...as much use as a chocolate fireguard. Consequential loss hmm. 2 direct debits came off on the wrong date and a 3rd arrived from a company Id cancelled a year ago. I had £150 "cushion" which wasnt enough. This happened 2 days before pay day. I will be suffering the repercussions for 3 - 5 years because RBS bounced every legitimate cheque, SO and DD. The cheques - twice. My credit rating sucks big time. The FSA have found for the bank - at a time when anyone can get their charges back (because they can) I can't. I lived on cereal for a month. Im working to end all DD payments - open doors to anyone to take what they want and when. Anyone know a good lawyer out there? I feel sooo strongly that these multi-million pound organisations can rob poor people and there's not a thing we can do about it? Technically £350 - £500 down (food budget) - long term, disaster.

On 1st May - I parked on a piece of derelict ground at a back lane behind our office to carry a heavy boxful of reports into a meeting about to start. When I got back - about ten minutes later, there was a pouch stuck to my windscreen but no PCN. We all thought it was some cruel joke but it weighed heavily on my mind so I emailed the fines office in Aberdeen - they checked and emailed me back saying there was nothing on me. Today, I received a letter saying I have to pay £60. There was a single yellow line but I wasnt parked on the road side of it. Its a back lane any way and I wasnt obstructing anything either. From the letter the wardens waited 6 minutes. The area is an industrial estate with a couple of cottages stuck in the middle. Ive never ever seen wardens in the area before. Ive emailed the fines office (again) pleading with them to drop the charge - I hope they'll respond tomorrow in my favour and if not - CAN they make this stick? I wasnt parked illegally - there for about 8 minutes - unloading stuff. It's unfair and sneaky and horrible. Im a 51 year old grandmother - and secretary.

Update.... RBS Telephone Banking Customer Service actually said that I should "fight them all the way - I should NEVER paid charges under these circumstances" and that "this conversation and what he just said is recorded if I needed to use it". I've taken the next step and packaged up all details and correspondence and sent it (with the downloaded cover sheets) to FSA.

What I think it boils down to is these payments disappear from the man in the street's account in the blink of any eye sometimes early. They wander around in cyber space - earning money for your bank. I think its appalling that in this cyber age - we cannot transfer money when we hit "return". The banks can - when it suits THEM. I issued two cheques dated 7th January - they were paid on 28th December! I think RBS have been told by their head offices to [EDIT] take, take, take. It's not that they are protecting us from ourselves - getting into ever more debt - because all they're doing is slamming people into poverty in a sneaky way! [EDIT] I hate RBS too.

I have a similar problem - think the answer will be much the save advice so I'll watch this space. I took out PPI with a loan while I was "working", which is all that was asked, but for a disreputable firm who never did confirm my appointment - I lurched from short-term period to another until I started looking for other work but they got in before me and after some atrocious goings on - I found myself in the carpark with my possessions in a cardboard box. No I'm not incompetent or bad. There was a lot going on which, had I any legal rights I might have been able to do something about - but I left having signed a non-disclosure agreement for a month's money. Now my bank wants a letter from this bunch saying I never became staff at all but that would be admitting wrong-doing so they're not going to. Without this letter, the bank won't entertain my assertion that the PPI didnt apply to me in the first place and had I not been fortunate enough to find temp work elsewhere right away, they would never have paid out.

Ive been talking to my bank about my loan PPI with them. I said that from the time I signed up, I havent had a PERMANENT job - only contract/temp positions and only now this debate is raging do I realise that the policy would never pay out. Ive sent them everything I have - all my contracts to date. There was a period (when I took out the loan - confident I had a lucrative position) where I worked for a company that treated me very badly. I went there on the promise of great salary, company car, pension, ridiculously huge bonuses (they all get them) but it was on a temp with a view to perm basis. Their own agency arm paid me. I was greedy - good at what I do - I thought they'd make me permanent. I did realise they were crooked and began to look for a proper job but things came to a head. Anyway, I signed a confidentiality agreement and left. Loanguard want me to call them and get them to send them a letter declaring the basis of my contract there or they won't entertain my claim for return of PPI payments. They wouldnt write anything down - never did - that would be admitting wrong-doing on their part. From Loanguard's point of view, they could argue that I WAS in permanent employment and the PPI was applied correctly and not mis-sold - simply by default because I cannot prove otherwise. Should I give up? L