender they basically told them where to go. Is this usually the case with Barclaycard or do they tend to send out the statements as requested? They've just announced record profits so I's like to do my little bit to reduce them! Many thanks in advance, Martyn:confused:

Hello all, I'm currently with the Abbey and have just written my Data Protection Act 1998 letter requesting my bank statements. I've currently got a £2400 overdraft. I've been browsing sites such as moneysupermarket looking for a parachute account and Alliance and Leicester are offering a 1 year interest free overdraft on up to £2500 which sounds pretty good. I thought you guys would be the best to ask and give me the most honest answers! In your opinion do you think it's a wise move or would you stay well clear in my situation? It's the premier current account that I'm interested in. All of the charges are lower than Abbeys and the interest rates are higher, not that I'm ever in credit! Any comments would be appreciated. Many thanks, Martyn:confused:

Thanks Nick, Yes that does help. I'm slowly starting to get to grips with things. Your situation does sound very similar to mine. For those of you that have had your overdrafts reduced or Abbey have requested the full balance, do they tend to request it after they have paid out or after your initial reqest for repayment? It's just that with a £2500 overdraft I'd really have to dig deep and probably have to borrow a majority of the sum. Many thanks, Martyn:confused:

Thanks for the responses. I've had a good read through all evening and have wrote my 1st letter. Who shall I address the letter to, anyone specific? I'm sending it to the main address in London. I've written the cheque out to Abbey, is that too general or do I need to write it out to a certain department? I'm off work tommorow so will open a parachute account, any suggestions on a good bank that will offer me a visa card etc?! I've got an excellent credit rating so could probably choose. Many thanks for the replies, Martyn:-)

Hello all, I'm new to all of this. I've been reading the forum for several hours and just thought I'd ask the best way to do this to give myself a better idea of what I'm facing. I've got a few questions before looking into this any deeper. This post may be a little premature, I just wanted to find out the best way to get the ball rolling... What information do you recommend reading? Should I write to Abbey initially, requesting 6 years worth of statements or request them over the phone? Or possibly ask for a list of all charges? Is it just unauthorized overdraft fees that you can claim back or can you additionally claim your authorized overdraft interest back? I'm paying between £10 and £25 a month for having a £2500 overdraft. Have Abbey closed anyone’s bank accounts after paying a settlement figure? Is it worth opening a backup account with another bank before proceeding? I'm looking forward to adding a couple of thousand to your impressive total on the home page! Many thanks in advance, Martyn