Hi Guys Thanks for the advice Zootscoot - sent the letter this morning and will be off to court to file my claim this afternoon. I'll let you know what BS MR B...S... himself comes up with in reply !! Fingers crossed for you LTWFB Bye for now

Hi zootscoot Sorry for the delayed reply - main fuse blew and it's taken me a couple of days to figure out how to repair it . DOH !! In reply to your question, the account is still open sort of - I haven't got a card and I haven't used the account since 2001 , but as I had a balance of about £3,000 I still owe them £2,230 even though I've paid them £75 a month or more religiously since then (including several one off payments of a few hundred quid !). Until I joined this site I had no real comprehension of interest rates etc, and I can't believe how much I've actually paid these people due to their exorbitant rates (27.9% on my card !!) Fortunately, a few months on this site has made me realise that I need to understand a lot more about the way I, (and other people !!), handle what little money I've got. So hopefully I'll come out of this a lot wiser as well as a bit better off... Thanks for the replies popeye

Hi all Another new member for the 'Brian Smith Fan Club' ! He's certainly got the right initials for it hasn't he Anyway, I've just received what seems to be the now standard reply from Mr BS, offering the difference between £12 and the various fees charged on my account. Obviously, this is not acceptable so I'm about to file my court claim - but wondered if I need to amend anything on the templates in view of recent events with Lickthewallfatboy ? The letter also states: 'In a recent court case involving my client, Joeblow v Citi, the fairness of the above policy and the fairness of the £12 charges was raised. The case was dismissed and the court implicitly held that the policy was fair and the charges reasonable, being in line with both the OFT guidance and common law principles of damage for breach of contract. Citi does not wish to enter litigation with it's customers but will do so if necessary to discourage speculative and ill conceived cases founded on a misunderstanding of the OFT report. with the benefit of this judgement behind it, Citi will continue to deal with claims in the manner outlined above' From reading through the threads I know a few people are getting replies along these lines (Bookwork - I'm also going to write to the various bodies about it !!), and I'm wondering if I should stick anything in my claim about it? Anyone with any advice or suggestions, please chip in. And if there is anything that can't be posted feel free to PM me. Keep up the good work guys

Hi Jan sorry to hear that you have had such a bad time recently - keep reading the forums and hopefully they will give you some inspiration.... they have certainly worked for me !!! best bet is to start your own thread - then people can keep track of your claim and advise on your case as needed. The people on here are a wonderful community with some fantastic experience to draw on. As long as you folllow the advice on here you won't go far wrong. Go get em - and keep us informed !! popeye ;-)

Hello All Had a bit of a nail biting weekend as the 'BIG DAY' was Saturday 22nd - hadn't received anything so had a look at MCOL and my claim was still showing as acknowledged. I thought they had forgotten about me !! I had a little gleeful chuckle as I pictured the baliffs going after them for a change and with a huge TaaaDaaahh pressed the judgement button..... Then I got a crappy message saying that the defendant had 28 days from date of service etc etc etc etc. As far as I was concerned that was up on Saturday, so I decided to read through some more stuff online to see what the problem was. Then it came to light that if the 28 days end on a weekend or Bank Holiday the defendant has until the next working day to reply - and guess what, true to form lloyds filed their defence today. At least it means we are one step nearer, and looking at all the other threads it seems that they might actually start talking when the AQ goes back and a court date is allocated. Will post the defence when it arrives, but expect it to be the usual stuff. Lets all try and keep up the good work - makes me feel better everyday when I look at the survey results !! Popeye:oops:

Hi Devious I'm just a little bit behind you - they had until last Saturday to file a defence and I thought they had forgotten..... But as MCOL wouldn't let me file for judgement online, l I read through the tutorial and realised that they had until the next working day if the end date was a weekend and guess what - this morning defence filed ! On the positive front, it does mean we can get the AQ sorted and reading through the other threads it looks like the end is usually in sight pretty soon after that. Going to start preparing my court stuff though, just in case !! Good Luck Popeye:)

Hi Does anyone have any email addresses for those nice folks at Capital One? I'm trying to get them to calculate my compound interest for me and for some reason they won't reply to my letters or phone calls? As we are almost at MCOL stage (9 days to go), I'm trying to give them every chance to come up with a figure (and I'm trying to find out if theirs is anything like mine as it seems a huge amount !!! :o ) Any help appreciated Popeye

Just Updating Money claim filed 18/08/2006 - fingers crossed !! I've also recieved a letter from Sechiari, Clark & Mitchell today threatening me with baliffs etc etc as I've not complied with the CCJ (compiled entirely of bank charges) !! At least it will give me a chance to speak to them and maybe sort out an early settlement??? Popeye:p

Hi all Got my last 'rejection letter' from Mandy Horton. Again detailed below just to keep my thred complete and so others can compare when they get theirs !! Going to fill out my MCOL this afternoon. I'm also about to start with my LTSB credit card, but I'm a bit confused about the interest charges. I'm going to have a go at calculating the interest that they've actually charged me (I know vamp has a spreadsheet for it) as most of my charges are pretty old (oldest is 1650 days, but loads over a 1000 days). However, I'm not sure if I then add on another 8% when I get to the court stage? Obviously, it seems like this is adding it on twice - but I'd like someone with more knowledge to advise prior to me cocking anything up. Not long to go now :) Dear popeye Thank you for your letter dated 30th July 2006. Iam sorry to hear that you have not been happy with our response to date. Unfortunately there is little I am able to add to our letter dated 19th July 2006 as we have outlinedthe bank's position on the points you have raised, although I do repect your opinion about our charges. This letter is the bank's final response, which means that if you remian dissatisfied you may refer your complaint to the financial ombudsman Service. if you decide to pursue your complaint through the Financial Ombudsman Service you must do so within 6 months from the date of this letter. Their details are as follows: BLah Blah Blah

Hi All Received what appears to be the 'bog standard' reply from LTSB - posting here just to keep my thread complete ! I can't believe how patronising the tone of this letter is - basically saying that now they've explained it all to silly old me, they are sure that I'll be OK with it all.... I think not (particularly as I pay over 2k a month into this account and they still won't give me an overdraft despite several requests, so the reference to raising the limit really made me growl) GRRRrrrr. LBA will be posted today or tomorrow. Dear XXXX, Thank you for getting in touch with us. I am sorry you are unhappy over your account charges. Like any business, we do make a charge for some of our extra services. When a customer doesn't have enough in their account to cover a payment, this always means additional work. We must either make the payment for you via an overdraft or send the payment request back. Either way it has to happen speedily. We feel it's only fair to charge for the extra work involved. Of course it's only fair, too, that we're completely open about any charged-for services before you take them up. That's why we take care to provide every customer with the latest guide to our charges. You can also get up-to-date details about fees and borrowing rates at all of our branches, via out helpline and on our website. Just as importantly, we do everything we can to help or customers avoid charges altogether. I'm sure you'll know how easy it is to keep a running check on how much is in your account. You're free to get an up-to-date balance at any of our cash machines, over the phone, online and nowadays even by text to your mobile. If you know a payment is going to take you over the limit, you'e welcome to see if we can raise your limit - and we can usually give you an answer straightaway. You might know, too, that we don't usually charge fees if it's the first time in 10 months that you've gone overdrawn without agreeing it with us beforehand. And we never charge an overdraft excess fee more than three times in one month, however times you go over your limit. You've mentioned the new guidelines from the Office of Fair Trading on credit card default charges. We don't agree with the OFT's thinking on this and we're still talking it through with them. But the important point is that the guidelines only concern 'default' charges. The fees we charge for going over an overdraft limit and for returned payments are not any kind of default penalty. They are fixed standard prices for the service we provide in these situations. So according to our legal experts, the OFT's guidelines on credit card default charges do not in any way apply. I do hope you can see that we make our charging system as fair as possible - and why I cannot agree to cancel your charges. In case you haven't received a copy of our leaflet called 'How to voice your concerns' I've enclosed one with my letter. This tells you all you need to know about resolving your complaint with us. If you're still unhappy, please don't hesitate to tell me what more you would like me to do. If we cannot agree on a solution at that point, I can help you refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service for independant review. So long as you feel I've dealt satisfactorily with the points you raised with us, there's no need for you to reply. If I have not heard back from you 4th September 2006, I will take it that matters are resolved between us - though of course I'll be happy to hear from you should you come back at any point afterwards. Yours sincerely Mandy Horton.

Hi Reload Thanks for the reply ! I tried the consolidation loan search before I posted and couldn't find the post I had in mind, but I'm off work today so I'll try a couple of variations - I'm sure something will be relevant. And thanks for the advice about the court costs, this was something I was definitely going to add on (probably twice as they've taken me to court twice !!) Thanks again - and you lot really are an inspiration for us 'newbies'. I can't believe how much help and information is available on these boards, and I've learnt more about banks and finncial matters in the last 4 weeks than I have in the last 40 years !! Very Determined Popeye

Hi All 2 quick questions befoe I complete my prelim letter: 1. In the middle of my particular financial nightmare I was advised by LTSBs credit control dept to take out a consolidation loan for the amounts I had outstanding on my credit cardit and bank account. I think I've read somewhere on the forums about someone in a similar situation who managed to claim the loan amount back! Trouble is I can't find the post now ....anybody any ideas?? 2. LTSB have actually taken me to court twice over all this and although I don't have the apers to hand for the case for my credit card, I know they added on £210 for fees for my bank account case - anyone know if it's realistic to try and claim this back? The sum I'm actually going to claim is more than the amount they took me to court for... Any advice appreciated. Popeye

Hi Dave I didn't have a clue about % APRs and things when I took the card out - turns out it 27.9% so even at £75 a month I can never even make a dent in the balance - and as you quite rightly said the helpdesk are anything but !! Can't wait to see what the charges are though This site is helping me get over some of the 'gibbering wreck' stuff and there is some light at the end of the tunnel for the first time in ages - hopefully it will be the same for your wife. Good luck to you both & keep us all posted Bev

Hi All Hope you can help - I've got something very similar to this ongoing with Lloyds TSB and I'm about to post the prelim letter but I'm unsure about the default para. Obviously I must have defaulted on this because I ended up with a CCJ, so do I just leave the para as it is or do I need to add something about the CCJ as well? Or have I get the wrong end of the stick and I might be able to get the default removed but not be able to do anything about the CCJ? Any help appreciated Bev :?

Hi Dave Just read your post and my heart goes out to you and your wife. I've been in the same position with the Associates (now Citibank) and I've been paying off a £3,000 debt for more than 7 years and guess what - I still owe £2,838 because I can't get them to reduce the interest despite paying £75 a month religiously. AAAArRRRRRRRggggghhhhhhhhhhh Anyway, having read the forums for a couple of weeks now, I'm sure there are people on here who can give you some practical advice to help your situation. I know I certainly feel better having started the process to try and get some cash back from these heartless ***** !!! Try and keep your chin up Best Wishes Bev

Hi all I've been hanging around the forums for a couple of weeks now, and although some of the 'legalese' is still a bit daunting, I've finally decided to give it a go ! I sent off my DPA requests 10 days ago and I've just received the first one back from LTSB - but I'd like some advice before I go any further. My first query is about the actual charges themselves - I understand from reding the posts that most people are claiming things like the overdraft usage fee back, but what about the amounts quoted for overdraft interest charges? I don't want to get myself mixed up by adding these amounts on and then calculating the overall interest on the total amount if this means I'm trying to claim it twice? Second problem is that they are saying that they can't find any information about a credit card I had with them, which is a bit odd as they took me to court to recover the balance ! I did in fact pay this off before the court hearing but surely they should still have the information? I know from other posts that sometimes when debt collection agencies are involved (as in this case) the data seems to go a bit awry - but I'm not sure who I should hassle to try and get it? Do I go for LTSB and wait to add this on to my other claim or should I press ahead with the info I have and sort this bit out later? Sorry if this is a bit of a ramble, but I'm pretty psyched about possibly getting something back from TSB who have had been absolutely awful to deal with over the last couple of years !! As a final point, in my initial letter I asked for statements going back to 1999, but I've only received statements back to 22/05/00, so I wonder if their staff have received any instructions on only going back 6 years from the date of the letter? Anyway, thanks for listening - and any help or advice would be much appreciated. POPEYE