reclaim Unfair charges forum is shutting down

[caro]

It's the decision of admin which links to allow littlesally.

[Guest littlesally]

It's the decision of admin which links to allow littlesally.

Saddens me Caro

[yourbank]

Rooster and Caro, I respect you but I am afraid I don't like what you have said. (To make sure this thread does not enflame views I won't post my reasons why).

 

I will explain, working together but apart is something that can be done. CAG have projects off forum, the other smaller sites have projects off forum. There maybe some common projects that could be discussed as a united group and pushed through as such.

[BigBudgie]

Thanks Rooster, but IMO some of the smaller sites are actually leading the way in certain areas and are actually leaving the bigger sites behind. Biggest is not always best. There is so much expertise out there now that should really be made available somehow to every claimer using every site who needs that tyoe of expertise.

 

I made a suggestion earlier about arranging a meeting between all the sites owners and nominated representatives. This could initially be an online meeting using some form of online conferencing system. There would be no need initially to all meet up physically. Surely it has got to be worth trying to do something along these lines, at least to determine if there is any possibility of some form of Consumer Co-Op.

 

Budgie

 

I would even be prepared to assist in organising it !

It would need a good Chairman,and if anyone suggests Angela Knight I will personally hang draw and quarter them.

[caro]

I will explain, working together but apart is something that can be done. CAG have projects off forum, the otheghtr smaller sites have projects off forum. There maybe some common projects that could be discussed as a united group and pushed through as such.

 

What makes you think that these things don't happen already if they are off forum?

[yourbank]

That is the reason why I have used the words "have projects off forum". My apologies if you have read that with a different meaning than the one that was intended.

[caro]

I meant jointly off forum, if I wasn't clear.

[yourbank]

So you are working with LB? So you are working with CCS? So you are working with PAG?

That is good to know. I don't know why I bothered posting if there has been a group hug already.

Ok, who knocked heads together, cos you can tell me by PM

[caro]

That wasn't what I said. I said whose to say it isn't happening off forum jointly already. I really wouldn't know. There are lots of things that go on behind the scenes of websites. I just think it would be nice if we could all work together amicably. Let's not forget there are lots of other sites dealing with charges too, and I'm sure we all do the best we can.

[yourbank]

Caro, I personally believe the idea that I think MTM orignally suggested. A site/area of one forum or another for a sharing of ideas. RUC in the scheme of things could be the site for this. There has been enough words said in anger over the last 14 months(yes really it has been that long). It's an idea that maybe should be in site questions and suggestions but it would be nice to have a new page opened in the bank charges campaign.

[caro]

But RUC is shutting down I understood. However I know that Jonni2Bad is aware of this thread and I will ensure that the ideas are raised. I believe there may be obstacles at the moment, but if resolved perhaps a way forward could be found to work together in future.

[Rooster-UK]

My reasons for posting what I have are that people have an inbuilt suspicion of the unknown and the concept of a free passage of ideas, etc. between different groups is bound, initially to be viewed with a measure of reticence.

It's like asking everybody to change their religion or politics in one go.

You can get people to change but in their own time.

The new order becomes gradually more attractive to the others and thus converts are won. You have to convince all the drivers that one particular route is better than the one that they normally follow.

 

I believe that co-operation is the way forward but, human nature being what it is, It will happen when it's good and ready.

 

Tell somebody to do something and you meet resistance to it. Convince people that it was their idea and they are happy with it.

 

Human nature can be a contrary beast.

[caro]

Communication is key I think.

[BigBudgie]

Caro, I personally believe the idea that I think MTM orignally suggested. A site/area of one forum or another for a sharing of ideas. RUC in the scheme of things could be the site for this. There has been enough words said in anger over the last 14 months(yes really it has been that long). It's an idea that maybe should be in site questions and suggestions but it would be nice to have a new page opened in the bank charges campaign.

 

With all due respect YB. RUC is not the place for it.

 

It wouldnt be too much trouble to set up an new independant site, jointly administered by a team of say one or at most two Admin Members from each member site. There would be a secure area that could be used by the full Admin Teams and nominated persons of all member sites for the purpose of getting together, thrashing out ideas and assisting each other. Access to that area could be limited to those people whom the Admin each site decide could be useful members of the "think tank".

The site could also be used as a central repository/library that could be accessed by any member of any site and where the Admin of each site could deposit material. Test Case reports and news ( live reporting feeds for example ) could be posted up on the site. Each site would provide links to the various facilities for it's own members.

 

Crikey there are countless uses to which such a site could be put. But I will leave it to others to maybe suggest things as well.

 

The actual format of RUC is very simple and easy to use and would probably make an ideal format for a site such as I have suggested.

 

Smasher would be the ideal guy to develop such a site, with his experience from developiong RUC and his new site British Consumer. I wonder if he would be interested in getting involved!

[Castlebest]

I think everyone is forgetting why all of these sites work... they are full of individuals who take the time to do the research into one or another area that concerns them and post the results. All of these sites are the sum of their members not the other way around.

 

For one small instance go and have a look at the HSBC forum and the research Netg has done in the last couple of days into Metropolitan Collections how can you share that between sites? its freely available here to be read but I doubt Bank Fodder is aware its there and I'm sure thats true of many areas of our fight and across all of the sites.

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/hsbc-bank/151486-grounds-legal-action-against.html

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/hsbc-bank/151559-truth-about-mcs-metropolitan.html

 

The information available is vast and quite honestly I don't see how it could all be brought together even a wiki type index would be unmanageable in my opinion 8-)

[mopster]

Most of the other sites are working together quite happily, it is indeed only CAG that refuses to work with a couple of the smaller sites.There may be issues behind this we ae unaware of. The issue, IMO, is not the smaller sites missing out on CAG, although it holds a wealth of information that has been built up and developed over the past couple of years by thousands of members many past many present, in my opinion it is CAG denying its members something by refusing to work with the smaller sites. I think communication is more the key than think tanks tbh. I think it is the members that make the sites and its the members should be sharing info and being able to share info. While it might be useful for admins to have some kind of open discussion vehicle I doubt it would be used very much. I dont think any of the other sites have issues with users from any other sites using their sites, posting, joining in - so long as there is no malice. I know most of them treat all their members in the same manner moderation wise be they admin from another site, a member of multiple sites, or a newbie to sites altogether. Links to where the best information is should be allowed and if its felt people may be better advised by another person or site that is able to specialise in a particular area, then they are told that....the idea of all our sites is to help people and empower them to help themselves. The sites communicating properly and openly is a big part of that in my opinion. Theres no competition, theres an awful lot of people need help, and there will be a awful lot more in coming months especially on the debt front. They need to access the best help and support as quickly and easily as possible. The sites are individual and each has its own characteristics and that shouldnt change at all. Simply recognise that there are a lot of very good people out there who can be utilised for the better of all the members on all the sites.

Edited July 13, 2008 by mopster

[mopster]

I believe that co-operation is the way forward but, human nature being what it is, It will happen when it's good and ready.

I agree with you, and i do feel that good and ready is finally getting closer. It is sad that it has taken the possible demise of one very good smaller site to bring this subject up and enable it to be discussed properly, hopefully we can all learn from it.

[MilkTrayMan]

Hi mopster!

I understand what U are saying re: Sharing info/links across the various websites to answer an OP's question EXACTLY with perhaps a better worded Post elsewhere.

However...

I have frequently come across some CAG OP's that have duplicated their questions on several CAG Forums, as well as several other websites.

Sometimes this goes unnoticed + can lead to difficulties for the OP if they receive conflicting advice.

Even a slight variance, as with some of the more complex Claims, can throw unnecessary spanners into the works further down the line, especially if the OP is spoon fed + they end up in Court trying to explain something to a DJ that they are confused about, by having 'mixed-n-matched' the answers that they have received from the various different sources.

 

 

...

[MadKit]

With all due respect YB. RUC is not the place for it.

 

 

I haven't been here long (only a year) but regarding RUC, I disagree with the above comment and agree with everyone else here. RUC looks like a good site, friendly and easy to use and it seems it may stay open. Why not encourage this as the members and admin people seem to want to stay open?

[yourbank]

I am going to try and see if I can respond to everyone, if I understand things correctly.

Rooster, I totally agree with you.

BigBudgie, I suggested RUC as the thread was about RUC but I am sure a separate site entirely for that exchange of ideas would be great.

Caro, communication is absolutely the key.

Castlebeast, research by individuals has always been the hallmark of sites(I have a good eye for that stuff as well as some sites' admin can attest to). I was talking about joint projects and its difficult to give an example tbh.

Mopster I agree with you and I think working together would probably ease site team's job. I was a sceptic that the thread would go down the route of mud slinging. It hasn't imho.

MTM, I have seen exactly the same post on here and MSE with exactly the same wording. I think it may impossible on some things not to get conflicting advice. The advice has always been to make sure you as the individual know what you are doing if you take a case to court.

[Gez]

RUC remains closed. The offers of assistance & the general goodwill we have received from CAG is much appreciated. I will reiterate that funding is absolutely not the reason we closed.

From my point of view, being a part of a "think tank" wouldn't achieve much. It certainly wouldn't benefit much from my participation. I'm not really much of a campaigner and I don't know any more than any other reclaimer. I am only the admin of RUC because I built the site. It didn't even have a forum to start with, I just made the other pages to help us do things on bankchargeshell, for example the templates page (the link on site just goes to the forum now because many are out of date).

Template letters - Bank charges - Credit card charges - Penalty charges - Letter Templates - Reclaim Unfair Charges We could simply say "use template 4a" e.t.c. Same for the links page & so on.

I also made a web interest calculator for those who didn't have excel or open office. Calculator but with all the different ways to calculate interest, I just took it off & we went back to spreadsheets.

 

I think that the simplified navigation could still be of benefit if it were brought up to date, but I still personally believe that when there is a choice of using a forum of 3000 with only a dozen or so regular active members or a forum of 200,000 with maybe 10,000 regular active members its a no-brainer isn't it? This is what I put to the moderators of RUC last week which explains my point of view.

Reclaiming will not be easier after the test case, but the steps to reclaiming will be better known by then. This brings me back to the main point I have made throughout this thread. Can we do all the studying that is necessary to keep up? Will we be doing anything better or different than all the other sites are doing? And can we justify all those hours studying & researching just to help out a small number of people who do their claims here when someone else will have already done it, and those people are members of those other sites aswell anyway?

 

The answer to all three, as far as I can see, is no. I certainly don't want to be a spoilsport (by closing the site), but neither do I want to spend tons of spare time trying to do what has already been done, knowing I will always be behind.

 

I will post my suggestions about navigation in the suggestions forum here as that seems to be the main reason people are asking me to re-open RUC.

[honey5]

RUC remains closed. The offers of assistance & the general goodwill we have received from CAG is much appreciated. I will reiterate that funding is absolutely not the reason we closed.

 

I agree with very much of what has been said in your above post.

 

Over the last few days alot of RUC members have joined CAG, and apart from the odd post here and there which needed to be moderated for obvious reasons, those members have been welcomed in this community

 

Across the net hundreds of forums come and go, some small some huge, but it does happen unfortunately. Those members who have joined Cag recently could be helped by those same admin/mods/members that are now here from RUC and most certainly will get the help they need from the team here on CAG.

 

You yourself are'nt a new member to CAG and therefore may be able to give some assurance to the members of RUC that they will be looked after

 

all the very best

 

honey x

[Rooster-UK]

Very well put, Honey.

All RUC members, from the newest user, up the the highest admin. are welcome here.

Gez, you have served your members well and they will be well looked after here.

I'm sure that your members will bring with them, their knowledge and experience which will benefit CAG members and likewise, they will get the benefits of our experience in return.

 

We're a friendly bunch and we don't bite. (Sometimes have a little nibble, but that's another story.)

So,, come on in.... the water's lovely!

 

Regards, Rooster.

[mopster]

I agree smasher, when there are not many regualr active users on a site it can be difficult to get the advice and help you need especially for more complex claims and problems...and thats where you would refer them to elsewhere to obtain the right level of assistance. I dont think a think tank is a great idea either although some communication between admins might be sensible in however casual a form. I have seen many people asking advice across different forums, and most likely and hopefully, they are reading up elsewhere for further information and ideas. They either take a general view from all that of what to do, or they settle on one site to get more in depth advice in one place. The only difficulty with having such a large site is it is difficult to get more one on one tailored advice, and sometimes people can post in a few places on the site for the same problem and get overlooked, especially with urgent complex problems. unless you keep bumping your posts up you can get lost in the masses of posts. Some people do prefer a smaller community for their advice, and while the better resources may be elsewhere, they should be enabled to reach those resources easily and without problem. Like wise the members of a larger forum should be enabled to visit else where if there are better resources and more tailored advice elsewhere. Also some of the smaller sites are able to concentrate on specific issues better than the larger sites, as they have more time and generally a more restricted range of topics and issues to concentrate on. It would be better if information arising from this work is enabled to be shared with the members of other sites and forums, and would allow it to benefit a lot more users. I can think of specific instances but I won't share them in deference to YBs point about mudslinging and I have no intention of going down that route when we do appear to be making at least a little progress.

[bloomingflower]

Hi All

 

I have been a member of CAG for a long while now, since last year and post very occasionally from time to time. and am always in the background reading threads/posts etc..... Around abouts the same time I discovered and joined RUC and have never really looked back.That site, like this one and many others has been a great help to me in the past and have learned alot of stuff I did not know before and am still learning!!. I have forged some good freinds on there and will sorely miss the site...there have been alot of ups and downs the last few months (as with all sites lol), but with the ups we all had a ball!!

 

However, I was very upset yesterday (for a reason I cannot mention on here ) but I am so looking forward to what the future brings.. and we are all here to keep fighting on with our claims..

 

I think at the end of the day we all have to respect Smashers wishes,after all, he is/was the brains behind RUC.. I would like to commend Smasher for all his hard work while RUC was running and hes a great person to talk to, and very down to earth!!

 

RUC had served it's purpose and will never be forgotten...

 

Thankyou Smasher and hope to see you around on all the other forums!

 

 

BF xx