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Aaronsdad

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Everything posted by Aaronsdad

  1. Hi Folks, It's been a while since I've been on this site because I finally got back on my feet after Halifax refunded me everything. So what happened? Well, I was doing voluntary work in India over winter. The call centre assured me I could use internet banking whilst there. Three times I phoned, informed them I would be there, checked about internet access etc. Of course I was told everything would be fine. When I got there my card was declined. I tried to go online to see what was happening - India is a blocked country. Had to phone the ridiculous 0844 number and spent 30 minutes on hold (good job India is cheap). Eventually I got everything working again. When I was on my way home my card was retained in Bahrain. It took seven weeks to get another card and access my online banking. To my horror I was overdrawn by a couple of hundred pounds. Seems they'd neglected to tell me that they charge not only a percentage of foreign withdrawals but £1.50 too. I know it's in the small print somewhere but this is not what the call centre told me during the three calls above! There was also a payment of £108 which didn't ring any bells. I queried it, pestered them and got it refunded. A month later I was overdrawn because they'd taken it back without notice. They then sent me a copy of the transaction which has a very good signature on it. Trouble with that is I was 400 miles north on that day! Whilst that's reflected in my blog I can't really prove it. That was the start, from being a model customer with no charges for a year I am now reaching £1000 in charges this year. Same old story, as soon as you think your head is above water they hit you with more. Tried using the financial hardship angle to no avail but I did have a bit of a result today as they refunded £50 as a goodwill gesture. And to the point! They offered to move my account to a Choice account. It seems a good deal both from what I was told and from their website. Having searched forums I can't find anymore about it. Does anyone having anything to say, good or bad? Finally, my complaint is registered with the bank. I'm not up to speed with the current situation, should I still file in court now? Any ideas gratefully received. Will keep you posted.
  2. You can use Royal Mails website 'Track and Trace' facility to monitor where your recorded delivery package is. If after a few days it isn't showing as delivered you can then start to chase it and you hacve only lost a few days. The Halifax are lying so and so's don't trust them. Another way if it is convenient is to hand letters in at a branch and get a receipt. Let's see them try and use the excuse of non delivery then! It's pointless ringing up to see if they have received a SAR etc because their internal mail system is useless. Using the methods above is a fine way to get a date of delivery and use that as the next two week period between letters and filing a claim. A D
  3. I walked down St cyrus beach this morning with the dog and there was definitely NO blue sky! Just me getting soaked and a daft dog chasing waves! A D
  4. In my humble opinion Tell them to F*** Off Then take them to court on the day you told them you would! ie 14 days after your LBA. If you don't know what a LBA is read, read, read. If you follow the instructions on this site you should be reimbursed in 6 weeks max! A D
  5. I don't think there is any reason to panic over whether you write Pursuer or Defendant. In law the basic is 'what a reasonable man thinks'. It's pretty much self explanatory what a claimant is and I can't think of anything it could be construed as other than what we mean. I have found courts to have the most helpful staff when you are on your own (ie without a solicitor) but ultimately it's up to a judge, magistrate, sheriff to read and understand our point. I know some of them live on another planet but the majority put their trousers on one leg at a time like the rest of us. BUT apart from that guy with Lloyds how many of us anticipate actually going to court? A D
  6. So far I have successfully helped two people here in Scotland, with BOS accounts, to win using MCOL in England. You need an English correspondence address but it is possible. One claim was for a small amount from last year but the other was for £4800 and went back eight years. Both were settled after the usual posturing of submitting a defence but both were paid the 8% interest under s69 that the court would have awarded. The big one was just under £8000 Remember that you don't claim the 8% until you file in court (only the court can award it). So in short, claim back as far as you want. Only claim for the interest that the charges actually cost you and don't worry about the 8% until court. A D
  7. If you read the announcements at the top of the forum you will see that we are being actively encouraged to go back more than six years. So I would say - do it! When you fill out your spread sheets (use the ones in the library - it makes life easier) you will see what to put ie Excess O/D, Charges as notified etc. It also works out the interest for you. Now here's the thing. DO NOT claim interest at all, don't even print it out when you send copies to the bank. To all intents and purposes interest doesn't really exist until you go to court. That's the first time you claim your 8%. If it's contractual interest I'm not your man. Best advice I can give is go into the library (on this site) and read read read. Any more just shout. A D
  8. I would use the Halifax address from the beginning. This one will do for all. Halifax plc Trinity Road HALIFAX HX1 2RG Address all letters there because when you file in court thats the address you use for them. A D
  9. Yup you can! Me and two others here in the NE of Scotland have gone down the road I outlined. I'm now on my 4th claim, one mate on first and one on second. It's tried and trusted and works! There really isn't any difference between BOS and Halifax claims providing you can get the all important English postal address (but there are people on here that can help with that!) If you need anything else please shout! A D
  10. Go to the library of this site. Send the letters that are there as templates. Forget about 5 years - claim everything. If they don't pay and your claim is for less than £5000 and you can get a postal address in England use MCOL (Money claim online) regardless of where you live. Here's your first letter (if you know how much to claim) http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/bank-templates-library/671-2-letter-preliminary-approach.html If you don't know then send this one with a tenner. http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/bank-templates-library/516-1-data-protection-act.html Best advice is to read, read and read! Good luck A D
  11. Yes. They gave me back every charge they had made on my mortgage, even the arrangement fee and the closure fee. I dealt with Iain Blackwood on 01383 426865. A D
  12. That's terrible. This link to the library might help http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/bank-templates-library/42170-right-appropriation-stop-bank.html A D
  13. Myself and two friends who all live in Scotland have used the MCOL website to (successfully) claim against BOS. You need an English postal address (there are threads on here about that) . It means you can claim for £5000 and 6 years in one go. I've read posts on here about difficulties in Scotland over numerous claims. If you are adamant about pursuing in Scotland then your next step is to raise an Ordinary Action. It can be done by a layman but very inadvisable, better to use a solicitor. You are then liable for costs too if awarded against you. My friend went down this road, cost him £400 and all the solicitor had achieved was to write to BOS and write a letter to him saying they will only pay back the difference between the charges claimed and £12 (he got that off a website but was wrong). Six weeks later and £120 to MCOL we were on the razzle the other night because they repaid £4000. Up to you but MCOL will probably be the cheapest route by far. Also look at the Scottish thread on this site. I can't find it! But it is there! A D
  14. Do you have any friends or relatives in Englandshire? If so, and you can use them as a postal address (and that's all it is) you can use MCOL and do it all on line in the English court at £5k a shot! A D
  15. I agree, it's pathetic. A multi billion earning company hasn't had the foresight to realise the avalanche of claims that would be coming and not put the realistic resources in place? Hardly instills confidence in a fiduciary! (Person trusted with your cash - learned that on this site!!!!!) Just had a thought - all Halifax card service mail has a Dunfermline address. Will this stop me, as a Scottish resident, using MCOL? Not fussed either way, just wondered. finally. A friend I've been helping was repaid £4k on Monday so we went to the bank yesterday and withdrew it as a bankers draft to put in his parachute account. After answering dozens of 'security' questions the final one was. "What is it for?" My friend stuttered for a moment, but never lost for words I told him, loudly, "Mind your own f....g business". So, we went to the business counter as he wanted details of a previous business account that he didn't know the number of. Despite having his passport, utility bills and statements of his current account (we were forearmed) and the fact he'd just answered all but one security questions the answer was. Wait for it! "You have to bring in a staement or something that shows the account number because that's the only way to access it!" Pity I'd been asked to leave by then! So fight them at every turn. We'll win!! All the best A D
  16. You would probably get the same letter back saying they have 8 weeks to investigate! In the immortal words of Life of Brian 'Splitters!' A D
  17. No probs we were all virgins once! Read my first couple of posts I was shaking when typing!!!!! MCOL = Money claim on line. Something the English have over us! (That's only 1 - 0!) Scottish law is a bit antiquated. Using MCOL you can sue someone etc for up to £5k. It's a piece of p.. You fill out a form on line and sit back and wait for the decision. Here's a link to it MCOL You can go into the website, register yourself (properly) then go about suing me for a million pounds for not spelling corectly correctly! Nothing happens until you get to the payment page. Obviously if your suing me you cancel it and nothing happens. I know we shouldn't (it's an official website!)but you can have a good play with it so that you are comfortable on the day that you actually sue them. You can do a bit at a time and come back to it. If you used the spreadsheets from this site you should be able to determine how many charges take you to the £5k threshold off the top of my head I think you will need one max claim then another to mop up the rest. Regardless of what you choose to accept or ignore please please please take the time to read read and then read again all the advice in the library and on the announcements at the top and of course all the threads. It's not difficult, can't be I did it! Best of luck A D
  18. My signature has gone walkies Here's the links I referred to http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/halifax-bank-bank-scotland/51541-aaronsdad-them-again.html http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/aarons%20dad%20v%20Halifax%20***SETTLED%20IN%20FULL***[url=http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/halifax-bank-bank-scotland/51541-aaronsdad-them-again.html][/url]
  19. Try ringing this lady she was very helpful to me when I was hitting a brick wall. Jacqui Mackenzie Senior Customer Relations Manager 01383 426821 Regardless of what she says/offers send this from the library too. http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/bank-templates-library/6986-data-protection-act-non.html the more people that complain about them not conforming to the DPA law the better it will be in the future. If you read through my previous saga there are loads of contact details and also a couple in the present one. A D
  20. The template letters in the library are adequate for our purpose. As noodle says we're on OUR timescale now - NOT theirs! One small point, when you give them 2 weeks make sure it's two weeks from receipt. If you don't use track and trace give them two days which is seen as 'reasonable' in court. What you are doing is building a case ready for court. So always be careful of what you agree to, write etc in case it comes back and bites you! As I said the letters in the library got me and others thousands! The only letter you need to worry about is the one that says here is all your money! Until then stuff them! A D
  21. Here's a link to the library Rejecting offers You could accept the offer as part payment. I don't think they will actually give you it unless it's for a final settlement. If they did, that only leaves four grand to claim. Don't be fooled into thinking you have to use the Scottish courts just because we live in Scotland. I've been through the English court system twice and two friends once each. All you need is an English postal address and there are various threads on here telling you more. You will need to do some homework but would it be possible to split your claim into two that are under £5k and then proceed on MCOL? I don't know I'm only trying to give you ideas! Only you can decide your next move. go to the library and read read read! Library Best of luck, I'll be watching with interest. A D
  22. Sorry, misunderstood. I successfully claimed 7yrs 9 mths. Friend claimed just over 8 yrs and another claimed nearly seven in Scotland where the limit is five years. I read on here the other day about someone claiming over 10 years and had been offered a reasonable settlement don't know what the decision was though. Mind you there is no consistency with Halifax, offers, timescales etc are different for everyone. Try it, what can you lose £120 court fee? A D
  23. My blood boiled for a while. Halifax are pillocks but in claiming back from current and mortgage accounts the service was frosty but helpful. Now I'm claiming back CC charges the service is awful. They don't seem to know what they're doing. My prelim was delivered on 24/2, LBA two weeks later and they recorded it on their system 13/4! Six weeks to register I sent a letter? Prats! Anyway, we're right they're wrong so we'll always win! A D
  24. This business of charging up to £100 for your statements is comlpete bull! This comes from the governments website, link below. Getting access to your information The Act, with some exceptions, gives you the right to find out what information is held about you by organisations. This is known as the 'right of subject access'. On written request, you are entitled to be supplied with a copy of all the information an organisations holds about you. The organisation may charge a fee for providing the information, up to a maximum of £10 in most instances and up to £50 in the case of manual (i.e. non-electronic) medical records. To see what information is held on you by credit reference agencies costs £2. Direct gov DPA Note the line about all the information an organisation holds about you. Legally, and please correct me if I'm wrong, when we send a DPA we should receive details of EVERYTHING that they hold, ie statements, letters sent, phone calls made and received, overdrafts arranged, mortgages applied for and all the details on their screens in front of them when we ring etc etc etc If they don't and enough of us complain they will lose their license and will be unable to operate. I'd like to see that! So in a nutshell, the law says a maximum of £10 if they say any different take their name and tell them you need it to report them to the DP commissioner. Report them too! Then if you fancy doing it make a complete pest of yourself by insisting that you get every scrap of info they hold about you! Just had a thought before I hit send. The £5 fee that they are trying to charge is for 'replacement statements' as per their T&C's. If the person you're dealing with doesn't understand the difference I'd go above their heads until someone does. A D
  25. There are loads of us claiming back well over 6 years. If you look at the announcements above the threads there is an article actively encouraging us to do so! Go for it! A D
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