Alan V HSBC ((((Newbie Alert!!))))

[alansonfire]

Hi there I was referred (by a jubilated friend) to this site just over a week ago and have been reading the faq's and other cases against HSBC and feel it will soon be my time to "Reclaim the Right", so first and foremost a real big mention to all of the people who post and help confused people out, i think you are doing a sterling and selfless job.

 

I went through my online banking the other day and totalled it all up and in the end i have a figure around the 3k mark over the last six years(I also couldn't believe the fact that between Oct, Nov and Dec '03 the charged me a total of £494, at Christmas?!) Anyways, i kind of understand the process and am just weighing up the options as to how far i am willing to take it as i have a managable loan with them for about 9k which i'm scared they could call back, i dont own a property so i dont have that to lose but are they likely to do this? any advice would be appreciated. Before i do anything i'll have to get a new account and re-direct my wages so they cant get me that way.(the only bill that comes out of it is the standing order to them!)

 

Also, I'm unsure if i can print bank statements from my pc but if i can then could i use these instead of the initial Data Protection stage and move straight in with the Prelim? or could i produce a word document with a summary of dates and amounts as they do hold all the details anyway?

[angela1606]

hi yes print them off for your own reference in bank templates there is a spreadsheet you can use to list the charges called interest spreadsheet just dont keep in the 8% colums as this isnt relevent at this stage

[barney2002]

Hi Alan and welcome. Firstly, Don't Panic !!!

There are a lot of people around here to help you. If you want to open a 'parachute' account (I have - to be safe) with another bank then do so but I would not bother changing any payments or wages at this stage, HSBC are not known for closing accounts 'willy nilly', normally only if you try to claim a 2nd or 3rd time. Even if they close your account they have to give you 30 days notice anyway.

 

You say you have a loan with them, same as I do, but again, do not worry. This is a totally separate issue and legal agreement - nothing to do with your current account or the illegal charges. This cannot be affected, neither can any assets you have such as cars, houses etc...

 

Remember - you are claiming for charges they have ILLEGALLY taken from you and you are simply asking for the money back!!!

Follow the FAQ's and just do the step by step method and you cannot go wrong. Nearly all letters you will receive (if any) will be standard and anybody who has been on this forum for a while will confirm this. Please look at my thread and you will see how to do it.

 

When you send off your Preliminary letter asking for your money back, simply insert the section about 'please provide me with any details of any Manual Intervention that has taken place on my account' as this is stated in the request for statements - which you have already got online as I did - but at least you do mention it if it were to get to court (unlikely).

 

Finally, God I go on a bit!!!, Good Luck !!!!

 

 

[alansonfire]

Excellent thank you guys, you have certainly put my mind at ease with regards to them taking furth action against my account. In a way i am lucky that my only commitment on that account is to them.

 

Right so, once i have set up my parachute account then ill be ready to do battle!

 

Barney and Angela you are both stars and ill certainly be keeping an eye on how its going for you. thank's for the advice with putting the extra bit in the prelim and stuff too barn.

 

watch this space.....

 

Al.

[jaggiethistle]

Yes, HSBC are bandits. I have a loan with them too, but am trying to transfer it to another provider so that I they have no hold over me! I need to set up a new bank account with someone else as well.

 

Good luck: it's not as if they can't afford it!

[barney2002]

Jaggie, you will not be able to transfer a loan to another company, only to take out a new loan and pay off HSBC early as you are in a legal agreement with them(I used to do motor finance). By all means open up another account with a different bank but always remember that most banks do exactly the same things and at least you do have some history with HSBC which may be useful in the future.

 

My advice to everybody is not to do something rash but think everything through - remember the grass is not allways greener etc......

[jaggiethistle]

Thanks B, good advice. I'll have a read and make sure I have all the facts before I do anything else!

[alansonfire]

Yes very wise Dude, i've been with them for twelve years so it would be a good idea to keep things cool on that front with them and i do intend to still keep my account. my main gripe is just the way they make decisions on agreeing overdraughts and things and the way the charges are applied to accounts, which just seems a tad inhumane.

 

I've called them in the past to protest against the charges that i feel are unfair on my account but have always been met with an almost laughable response which is pretty much what i expected, hence, my joining this fantastically useful site! Just to add that i have today checked my account (as i do every 25th which is hsbc fee's day for me!) and they have taken 100 pounds out of my account for charges meaning that i have gone into an overdraught that wasn't agreed, which they will no doubt charge me for next month!! How do i win?! i have to pay my rent by next wednesday and have only my payday on friday as my source of a meager weekley wage(well, i am a skint musician with a job that's underpaid but that's not the issue! lol)

 

Also, get this one, i have a managable loan with them which is basically a loan they made me take as i had messed up here and there financially and been the victim of a [problem] when i sold some musical equipment a few years ago(i lost about £2,500 and was completely oblivious until i got a call from the bank!) I tried to get it looked into but i was told that it wasn't really their problem and had to consolodate a couple of credit cards and another loan and then the 2.5k that wasn't even my fault into this "managable loan". Regarding when i was scammed, it happened about 3 years ago and the money cleared by cheque into my account, i paid the person i had sold the musical equipment on behalf of and kept about 300 pounds profit for myself being the middleman. so all was good until the cheque bounced after it was past the clearing period!? i asked if it had cleared and they said yes so i withdrew it over the counter and got a call from them a few days later, it's not as if i could ask the guy i had just paid for the money back as he had sold all his music stuff through me! i never told him either through embarrasment and never managed to find out about the guy that bought it, it was done through the loot and a meeting was arranged once i had the funds cleared and all that, i was the one worried that he thought i was gonna rip him off so i didnt really think to check him out as i figured money is money and if it's cleared then he could have the equipment! how naive i was!) so ill be paying off that loan of around12k (inc ppp i think!?) for the forseeable future(8-10 years) at £150 a month(which is all i can afford at the mo, but it was me who messed up so ill take it on the chin and somehow, at some point, ill get rid of it!)

 

but here's my main gripe with them: I'm now 27 and have been in paid work since before leaving school and have always had an account with them(obviously, being midland beforehand) i went to college and worked pretty much full time hours throughout, then going onto normal paid work after college. Every single bit of that paid work has gone through HSBC for 12 years non stop, every week or month without a break of more than a month. So they know i do have funds and i can sustain them, but because i have a managable loan with them they wont give me even a £50 overdraught!?

 

I couldn't believe it when i spoke to them regarding wanting to get one because i am paid on a weekley basis and sometimes, something has to be paid midweek or whatever, you know how it is. but it seems that as i had taken this stupid loan i am now ineligible for even the minutest of overdraughts or even some lee-way regarding short-term overdraughts for a customer who's clearly in a position of financial difficulty and also them knowing that i consistently have money going into the account. but i often wonder what i would do if could go back in time and had the chance to explore other options really, lord know's...

 

Well I am terribly sorry for rambling on and moaning for so long, just thought i'd give you guys the lowdown on my history with the hsbc. i also hoped i havent said anything that could be construed as liable or anything,i just tried to explain how it has affected me really but if i have said anything just let me know.

 

thank's all for reading this far and also caring about the other people who feel they have been mistreated! "Reclaim the Right!"

 

Al.

[jaggiethistle]

Hi Al,

 

yes, I have had similar problems with HSBC, and I have been banking with them for 11 years. They try to get away with what they can, I suppose.

 

Anyway, I have taken out a new loan with a different provider which I will use to pay back my HSBC loan. The new provider gave me 6.9%APR, whereas at HSBC I was on 11%. Also, I have not taken out payment protection on the new loan which means that I have saved £3,000 and will be able to pay back the full loan amount one year earlier.

 

Now that HSBC can't hold me over a barrel, as soon as I pay their loan, I am going to start procedures to reclaim the charges. I have had a good read of this site, inlcuding the bits on what to do if you live in Scotland, but could I just check a few things with you guys? Don't want to seem dim but just want to be sure...

 

So, am I right in thinking that the first thing I need to do is establish how much I am owed in charges over the past 6 years? Does that mean all I have to do is go over my statements for the past 6 years and note down the date, amount and reason for any charges, and compile a list. Presumably then the total to be reclaimed is just all of these charges added up? Once I have established this, do I just send the bank the initial letter using the pro-forma and attaching the breakdown of where I have been charged?

 

Also, if anyone has any more tips on the Scottish system, that would be great.

 

Many thanks!

 

JT

[barney2002]

Hi Jaggie, have you started your own thread for this yet?? as it will help everybody to track your progress and advise properly.

 

Just click on the 'new thread' and give it a title.

 

From what you say you seem to have grasped the concept ok. You can use a spreadsheet found in the templates and I used the one fom Vampiress which seems to work well and will work out the 8% interest for you if you get to the online claim stage.

 

In a nutshell, go through statements and list on the spreadsheet and send a copy of this with your preliminary letter giving them 14 days to reply (not working days) - I would not claim interest as it is a nightmare to work out. You will probably not get a response but may get a 'go away' letter. After the 14 days send your Letter Before Action (LBA) with a copy of the charges again to give them another 14 days to reflect. If you get no response or only a part offer after this time then file your claim on Moneyclaim. This is the stage I have just completed a couple of days ago. Afer this it is a waiting game to see what they offer. Stick to your schedule not theirs!!

 

Good luck and keep us informed.B.

[memoryman00]

So then Alan,

 

Any joy with this case ?????