Hello mybrothershelper, Because of my problems with my bank in the run up to claiming my charges back, I ended up in all manner of bother with several cards as the bank left me with no money to pay them on occaision. Unfortunately I was so depressed by this and other personal problems I left it to stew and am now struggling along, although I have managed to agree reduced payments in the short term until I can formulate a more rigid and acceptable plan for both myself and them. Write to each in turn. Introduce yourself and explain why you are helping your brother, and ask them for their help and advice in sorting this out. They will probably ask for a statement of income and outgoings, so try to calculate this in advance to support your request. If things prove to be impossibly tight let them see that. No institution expects you to starve in order to pay them, and they will be hard with you and him to start with but please persevere. If they make a seemingly impossible demand, tell them so and counter their demand with an offer. As several companies are concerned, make sure each knows that they are not alone, but that you are taking the matter seriously to avoid any problems later on. If all else fails you could approach the CCCS who can help you to formulate a repayments plan and as they are both a free service (a charity) and recognised by the card companies and banks, they may provide the weight you need to progress in an orderly manner. My own solution will involve remortgaging our house to allow all the debts to become one single payment, but as we have had our mortgage for a fair time and the equity of the house far outweighs the value of the debt to be covered it seems an easier bet for us, but that is purely my opinion, and a decision we alone have made. Your direction will be different, but if you need help, there are plenty of people here to ask, and plenty of others who have sought help and posted here to tell how they got on. Your detachment from the debt, even though you are helping your brother, should help you to view it with a more realistic eye than I was able to with the debt as my own. The options are many and various, please check as many as possible and the path should become clearer for sorting this out. Your brother is lucky to have you. We are here if you need us, and can give hints and tips if the going gets tough. Best of luck, Roger66

Hello again SharryD, Familiarity is your friend here, as far as navigating the site is concerned. Just poke around in different sections, one at a time and see what each contains, as you will discover the real gems accidentally on purpose then. If necessary, bookmark individual pages in your browsers favourites section, so you can return to them as you need them, and copy any letter templates across as you find them and rename them to suit you personally. Looking through and reading the notes, FAQ sections and other peoples experiences will arm you for the weeks to come, and allow you to also ask questions that have a greater guarantee of an appropriate answer when you do need help. I am a member of several forums covering my varied interests so it doesn't seem too hard for me to scoot back and forth around here, but as you go just ask and we can help guide you along. To start a new thread, simply go to the first page of posts/threads listed for the bank, and at the bottom of that list on the left there is a 'New Thread' button. Click that and name it 'SharryD vs First Direct' and just write up the first post as a general quick intro to who you are, and what you're claiming. You don't have to be exact in the details, just give an idea of what you've done to date and the rough amount you're claiming. People will then read your post, and either just post to wish you luck, say how similar you are to them perhaps, or offer pinters or advice on furthering your claim. You're already posting well, starting a new thread should be super easy for you. I'm off work for a few days now, so I shall keep an eye out for you, Best of luck, Roger66.

OK SharryD, don't worry, just try starting at the top, you can go online and print off roughly two and a half years statements on the FD website. It's a bit of a fiddle, just try to do each date set in turn and you'll get them, and if you need more go to the documentation section of this site and look for the S.A.R. letter, and amend it with your account details..... As for the address, Wakefield Road is cool, I used it and got sorted OK. Do not feel too nervous, as following my success with them I am going after Barclays soon who are altogether far less friendly, and am advising colleagues at work as well. Read through the forum here, especially the experiences of other FD claimants. Sometimes they threaten dire consequences but see how the others have reacted, or been advised, and follow their lead. If you feel vulnerable, set up another account in advance in case things might go awry. Take heart in the fact you might not even have to go to court as well. We turned down a couple of offers before accepting a final one for 90% of our claim, and then only because we couldn't afford the court fee at the time. (But we didn't tell them that!!) I am at work tomorrow as well as today, but feel free to post questions, or start your own thread and ask away. It is free to ask after all, and help will be forthcoming however you ask for it. Best of luck, Roger66:)

Right then, after all the fighting talk of previous posts, come the day to take them to court last monday, we didn't have any money left. Sad but true. Anyway, the wife gets paid today (we hope) and after dropping her to work I find a letter through the door offering £3121 against the original claim of £3492, 90% of the original claim. So............. The situation here is bad enough for us to accept this, as court would cost £120, and the interest would only be about £250 due to the short period of the claim, so we're gonna take it! Yes that last few hundred pounds would be nice, but we need the cash now and the energy and time required to complete the claim just isn't there. It still stands as a great success though, even though the money's pretty much all accounted for already, but we'll be back for Barclays in the new year. Hopefully that will be 'extra' money, and we can give a proper thank-you to all concerned at BAG, especially as Barclays are the hold-out kings, and court action is a definite. I have spoken quite freely of my excitement in finding this site, and have passed on both the link address and encouragement to many people in the last few months, and I will still be about as I build the case against Barclays, and assist friends and relations in their claims. I will try to leave a little donation once the money is through, but rest assured, once the next claim is done, a proper donation will follow. Thank you all for now, Roger66

I would assume that most people send the letter without, as it is an optional part, hence the colouration. I took it out and added my own bit about not complaining to the Financial Ombudsman (as FD suggested I do) due to the amount of complaints they were currently dealing with about banks, and that it seemed a delaying tactic on FDs part. It wouldn't hurt to write to the OFT, but I think I might do mine afterwards to outline the steps I needed to take to get my charges returned. The OFT know that the banks are stalling and issuing veiled threats to stop people claiming, but I think confirming all those attempts at stopping each persons claim may strengthen the OFTs case, come the day of judgement. Purely my own opinion of course, but thought I'd pass it on. Others may well leave it in and go for the throat straight away. Roger.

Congratulations bookmark, excellent news. Things like this give everyone that little more hope that it can be sorted out. That'll help with christmas!!

Don't worry Fairycakes, the interest part can be worked out but it is a sod to do and lots of people,me included, haven't bothered. Just put in a claim for the charges and edit out the interest part as you mention. I'm just at the court claim stage (on monday) but I know how you feel. Take your time, read up, ask questions, and bide your time. This site has been a revelation for me, and offered the first real feelings of hope for me for a long long time. I have a sense that this claim is just the start for me, and yours hopefully for you. Best of luck, Roger66

Stick to your 14day schedule, we've all had the letter you got there by the look of it, so keep going, more letters will follow, none of them very encouraging, but stick to your dates not theirs. I have noticed that both bookmark and dafster have received full offers today after turning down their original 'full and finals' so do not be disheartened. Bide your time. Roger66

That was an unusually quick return on your rejection. What form of ungodly revenge did you threaten them with?!??!? Excellent news though, and another victory for the site. Congratulations, Roger66

Hi r60nda, I got a similar offer, a few hundred quid less than yours, and I altered the acceptance letter to say 'part settlement' crossing out 'full and final' and sent the thanks but no thanks letter from templates with it. They haven't written back to tell me when I can have the part settlement yet;) I can't understand why....................... Roger.

Why bother with another schedule? They already have it or they wouldn't have been able to make the offer that they have. They have offered barely 74% of your requested total, I only got offered 76%. You could always tell them it was an affront to your dignity that they offered you less than someone else:D Then again, just by the letters they already know who you're allied with, Thursday will probably be the day they get the copy schedule, and they'll get another from MCOL soon enough anyway.

No, I wouldn't worry bookmark, I just did it to see what they said. If you're turning them down anyway, they're not going to part pay you in a month of sundays. Thay want us to wait, and they seem to want a fight, so suit up and lets take that fight to them. Of course as other on the site ahead of us have found, they have a tendency to run away nearer the time, leaving the cash for us. Live in hope anyway.....

Hi r60nda, Your claim and mine must be running side-by-side, as I sent my LBA on the fourth. I have received an offer today though, and am sending a rejection letter tomorrow, which I have copied onto my thread at Roger66 vs First Direct. I have added a few bits to the original template, and you wouldn't have to include them, but I feel like baiting them a bit to prove I'm serious. Roger66

Hi Dafster I'm with monkey_uk on this one, and have myself received an offer today for 76% of the claim amount. I have tweaked the letter of rejection, which you can find for amusement or comment on my thread, Roger66 vs First Direct. I'm willing to hold out, please take strength from the fact that you are not alone in this, and we are all with you, safety in numbers and all that. Roger66

Hello again, apologies for the double post, but I have made a few light adjustments to the rejection letter, and would like to run them past you before I send it. Dear Miss Malins Thank you for your letter dated 5th December 2006 I respectfully decline your offer of settlement and request, once again, that you return to me all charges imposed on this account, totalling £3492.00 I will accept the sum offered only as part settlement and on the clear understanding that I will pursue recovery of the remainder, with a County Court claim if necessary. I relish the thought of being able to meet one of your representatives face-to-face, and have them outline to myself, and the court, exactly how you justify the amounts for your charges. This would, I am sure, be an epiphany for all concerned. My letter before action sent previously indicates that you have until 18th December 2006 to respond before Court action commences. You are reminded that there will be no extension to this timescale, other than waiting for the post to be delivered on that day before going to the courts to process the documents. In light of your comment regarding referral of the matter to the Financial Ombudsman, given the current strain on the F.O.s office where complaints against banks have more than quadrupled their workload of late without any increase in staffing, little would be gained other than delay in seeing this matter concluded. I trust this clarifies my position. Yours faithfully Worth a go? I think the tweaks give just the right sense of feeling to the overall situation. But then again, I am a complete git at times, Roger66 Final edit: Sent rejection letter this afternoon, additionally signed the offer acceptance form and attached that after changing the wording 'in full and final settlement' to 'in part settlement' of the claim. That should cheer them up no end!

Hi All, A little late getting round to this, but managed to get the LBA sent out on deadline this monday (4th) recorded delivery, and today got home to find an apparently generous offer of £2652.50 on full and final settlement. That equates to 76% of the total claimed. That would be lovely just before xmas, but frankly I'm not satisfied and plan to go ahead anyway. I may send a rejection letter, but with ten days until filing a claim can't see much point. Rather curiously, the letter states that they are unwilling to refund recall charges and additional interest. Anyone else seen this before? I think the rejection might help chivvy them along, but I'm open to other opinions on this one folks, but will be picking up the court papers in the next few days anyway. Roger66.

I am chasing FD as you are, and my two accounts tot up to three and a half grand, so although you're claiming more, I expect to have to issue court papers ina couple of weeks, but as orfoster says, don't expect to see a judge. They'll make everyone with these bigger claims hold on in the hope we buckle, so just bide your time. I'm going after Barclays next, and they apparently are far harder work:rolleyes:

Hi jp, I have done my claim based on the online statements, as they cover the particular time of difficulty with FD, however the system will only take you back to Aug2004 at the moment. If like us the problem has only existed for a shorter period, the online statments should be enough, but for anything before then the SAR letter and tenner will need sending. Hope that helps, Roger66

In light of what I am seeing here, with several people being asked for their cards back, I suppose I should expect my letter any day now. They really do give themselves a bad name without us even trying, although we are pbviously doing our best here.... Go for it postie, it's all some of us have left now, and damn the inconvenience. I expect them to wait for my wages to be paid in tomorrow before they drop the bombshell here, har-de-har!!! Roger66

There is another sort of option here. Leave the overdraft there, move all the money that you can and then once the first claim is through, claim again for all these new charges. My prelim 14 days is up on monday, and I have just opened a statement telling me there will be £149 charges on next month already. I think they must be so confident that they can intimidate people into giving up that they don't just cut you some slack to avoid further claims. Have you told those around you about the claim, and the problems you are having? I have told a few people, and the wife and I are having a less frivolous xmas than normal and will treat ourselves in the new year when the claim is met. The boys will get some pressies, but realistically you may need to hold on a little longer like us and enjoy the new year instead.

14 days are 14 days. I am interpreting this as 14 real world days in my claim, only banks work on 'working days'. My claim started on a monday, the LBA will go off two mondays later, and I will issue court proceedings two mondays later. I'm in the same boat as you, but I don't give a stuff for playing THEIR game. I've played that for too long now, and it's time to fight back! Best of luck, Roger66

Thanks androobe, I have a few time problems at home and it took two weeks just to get statements together, spreadsheets done and everything ready to post. Trying to calculate all those little bits of interest for the initial claim just seemed excessive for me, althought the spreadsheet I have used shows the 8% calculated in a further column. Being a man with a big heart, I kindly (?) informed the bank that they would not need to meet this amount unless they let it get to court. I will prepare the LBA nearer the day needed, and once that is sent get the court paperwork collected so that I can prepare that in advance of it's being presented. I am assuming the case will get to court because of the amount involved so do not flatter myself for a quick settlement, just an eventual one. Did anyone see Lorraine Kelly on wednesday (22nd)? Her financial bloke was pushing this site big time, and villifying the banks stance on charges with great energy. He did urge people to be cautious, but felt the site offered an excellent support network to gaining back your money. Roger.

I have been hovering around this site for a month or so now, registered recently and have just sent my prelim letter (20th) and received my first response, a 'sorry you're upset' style missive saying they will get back to me in 10 working days. A little history for you (no groaning at the back!!), we have been with FD for about 4 years now, and up until two years ago had a relaxed and fairly incident free time, and then it all went to pot. Over our two accounts, my sole account and our joint account, we started getting pushed deeper past our overdrafts and then when we have tried to speak to the bank, they want everything that you pay and more detailed out to them before they will continue the conversation. My last conversation lasted 45 minutes!! With several large repair bills over about 14 months we got really stuffed financially, and maternity leave this year allowed FD to really help themselves to everything we had. As I had nearly all the statements, I downloaded the rest from their site, and set to work. The result is nealry three and a half thousand pounds of charges in just over two years. Quite exceptional, and more than even I expected. I have requested the refund of all but the interest, as frankly I couldn't be bothered in the light of the overall total so far, and have sent the prelim off recorded, which we now know that they have, and have the LBA waiting on my machine to send in one week from monday coming. I have charged for all fees that appear once the overdraft is exceeded, Overdraft fee, Excess Overdraft, Returned DD/SO and Unpaid items. I have had problems with my credit cards as I could not pay them, and am facing a christmas where even food shopping is difficult, let alone getting a present bought. I am willing to see this through to the death if necessary and frankly want payback for all the pain I have had to suffer over the last two years. Once the LBA is off, I will get the court papers ready and have them prepared so I can send them at the earliest opportunity. I don't expect the money before christmas, but i would be nice to see the new year start better than last.