Hi Stick to YOUR timescale - after four weeks they will write to ask you for another 8 weeks! (Been there!) Don't let them mess you about - only you are allowed to move the goalposts! Good Luck Jo xx

Sorry to bump, but this is really worrying me, and I really need someone to advise me whether to put in a complaint at all, and if so when to do it ie before or after I file the N1? As a bit of background: My letter from FCO was dated 12th June, and when I called them they were querying 1 transaction on the 11th June and 3 on the 12th June, all of which were internet payments. Other half's letter is dated 15th June, but looking at my records - I keep a record of all transactions on a spreadsheet and compare it to the online statement nearly every day - his most recent transaction (for £5.20!) was on the 8th June, and the 3 before that were 24th, 14th and 3rd MAY! (This tallies exactly with the online statement as at 30 minutes ago). None of them are internet payments (he wouldn't know how!), and one of them is where he paid cash IN! He has not even attempted to use his card while in Gibraltar, he is using the parachute account; I would possibly understand it if they were looking at an overseas transaction, but they are not. So what the hell are they investigating? This gets fishier by the minute. In all the years we have had this account they have never ever queried a single transaction, so why now? Any thoughts/suggestions, pretty please with a cherry on top?! Thanks Jo xx

HELP/ADVICE NEEDED - PLEASE! I tried to pay for a flight home from Gibraltar for other half this morning, and the payment was DECLINED again! Finally sorted it, after ebookers had to get special authorisation from shAbbey - spent 57 minutes on the phone, all for £59.50. Then postie arrives, with a letter from Financial Crime Operations for him (same as one I got, see post64), so now they have stopped his card too! My questions are: Do you think they are playing silly wotsits with us, seeing as the N1 is due to be filed on Friday? If so, do I have any grounds for a complaint, say to the ombudsman, on the basis that they are acting unfairly and denying us access to OUR money? Or would that compromise the situation further? Really really would appreciate any help on this one - I am so mad I could scream! Thanks Jo xx

WELL DONE YOU!!! FANTASTIC NEWS! - Thought it was you I heard screaming from the rooftops this morning lol x So pleased for you - best of luck in the future Jo xxx

CONGRATULATIONS!!!! WELL DONE YOU! BEST OF LUCK FOR THE FUTURE Jo xx

Hi Louise Sorry, messages got confused - my fault! Anyway no, I am sorry but I am nowhere near that stage, and a bit of a dunce when it comes to the legal stuff! I was only offering to help you with the spreadsheet I'm afraid - coz I'm not too bad at that - do figures etc all day.:o So sorry for getting your hopes up, but lots of others on here are great on the legal stuff. Best regards and good luck Jo xx

My other half got one with Barclays, with an Electron card (and our credit file reads like a horror story!) They said they would review the account after 6 months, and if all ok would then consider an overdraft and upgrade the card, so it might be worth a shot. Best regards Jo xx

OOOPS - missed a page while reading your thread! Sure that your calculations will be ok, but I am willing to help if you need it. Good luck Jo xx

Hi there If you can email me your original list of charges, I can set it up on a spreadsheet for you and future date it then send it back if that helps. Also I am afraid that you cannot add any missed charges at this stage - you have to go with the figure on your original Court claim. Will send you a pm with my email address. Regards Jo xx

Aw thanks deedee Using my own one that I had set up prior to coming on here, but it looks very similar to the template one, and I copied the formula across for the 8% calculation and the days elapsed. I have got a copy of the template one and I input some of the info to double-check, and all the calculations are identical, so I am confident that mines ok. Jo xx

Oh just edited it again - soz deedee! The numbers after the date are the days elapsed -ie 81 - the amount of interest - ie 0.62 then the total -ie 35.62. It looked okay when I was writing the post, but came out garbled! Dufus again! Jo xx

Quick question, but an important one! On my spreadsheet I have deducted the GoGW as a line on the bottom - with the date it was refunded. Do I have to add credit interest on it too, ie fill in all columns as the rest? (Sorry tried pasting an excerpt on here messed up the columns and was illegible) Or should I show it a different way? Thanks in advance Jo xx

Think you are right there clarion - need hard copy proof of any negotiations. Telephone conversations can be mis-represented by nature. Best of luck - will check back later for any updates Jo xx (See, my confidence level has risen so much that I feel I can give a little advice now, and thats all thanks to you guys )

Hi there I am probably not the best person to advise you (!) but I do know for definate this: Yes the £20 charge for unauthorised o/d is a penalty charge and should be included And yes you are right about the 8% interest - it only goes on at the Court stage. Best of luck Jo xx

Hi all - I'm back! Took a few days out to clear my head, and it has definately worked. I was in such a state last week, what with them declining my card amidst other things, that I was panicking and doing everything wrong. Anyway I was looking at the wrong statements :o so that panic is out the window, thank god! As far as the card saga goes, they DID stop it - I got a letter Saturday morning from Abbey Financial Crime Operations asking me to call urgently. When I called I was told they were investigating "unusual transactions" on my account, so they had stopped my card for my protection! One of the "unusual" transactions was the Council Tax payment?! (Dont always pay it on time, but do pay it!) So that is sorted now too, but really p'd off that it took them so long to inform me AFTER they had flagged the card, and also that on two occasions on the phone to Telephone Banking they told me there was nothing wrong . Does anyone think they are messing me about, or is it just another coincidence? Anyway, I am going to go ahead with the Court claim on Friday morning, but other half thinks I should just go for 6 years - "too much hassle" he says - so far his only input has been to sign the Data request form!!!!! But spreadsheet amended and N1 draft done - and I think I've got it all right now! Thanks for all your support, especially Leecabs and deedee, and sorry again for being such a hyperactive dufus!!!! Will check in Friday after I've been to the court (omg!), if not before. Jo xx

Sorry to bump again - but it will be the last time. Was having a major clearout and found a file at the back of the cupboard with all the blooming statements going back to 2001. I was fed up that I had spent a tenner getting all the info, but pleased on the other hand that I had the back-up data to their microfiche lists. Until I decided to add the charges from previous to my original claim, and there werent any????? Then I checked the statements for the months I had done - and there are NO CHARGES STATED anywhere For 2001 to 2003, all it says on the statements is debit/credit interest on the balance, but the microfiche data shows c.£2,500 of charges for that period. I really don't understand it, have checked and checked and checked and none of it makes sense. So I am thinking of just giving up - if by any chance Abbey still have copies of those statements I havent got a cat in hell's chance of getting anything. I know for a fact that we DID pay extortionate amounts in charges over that period, but I havent got concrete proof, just two conflicting sets of documents. It probably doesn't show, but I am so upset and angry by this, mostly at myself. Told you bad luck was my middle name, didn't I? I probably sound like a complete wuss, but to be honest this whole thing is putting so much strain on me already, that I don't think now I could try to see it through, knowing that it could all go horribly wrong and be a complete waste of time. So huge thanks to all who have helped and advised, and I am really sorry to have wasted your time. I wish you all the best of luck, and hope between you, you take Abbey to the cleaners! Godd Luck and Best Regards Jo xx

Fantastic news! Well done you:D

Thanks DeeDee - was up all night thinking about this I have decided to go with ALL the charges - they sent me data going back to the start of 2000, so I am going for it big time! (omg!) Have been reading BankFodders post re the over 6 years argument, and now it makes sense. So I thought if I am going to put myself through all this, I might as well go for as much as possible! The way I understand it, if the SoLA argument is thrown out, I am still eligible to claim for the 6 years charges. Am I right on this please? Thats my only fear (and it's a pretty big fear at that!) - that by being too greedy, I run the risk of losing it all. Thanks Jo xx

Hi Katie You are very welcome - I only know from having posted on here at the start of my claim, so actually it's thanks to the great people on here that I can help in some small way! Really wish you the best of luck - keep us all updated on whats happening. Best regards Jo xx

Wow, thanks DeeDee Thats real complicated legalese(!) but I get the gist of it - just! Really in a quandry now - thinking I would just be better to go for the lower amount, which with 8% interest and costs etc is still just over £9,000, rather than risking it all for the sake of the extra £833 plus interest = £1,240. I have so many doubts in my own ability to get this right anyway, I really don't think I could argue on the Statute of Limitations too! I will ponder this one long and hard - well for a week anyway, before I have to submit N1! Thanks again Jo xx

MCOL would seem to be a better option for you at the moment - you can do it all online and pay by debit card at the same time, but it depends how much you are claiming - if it is over £5 K before you put interest on, then you will have to use the N1. Hope this helps, and very good luck to you Jo xx

Cheers badboy for that - you guys are real stars Jo xx

Thanks Lee, but I was actually hoping you wouldn't say that! April and May 2001 were really bad months for us, so by taking them off the claim it amounts to a whopping £833 that we lose - poo! (Thats NOT including interest!) Whereas April and May this year there's hardly anything. But I am VERY glad I asked that question - after getting this far I would be gutted to lose out because I had screwed up. At least they might be more favourable now that the figure going on the N1, if it goes that far (of course it will!), will actually be lower than we originally asked for. Now my thread title is wrong too! I will amend the spreadsheet, and check it thoroughly again, and again! Thanks again Lee, and will pm you in a bit. Jo xx

Cheers Andy xx Ok guys - I have been thinking for the last week or so that I have REALLY screwed up on my LBA, but was too embarrassed to ask anyone coz I would look stupid:o - no change there then! Well here goes: When I sent the LBA, I included a spreadsheet of charges that I had compiled myself using the calculator on MSE. After "talking" to people here, I was advised to use the spreadsheet from here, and also to put in the description for each charge. I actually just amended my spreadsheet, inserting a new description column and copying the formula across for the interest calculation - seemed easier and it worked! Anyway, when going through the statements to fill in the description, I realised I had made a mistake - EEEKKK!! I had entered one extra charge for May 2005, and I had missed out one month entirely. Having amended the spreadsheet, this increases the total charges by another £120. So, am I in the doggy doo then? The 14 days is up on the 21st, and I intend to submit the N1 on the 22nd, but if I submit a claim for even more than I originally asked for, will it all fall apart? Also, my original claim is for April 2001 to March 2007, but obviously April 2001 is over the 6 year mark now. Do I have to change it for the Court claim - ie June 2001 to May 2007, or does it count from when you originally ask Abbey for the money? I am sooo confused, and so all are of you now probably! Seriously though, any guidance on this would be really appreciated. Thanks Jo xx

Cheers Andy xx