Hi guys, Just thought I'd try to keep you updated on what's happening. I've started getting my statements through after sending my SAR. They sent my £10 fee back before I'd received any information. In the accompanying letter they said & I quote: "We are happy to waive any fees for the production of this information and we return your payment". I must say I was surprised at the instant response, though I'm not expecting the rest to be so straightforward. At the mo I'm trying to work through Step 2 of this process it does take a lot of time to do it thoroughly. I don't want to find I've missed something or overlooked something in my haste to press on with this matter. Will let you know how I get on. Can anybody give me any good advice as to how to make this part of the process simpler please? bze lizzy

Hi, I have identified the number the calls were supposedly made to at a time when I was definitely in bed asleep. I am quite prepared to pay for the calls I have made & for services used which should be about £65 which is my average monthly bill. I recently experienced nuisance calls on my mobile. The culprit/s were identified by my provider who passed the info to Beds Police. They lost the info, I made a statement, was told they couldn't act because they were protected by data protection. They refused to investigate the matter further either through laziness, apathy, or unwillingness to do the appropriate paperwork. I therefore then registered both my landline and mobile phone with the telephone preference service. Result - calls stopped. bze lizzy

Hi, Thanks for the info hopefully I'll be able to get this matter resolved soon. bze lizzy

Hi Welly, Thanks again for that. I agree I think I do need to contact Ofcom, before I get into yet another very stressful situation taking on businesses and their unending red tape. Do you have any contact details for them please? Is there also a proper format for dealing with them? Would I be able to find a template letter in the site library? bze lizzy

Hi, Thanks for that I'll give it a try soon. bze lizzy

Hi, Thanks Zoe, It comes to something doesn't it when you think by having everything in one place you are making things easier for yourself, only to find out as far as HSBC is concerned the opposite is true. I expect all the banks are the same though, don't you? How are you coping with your dealings with them? bze lizzy

Hi again, Many thanks for the info I'll once again take it on board. To be honest I still feel a bit of a newbie at this and computing in general I'm embarrassed to say so please forgive me and understand if I ask silly questions that seem to be straightforward but not necessarily so to me. Thanks again for the advice and support, bze lizzy

Hi Welly, Thanks for the advice, no unfortunately I do not have such a system. Would it help? bze lizzy

Hi, I have recently sent off my SAR, had the fees for the production of the information waived, and received my first batch of statements through. I'm feeling overwhelmed and starting to panic even though you said I had no need too but it's such a challenge and I don't want to add more problems to my situation. What would you advise me to do as best way to wade through this maze? Thanks bze lizzy

Hi, Thanks for that advice just last week I had yet another unpleasant phonecall. The female operator on the other end was quite abrupt & said you'd better sort things soon. At which point I thought enough is enough, although since receiving your email I had already decided to tell them where to go. I said I'm not able to talk now so I suggest that whatever the reason is for this call you put it to me in writing and if anything relating to my accounts occurs in the future you put those matters in writing too. To which I got a peeved hmm as if to say how very dare you. I ended the call. Ps how do I pm you if I need to I don't understand how it works please explain. bze lizzy

Sorry for delay in response to your advice. I'm starting to understand a little easier how to use the site. I did take your advice and sent off my SAR, within a week of submitting it I had a letter stating and I quote " we are happy to waive any fees for the production of this information and we return your payment". Is this a normal response from HSBC or any other bank? I have also now started to receive my batches of statements through the post. Could you please advise best way to sift through appropriate charges so that I can then be appropriately prepared for step 2 of this process. I'm trying not to panic!panic!panic! as already been advised by other buddies on this site but I'm feeling overwhelmed and don't wish to make mistakes that could add to my situation. Thanks again, bze lizzy

Thanks for that info it helps to have yet another perspective on it. Can I actually claim the monies paid back? bze lizzy

Dear Mike, I too have had problems with Euro carparks. In that I work for the railway and parked on rail property at my local station displaying my staff pass I was fined £80 reduced to £50 after contacting Euro carparks themselves, carpark appeal bodies, CAB (Citizens Advice Bureau) & my local MP. As soon as the latter was on the case things started being resolved asap. I must say I found the whole longwinded process very stressful but at least it's now resolved. I'd be interested to know if you can claim them back. Hope this helps, bze lizzy

Hi Guys, I'm hoping there is someone out there that can give me some help & guidance with my recent dispute with NTL. It started when I received my statement dated 19th June. I was shocked to find that they expected me to pay a bill for £124.05. I was immediately suspicious & decided to check it even more thoroughly than I normally do. My usual monthly bill for all my services with them is between £65 - £70 give or take according to the calls I make. Yet I'm seen as a low tarrif user. I discovered that they wanted to charge me for 79 calls I DID NOT make, and according to NTL I had made 60 calls to the SAME number on the SAME day with minutes only between calls. I immediately rang customer services and explained the situation. I am quite prepared to pay for the calls I have made but NOT for the ones I have not. I asked for the matter to be addressed and to give me a new bill as ammended with the rebate for the disputed calls. I was told that was quite acceptable, I should be able to get the money discounted as I was not disputing making ALL the calls on my bill just the specific 79. I outlined these to the operator who filled in a form her end detailing the facts of my dispute. I was told I would receive a phonecall within the next 24 - 48 hrs confirming this. Surprise, surprise....... not! No phonecall so I decided to ring them again. This time I was told the hold up was due to the form not being filled in correctly. This I find hard to believe as she sseemed to have been quite thorough checking & rechecking details to ensure she had all the facts. I had to repeat matters all over again & was told I'd get a phonecall once again within the next 24 - 48 hrs. I thought aye, aye! I've been here before. I'm not prepared to be given the runaround anymore. So after ending the call I printed off a grievance letter to customer services in Luton. I stated that they had 7 days to resolve the situation as I was prepared to take matters further. I then received a letter stating (I paraphrase the content here) " pay up or we'll suspend your services & add more charges to your account. The 7 days were up yesterday I checked the bank statement to see if NTL had been honourable but as expected they were not. Also on receipt of the first bill I instructed the bank in writing to freeze my D.D. to NTL. This they did today I have received another bill for July. They claim that my £124.05 is outstanding & demand payment plus my usage charges for this month that come to £65.93. Making total amount £189.98. I am quite prepared to pay the £65.93 as that is accurate. What is the best way to make this payment? Will they accept it? Please help! bze lizzy

Hi, I have recently been in a similar situation to yourself in that I was given an unfair parking ticket by Euro Carparks. I work at my local railway station and was given a parking ticket for as they put it "parking illegally" although I was on railway property and clearly displayed my parking permit. I took the following steps: 1) I made initial contact to the company by phone and followed this up with a letter. I kept a copy of the letter and noted when I'd contacted them. 2) They ignored and dismissed my claim and began sending me threatening letters. I kept copies of these too. 3) I went to the CAB (Citizens Advice Bureau) they contacted the company on my behalf. The notice was then put on hold while I continued to fight the decision. 4) I contacted the following appeal bodies: Parking & Traffic Appeals Service (London appeals) 02077474700 National Parking Adjudication Service(England, outside London, Wales) 01612425252 Scottish Parking Appeals Service 01312210409 British Parking Association 0144447300 5) Finally after gathering as much info as I could and researching into it. I found I was still battling bureaucracy so I found out the number of my local MP made initial contact with his office by phone. Then sent copies of EVERY piece of correspondence in my case to him he took over the matter and got the matter resolved on my behalf. It does take time but it will work out in the end. Hope this helps bze lizzy

Thanks guys, I've just read your messages and appreciate the support. I have taken the first step this morning in sending off my SAR to my local branch. I hope that was the right address and by recorded delivery as I didn't want them to conveniently say they had not received it. If they don't like it they can stick it where the sun don't shine. But I'm determined to get my money back, and with such helpful support from other folk who use this site hopefully I'll have the courage and chance to do so. Couple of quick questions. Transferring my account and mortgage? What are the best steps to take? I'm conscious of timescale 2. I contacted the CAB (Citizens Advice Bureau) who put me in touch with an organisation called "Who's Lending". They were quite helpful and concerned but suggested I may have to stay with HSBC for my mortgage in the short term because of the mess they'd got me into and that they are my main creditor. Is there a time limit on transfers and also I'm a bit concerned because aren't all banks the same? bze lizzy I also called in at a different branch to get print out copies of the most recent statement and I found the following as an example again. My pay goes into my account on 23/06/06 (as they are well aware) on 21/06/06 they took payment out for £160 for my flexi loan recalled it the same day and charged me another £30 for the priviledge then took the original payment out again the following day. On 5/7/06 they charged me an additional £10 for a supposed charge card misuse then on 7/7/06 paid out my monies for my council tax recalled it the same day and charged me yet another £30 for their service. I have already had more harrassing phonecalls too but I'm going to take the advice I received today and tell them that any further communication is to be put in writing.

Hi, I really do not know what to do, but I know I'm getting in a "2 & 8" over my dealings with HSBC. To tell you the truth, I really feel my health is suffering as a result of their bully boy tactics and phone call harrassment. It is a very long story but I'll try to be brief. Things started to go wrong in 2002/3 after my divorce. I'd moved home and at first got a mortgage with Nat West no problems with them at the end of the fixed term I had a mortgage with the Woolwich also no problems with them but however, during that short time I started getting problems with HSBC regarding fees and charges applied to my account. It was as if they were punishing me for not taking up their offer of taking out a mortgage with them. I went down to the bank several times to try to sort matters out I was determined not to bury my head in the sand. They didn't seem in the least bit interested in trying to help me just said " you'll have to re-examine your finances & make cutbacks" and gave me a leaflet to take away. I tried to explain to them that I was already being as careful as poss & my income mainly went on bills, leaving me very little at the end of each month. They were simply not interested or prepared to be reasonable & so began my interminable decline into debt. I asked them if they could stop the charges on my account because this was only making matters worse. I was told that couldn't be done as it was law and the only thing they could suggest was moving everything to one place i.e them. At the time I was naiive enough to think they knew best and agreed to move my mortgage, take out an equity loan, and have access to a flexi loan. They told me I would not have to pay mortgage fees but on transfer promptly charged me £400. I challenged it and was only given £20 back. At the time I thought I could do nothing about it. I also find it hard to save becausse I'm on low wages so I was extremely pleased to manage to save £3000. However, my pleasure was shortlived as they then started transferring money from my savings account to my current account without any notification. Can they do that? I am now left with no savings as last week after I'd managed to save £80 they took that as well. Can I claim these monies back too? At the moment I'm looking round for a new motgage lender as my term comes to an end at the end of this month, but because of the mess they have got me into I've found it impossible to find one. Up till now I've a clear credit rating but feel they will soon take that away too if I can't put breaks on this runaway cart. As they won't allow me to draw cash out of the bank I have to use my credit card to buy food etc & petrol to get to work which means my balance is increasing & ssoon I won't be able to use that. I feel as if they just want to repossess my property. I will then be homeless as I'd never be able to get back on the property ladder. I'm very frightened & have been signed off by the doctor for stress because of all of this & the non stop phonecalls telling me I'm overdrawn well who's fault is that. I've been trying to ignore them lately, rightly or wrongly.It is all financially crippling & I've told them I've got difficulties which I doing my best to sort out. But to no avail. What should I do? Has anybody got some suggestions please because of time scale. bze lizzy

Have just spent some time reading through the posts on this thread I would like to thank you guys for inadvertently answering some of the questions that have been going round and round in my head. Confused.......... Anxious.............. Vulnerable....... that's an under statement. Thanks to you guys I now know who to send my SAR too, as I've spent ages to find out from paperwork. Lesssson learnt should know better and seek advice from you guys. Someone mentioned managed loans I have an equity loan which I'm still paying for and a flexi loan which I had to take out as a result of the banks advice to cover my exceeding of my overdraft as a result of the charges imposed on my account. They also transsferred what savings I had into my current account too to try to settle things without any notification beforehand. Can they do that? Can I claim back these monies too as they have encrued interest and with all the fees and charges mounting up I feel I'm going under and heading for a nervous breakdown, which is also not helped by their collection service constantly ringing me to say "did you know you are well overdrawn" as if they didn't know that it's mostly their fault I'm in this predictament in the first place. At the moment they also will not allow me to draw money out of my account so I have to use my credit card to buy food etc and petrol so that I can get to work. That is now rising and I'm now getting interest on that too. When will it end............................... Any ssuggestions will be appreciated as I feel so much better when I've shared and heard back from you guys as I start not to feel so isolated. I'm very grateful for this site. bze lizzy

Hi Wolfie, It was good to make contact with someone on this site. I've taken your advice on board and thanks for the opportunity to ask further questions when I need to too. Thanks again, bze lizzy

Hi guys, I'm bze lizzy, and I'm having problems with my bank. HSBC seem intent on imposing unfair charges on me on a regular basis and I've had enough and want a refund. Can anyone please give some advice as to how to take things forward. Thanks, bze lizzy

Hi, I've just read your post and I'm in a similar situation as you though for a shorter length of time about 5years in all. Perhaps through this site with others we will be able to find the right path to the holy grail i.e take on HSBC and succeed. Good luck with your quest too. bze lizzy

Hi guys, I found this site by chance just the other day. I've made many mistakes trying to use this site properly, but it's good to know that I'm not alone in trying to take on the bureaucracy of my bank there are those of you out there that are attempting to do the same and seem to be being successful. I'd really like some help on what is the best way to get started in attempting to get my unfair bank charges with HSBC refunded. How do I go about it so that I don't leave loopholes for the bank to wheedle out of things? What is also the process of chain of contact in order to get matters resolved? What works best? bze lizzy

Hi, I really could do with some help, I've been struggling to find a way to find the best advice to take on HSBC. My problem with them seems to have been going on FOR EVER. In fact it has been going on since 2004. I've been down to the branch so many times now I feel as if I've been camping out there. At first they made polite noises & attempted to help but that wasn't their motive. Every month they have been charging me for being overdrawn plus interest charges too. Most times they have been charging me 24hrs before they know my wages go into my account. This is SO UNFAIR & VERY UNREASONABLE, when I told them that their unfair charges were making matters worse & to please do something about it after all I'd been a customer of theirs for some time now. All I was met with was " there's nothing we can do". Good customer service! I don't think so. bze lizzy

Hi Rachie, Thanks for the encouragement I've been getting it wrong too. It seems you like me, need help with using this site at least now I don't feel like the only one. bze lizzy