Okonski, you are being so helpful to me, thank you... I actually had a thing called Vodafone Passport on my account which caps calls while roaming to 75p for up to an hour's call. Though I imagine your point about Premium Nos isn't covered by this. Because I have been ill recently, (I ws actually in Belgium for an operation), I'm currently on JSA of £57.45 a week, so you can imagine this elephantine bill is quite scary... I have done some research and rung Vodafone again this morning and a manager will call me back within 48 hours. Am going to try and get proof that I reported it as missing abroad and see if that counts for anything. Also am about to check if I am covered for liability on my household contents section of my insurance. Any further gems that occur to folk, greatly appreciated once more... Thank you for such a supportive site. 221b

Bounce...

Thanks Okonski My phone is PIN locked, just it was fully blinking charged when I had it nicked and they obviously didn't switch it off, just kept on phoning or downloading or buying porn or whatever it was. Criminy, how does one run up a bill that large in such a short space of time? I'm getting very tearful now as I'm frightened I'm going to be threatened with legal action or something awful, and I really just have no way of paying. I need my mobile for work as I'm self-employed - it's a bit of a lifeline for me and I can't be without it for that reason. I will use your anti-fraud argument; if anyone else has something that I might use as ammunition in my letter to Vodafone that I must write first thing tomorrow, then all contributions very gratefully received... 221b:confused:

The bill is over £1,700!!!!!!!!!!!!! Surely Vodafone have a duty of care to me to have put a bar on this phone when the calls were this high in the space of 16 hours!! I am extremely upset about this as I have absolutely no means to pay this astronomical bill. Please, if you have any advice, please share it with me. I am very frightened by this situation. Thanks. 221b

I'm not sure; they've stopped doing it for some reason... Have been with Vodafone for 7 years now and have been a very good customer of theirs. Do you think that this would count for anything? Can I threaten to leave them? Clutching at straws slightly as I don't know what else to do and I can't afford the massive bill - my bills never go above £40 absolute max, usually low £30s and suddenly it's hit a massive hike into the hundreds I imagine for the first time in 7 years and while my phone was abroad (I got cut off just as Customer Service were giving me the worst, but they asked if I was sitting down, so I guess it's pretty hideous) If this were a credit card company, they would do a security check immediately there was abnormal use on the card, especially abroad.... Any further suggestions? Thanks in advance... 221b

Hello Had my mobile stolen abroad recently, when I was pickpocketed. I reported it to the relevant authorities immediately in Brussels and phoned Vodafone immediately on my return to the UK the next day to cancel the phone. I have now been sent a phenomenal bill by Vodafone. Am I liable to pay any of this bill? As phone calls aren't itemised anymore, I don't know how much of the bill is pre-cancelling my phone and how much is post-cancelling it. Have tried to get this info from customer services, but they disappear off the line for so long to go and check and then my call is terminated before tehy return. Can I make Vodafone with all their billions, write off the whole of this debt? What is the best approach if anyone has been here before? Ultimately, I reported it to the relevant authorities the minute I knew it was stolen. I was in Belgium for an operation and had no internet access or anything similar, nor was I in a fit state to do anything further than contact the Belgian police while recovering from anaesthetic. I had no idea what Vodafone's number was abroad, and trying to make my self understood to other people in what I was trying to do was hard enough even with the Police out there. Help!! What do I do? Many thanks... 221b

Thanks Ryjayel How are you getting on? Any further suggestions or experiences realting to this would be most welcome... Many thanks, 221b

My Barclaycard account has had not seen activity on it since approx 2003 and I don't even have a current Barclaycard as I paid off my balance years ago. They are saying that as a result, they have nothing on record "in a relevant retrieval system" for me, yet in the same breath are offering to issue me statements at a cost of £3 a pop. So, do these statements not count as relevant records that they should supply me with copies of FOC under the S.A.R - (Subject Access Request)? How can they say on the one hand that they don't have the info, then offer to sell it to me on the other?!! I just want to be clear on my position and what to say to them as the 40 days have been and gone (27th Sept) and I've just got two poxy letters for my £10 S.A.R - (Subject Access Request) fee so far! Any suggestions as to what I might do next? I'm aware that I need to proceed with their non-compliance of S.A.R - (Subject Access Request), but any other suggestions? How should I word it? I can't really estimate the charges at this stage as I really haven't a clue what they might be, having cleared out all the statements at the time and written it off as bad loss before the current trend for us consumers claiming back our fees had even started... Many thanks... 221b

Thank you barracad I didn't realise that... I suppose the institutions 'bank' on us not knowing how they operate and what's feasible and isn't... I shall proceed with my SAR straight away and state my current Gold card number and refer to the previous classic card and that I have no record of the A/c number. Many thanks Helen

Hello Similar to HSBCrusher in that I am amaking a multi-claim from GE Capital... My slight prob is that they have sent me back a gushingly apologetic letter stating that as some of the accounts are so old and now closed that they can't provide me with the statements for those accounts. Strangley enough, all the accounts they can provide me with statments for are the ones where I was a very good girl and never missed a so**ing payment. Any suggestions as to what I might do? The letter seems sincere, but I have my doubts re: not being able to acces the older statememts. Surely legally they are duty bound to hang onto statements for some considerable time, many years I'd have thought, similar to the banks, who hang onto statements for as far back as 1992? Any advice as to how I might procees greatly appreciated... 221b

As this is a RB(O)S Classic Visa card, not sure if this is the appropriate place to post, but apologise if not... I currently have a RBOS Gold credit card which I shall be sending a SAR for shortly. In addition, I had a RBS Classic Visa card when I was a student for about 2 years between 2001 and 2003. I've since destroyed all statements, closed the account and had written it off in my head as a bad loss... until I discovered this website! I have writen to RBS giving all of my previous addresses, details of my current card and so on, but they say they are unable to give me the account details for my previous Classic card as the account was closed some time ago, even though I was assured over the phone that they could give me the account number for the old card if I applied in writing. I have no idea of the account number and can't begin to make a SAR until I do so. I'm sure RBS are aware of this and are just hedging. Is there anyting I can do to force their hand on this as I am stumped without an account number? Many thanks 221b

Hello Glenn and all other interested parties! I've received the general standard letters you mention above implying they run their storage system via a load of counters in a paper bag, but now I've hit upon a further problem: My account has had not seen activity on it since 2003 and I don't even have a current Barclaycard as I've paid off my balance years ago. They are saying that as a result, they have nothing on record for me, yet in the same breath are offering to issue me statements at a cost of £3 a pop. So, do these statements not count as relevant records that they should supply me with copies of FOC under the SAR? How can they say on the one hand that they don't have the info, then offer to sell it to me on the other?!! I just want to be clear on my position and what to say to them as the 40 days have been and gone (27th Sept) and I've just got two poxy letters for my £10 SAR fee so far! Any suggestions as to what I might do next? I'm aware that I need to proceed with their non-compliance of SAR, but any other suggestions? I can't really estimate the charges at this stage as I really haven't a clue what they might be, having cleared out all the statements at the time and written it off as bad loss before the current trend for us consumers claiming back our fees had even started... Many thanks all... Helen (221b)

Thanks Zootscoot - I tried, but his mailbox is full, surprise surprise! Instead I trawled through his threads and I think I've found what I was looking for. Many thanks 221b

Hello Glenn How are you getting on with B'stard Card? I'm keen to know as I've just received the bizarre "microfiche/can't give you statements/records inaccesible/we don't use computers, just an abacus" load of bolony letter... Have they replied to your letter of the 22nd yet? I too will write to them tomorrow and see how they respond! Good Luck Helen (221b)

Hello All Have written my initial S.A.R - (Subject Access Request) letter to Barclaycard. They sent this (edited) reply... Unfortunately we are unable to to disclose any statement documentation to you pursuant to your request under the Data Protection Act as there has been no transactional data on your account since may 2004. May I clarify that the Data Protection Act provides you with the right to a copy of your own personal data where that data is stored on a relevant filing system. B'card statements held prior to May 2004 are stored on microfiche. They are not stored by reference to account number or customer name and are not "readily accessible" within the meaning of the Data Protection Act. These statements are therefore not retained in a relevant filing system and therefore do not fall within the class of documents to be produced pursuant to a SAR. They can be obtained from our Customer Service Dept at a cost of £3 per statement (so they have got them then - yet they say they can't provide me with statements, Oh, but they will if I cough up £3 a pop - not bl**dy likely!) Furthermore, we are unable to provide a computer print-out of transactions on your account to date. Our computer systems do not permit us to print such historic data. Neither do our computer systems allow us to search for and identify individual charges applied to an account. It is therefore, not possible to provide you with a print-out of such charges. I would also add that Barclaycard did not introduce default charges on its accounts until mid 2001. etc... I believe they are still using an abacus system then, powered by carrot or something... Do they seriously expect me to believe their systems are that archaic? Any suggestions for next step to take? Has anyone else had this letter - what did you do? All contributions very gratefully received! Thanks Helen

Many thanks hagenuk for your prompt response! Helen

Hello My first post on here! Just a clarification really... Am about to launch into pursuing RBS and Barclays for unfair bank charges and have used the great template letters to do so. Would also now like to pursue late payment charges from store cards and credit cards. My question is this: If I do not have all the charges information to hand - I've only kept the most recent statements (and some of the cards I no longer have), can I use the template for enquiring as to the details of my bank charges, also for the credit card companies or do different rules apply? I've no idea of some of the charges I've paid to credit card companies over the past few years but wasn't sure if the procedure and law is the same - ie send them £10 and the standard letter asking them to detail all the charges. Many thanks in advance for your help... Helen