This topic was closed on 03/07/19. If you have a problem which is similar to the issues raised in this topic, then please start a new thread and you will get help and support there. If you would like to post up some information which is relevant to this particular topic then please flag the issue up to the site team and the thread will be reopened. - Consumer Action Group

This topic was closed on 03/06/19. If you have a problem which is similar to the issues raised in this topic, then please start a new thread and you will get help and support their. If you would like to post up some information which is relevant to this particular topic then please flag the issue up to the site team and the thread will be reopened. - Consumer Action Group

Finally I am at the stage of completing an N1 for my claim against NatWest. It is a big claim over £4000 with the 8% added its just over £4500. Like many others on here my statements had to be repackaged by Royalmail due to the NatWest envelope falling apart. Initially offered £300 as a goodwill gesture by local branch. this offer had a confindentiality condition applied, I said they could credit my account with it, but that I would be pursuing them for the rest. I then had a letter from Stu, stating that Mr .... of branch .... offer of £300 as a gesture of goodwill and without admission of error or liability would only be paid on the basis of full and final settlement. Mr ..... is actualy Mrs....... and she never mentioned the without admission or liability bit. Anyway he said that all the charges had been associated with lack of covering funds in the account at the time they were presented for payment, so the charges appiled to account should stand. Strange really, my account now stands at being overdrawn by £1500, without these charges the balance would now be £2500. I have since moved accounts so am just letting the overdraft sit where it is. I was never in credit as in the end the overdraft limit was so high it was more than my salary. Re: Form N1 How detailed does this claim have to be, how much information should it contain. I dont want to have got to this stage and then blow it. thanks to all for your help and inspiration, hopefully will be able to make donation soon to help to continue spreading the word.

sorry wrong thread

Im using my wifes username hope thats okay she said I could. I just wondered how many letters the HSBC have no record of.(both sent and received) I had some mental health problems a couple of years ago and got into serious debt because of the manic episode I was having. In the end I wrote to HSBC giving them my consent for my wife to deal with them. I asked them to cancel all d/d and s/o as no money was going in to the account. I gave them my new address. My wife wrote to them informing them of my problems, anyway they wrote back to my wife giving her the actual amount of my overdraft and saying I could take out a personal loan with them to pay it off, heard no more from them. 20mths later their debt collectors demanded twice the amount of the original overdraft. We asked why they hadn't contacted us as we had notified them of address changes etc, they said they had no record of any letters sent, but then the previous manager remembered answering my wifes letter. Some of their letters have been abrupt. there have been 3 managers in 3yrs at this branch. Do you think that it is possible these letters were lost on purpose, in my wifes initial letter to hsbc she informs the manager that she gave me a 170k mortgage when I had no paid employment and that I had since had a breakdown, or are we being cynical. I have advised them that I will be pursuing this with the ombudsman or court. I cant see that they can have it both ways. If they answered my wife they must have had my letter or alternatively they have not heard of data protection. Since I have threatened them their letter tone has improved. They have now requested that I take in or send a copy of the letter they sent to my wife, so that they can resolve the matter. We are at present waiting for all statements etc under a DPA request. I would prefer to delay sending the letter until I have this info. My wifes said its not our job to supply them with a copy of a letter they sent(they should have a copy) and it may be beneficial at this stage not to. Anyone any views Cheers missmarples hubby

Hi Maxie I am pretty sure that they did receive all 3 letters, although none were recorded on file, which is why the new manager had to contact Ms Talbot,(to see if she remembered my letter) which she did, she could hardly deny responding as I had the letter. My letter to her started with the line ' I trust that you have received Mr...... authorisation for me to act for him..' , if she hadn't had his letters would she of not said so. However as they can't find my letter how do I prove its content. If they have no record of a letter they definately did receive, I'm not sure how they can prove they didn't receive the other two. As I have said the debt has been paid off, (by a kind relative) but I would rather repay them sooner than later if possible, even if its only partial. I am very cross at the way they handled this, they were happy enough to give him a mortgage for over 160k in July 03. At the time a) he already had a mortgage and b) he had been on sick leave from the time the mortgage application was made, but thats another story. thanks again missmarple

Not sure where to start with this one. Three years ago my husband had very serious mental health problems and was diagnosed with bipolar, anyway during this manic episode he did many crazy and out of character things. In May 2003 he left the marital home and opened a bank account with the HSBS, he had returned by Dec 2003, however it was not until Mar 2004 that he wrote to them instructing them of his new address, to cancel all d/d and s/o and to give me authority to act on his behalf as at that time he still couldn't cope,(he had completely forgotten this account during that period). I posted his letters personally so I know they were sent, I also posted my own letter informing HSBC of his mental health issues etc and asking if they shelve interest and he would pay this back at £200 a month even though he had no job this time. I received a letter from Ms Talbot(then manager) who advised me of the exact amount owed, and that my payment plan was not acceptable and he would need to take out a personal loan apr 14.9% to cover the debt.(good idea as he had no income) That was the last we heard until Nov 2005 when my husband received a phonecall from metropolitan collections services and was advised that he owed HSBC nearly £4300, he did not tell me about this phonecall instead he took to his bed for several days. It was only when metros demand arrived that I knew about this debt. I wrote to Ms Talbot and asked why it had got to this stage, and asking why the letters my husband had sent didn't appear to be acted on. Ms talbot had since transferred and the new Manager was Mr Smith he wrote advising that there was nothing on file, but that he would contact Ms Talbot to see if she remebered my letter. She remebered my letter and her subsequent reply, but there was no record of my husbands letters. So I left it at that. This debt was causing my husband a great deal of distress, so in the end we got some help to pay it off. Thats the background then. What puzzles me is that if Ms Talbot hadn't had my husbands authorisation for me to act on his behalf, surely she would not have given me private financial information, and would have said we need your husbands authority to do this. Also my address would have been different. Can they give out this info to an unknown third party(I don't think so). Since discovering this site I have written to Mr Smith(no longer there) now a Ms Hooper and put in a DPA request. I'm sure that some of this £4300 must be in charges, and I'm sure that d/d, s/o were paid after my husband had instructed their cancellation(don't know where we stand on this as no record exists of letter). How many letters actually get lost in the post? Sorry its such a long post(I feel better now) Thanks missmarple x

Hi I am fairly new to this site. Until recently I was in lucky enough to be in a good financial position so rarely incurred bank charges. I have been reading many of the posts and I am incensed to see the sums of money that have been taken from people. It is not crime not to have money and if you are on a tight budget it is difficult if not impossible to ensure that money is in your account for every day events let alone for exceptional circumstances. Recently Abbey returned £80 under a GWG. This is a paragraph from the letter I received from Diane Small (customer resoluion manager) 'We do expect our customers to manage their accounts effectively. It is not our intention however to penalise them for one-off lapses. On that basis and as a gesture of goodwill, I would be willing to waive the two cleared tranaction charges of £30.00 each and the unauthorised overdraft charge of £20.00, in full and final settlement of your complaint. Please confirm acceptance by signing and returning the enclosed form in the prepaid envelope provided within 3 weeks. If I do not hear from you within this time, I will have to assume you are not accepting the offer and it will be withdrawn.' So are they saying if it happens more than once you will be penalised? I think we all know the answer. good luck everyone Sue

I would not meet either, I doubt that he will have the authority to refund your money. If he has anything to say either positive or negative it is best that you have it written down infront of you to digest in your own time. He will be on home territory, you will not, this will give him an advantage. Make your excuses if you have agreed to meet, request that you woluld prefer written contact so that you have a record of it. Sue

You would have been debt free a lot sooner, if abbey hadn't taken over 4K of YOUR MONEY good luck

I paid a cheque in on the 1/11/2006 so it did not clear until 4/11/2006, had 2 standing orders going through on the 03/11/06. Ended up being charged £30 for each standing order and another £20 for exceeding my overdraft limit. Emailed them saying this was not acceptable. They wrote a rather sharp letter, but agreed to waive the charges as a GWG. Had to sign slip within 3wks(or offer would lapse) and agree that this was in full and final settlement of complaint. Returned signed slip, asked them not to dress me down like a naughty school girl. Suggested that they bring cheque clearing into the 21st century and not penalize their clients because banks are using antiquated systems. Said I would challenge any excessive punituve future charges. Stated that it if they wished to return MY MONEY under the guise of'goodwill' so be it as my objective had been achieved. Waiting for a reply Sue