Lloyds TSB get worse..

Michael Browne · August 29, 2006

Forget parachute accounts when you have a bad credit record!!

...

Have you looked here:

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/general/13832-do-you-need-parachute.html

NatWest and Co-op can be applied for online and from other posts very few get refused

sgriffin · August 29, 2006

hello derek

can you help me, im confused and you responses from lloyds might be able to help. I sent my PRELIM letter on the 4th august. Had a response from Lloyds dated 18th August, however, this arrived whilst I ve been away, post marked the lot. Its the Final reply letter, the thing is, I havent sent the letter before action so someone at LLoyds is trying to be smart (Musarat Siddique-Customer Service Officer, Colemore Row), should I still send my LBA letter?

They have jumped the gun and I'm panicing that I've spoffed!

Please help? :eek:

Mindzai · August 29, 2006

Yes send the LBA, stick the tried and tested method regardless of what they say (unless they offer to settle, which they wont until the last minute). Just because they say it's the end of the matter it doesn't mean it is.

DerekW · August 29, 2006

Hi Michael

Yes I have looked at those other acounts, but it's quite another story! Nationwide said flat "no" and NatWest....well....

I applied online, sent the proof of identity documents and application back. A week later got a letter saying that the Inland Revenue statement of account that I sent was not proof of ID as it was not for the current tax year, even though the letter was dated July 2006. I wasn't aware that you could get a statement of account for the current tax year, because it isn't due yet!!!!

So I took it to the local branch along with my driving licence and other utility bills and asked them to verify my identity and send it, which they did by internal mail. A week later, another letter saying the "lending department" (although I had asked for a basic account with no credit) hadn't received anything.

Soooo.... I went back to the branch, got my driving licence and other documents notarized and stamped by the branch staff and posted it all myself. 3rd time lucky? Guess what? A week later I got another letter from the "lending department" saying they could not accept the documents I had provided. I rang to ask why and they said that "the lending department have different requirements for documentation than a branch".

Now considering I have a business account with NatWest anyway registered under my name and at the same address, what the hell would it take to convince them who I am??

After a heated conversation with the "lending department" who wanted me to go through the whole stupid process again I gave up and threw the application in the bin. Even if I had proved my identity they would probably have still turned it down like Nationwide did!

What a load of *ankers. (That's not a "B"!)

DerekW · August 29, 2006

Yes send the LBA, stick the tried and tested method regardless of what they say (unless they offer to settle, which they wont until the last minute). Just because they say it's the end of the matter it doesn't mean it is.

However, if they have said it is thier final response, maybe you could go straight into the claim? Not sure how a judge would view that, but I would sent the LBA to be sure as Mindzai says. Don't complicate things for the sake of 14 days!

Mindzai · August 29, 2006

You'd be best to give them the 14 days anyway. If it goes to court you'll need to be able to prove you tried to enter into a sincere dialogue with the bank in an attempt to settle. Giving them 28 days intotal makes you look good and the bank look bad when they won't enter into dialogue in that time.

tim2718281 · August 29, 2006

Sorry to sound silly but if lloyds just cancelled my od facility i`d been in real deep water ?
Dont they have to give notice or can they just cancel it ?

I've always had the impression a bank can cancel or reduce an overdraft at any time with no notice.

It caused by brother-in-law's firm to go bust; it needed extra cash, the partners all took out second mortgages to raise the funds, and as soon as the money was paid in the bank reduced the firm's overdraft.

So be sure you have the funds available to pay the court fee and AQ fee. It would be a pity if the bank's cutting off your overdraft had the coincidental effect of preventing you paying the necessary court fees to continue your legal action against them

Tim

bearo · August 29, 2006

i thought they had to give you 30 days written notice too!

DerekW · August 31, 2006

Hi All,

No sure if this is normal after the LBA stage, but I had a call from a nice man at Lloyds TSB today wanting to "help me sort out my account".

I wasn't sure what his agenda was so I wasn't giving him any information at first, then it transpired that he was in Brighton and was enquiring as to how I would like to pay off my outstanding overdraft - suggesting monthly repayments and loosely threatening to close the account if I didn't agree. I said that there wouldn't be any need for repayments as I was claiming the entire amount of my charges back through the courts which would cover the entire overdraft.

At that point he started going through the account picking out individual charges and tentatively suggested they may be able to "do something about that". I made it quite clear that unless they refunded all of the charges in full I would be issuing a court claim very shortly and was not interested in any goodwill gestures.

He didn't seem surprised. I wonder if it really was someone trying to arrange an overdraft repayment or testing the water to see how far I was prepared to go? Either way, I left them in no doubt!

It was left with him saying that they would not be persuing repayment of the overdraft until the dispute over charges was settled. Has anyone else had this kind of approach?

Should have enough money for the court fee shortly so will be starting the claim on Monday...

Mindzai · August 31, 2006

Yep I had exactly the same response from the Brighton collection center too. I also told them they'd be getting nothing as the entire debt is made of charges which I'm shortly suing them for, and they pretty much left it at that.

DerekW · August 31, 2006

Looks like we're in the same boat at the same point up the river! :-) Can't see why they bother dragging it out so long - they know they're going to lose in the end, must be costing them a fortune in solicitors and manpower.

Number6 · August 31, 2006

They drag it out right to the wire because, inevitably a number of claimants drop out at each prevaricational stage. They get fed up with the waiting, they get scared they might lose or whatever but for whatever reason a percentage of claimants do drop out so the longer they wait the more money they save.

Pete

DerekW · August 31, 2006

Yes I guess you're right.

Maybe a notice in the FAQ section here should read "please don't start unless you are sure you want to go all the way to court" - every one that gives up half way through makes it harder for the rest of us. If no-one gave up, the banks might get the message!

elena1967 · August 31, 2006

Hi all,

Can someone help me and tell me where I need to send my letter asking them to pay back my charges along with the spreadsheet. I received the statements from Birmingham. Should I sedn the letter to Birmingham or does someone know of a correct address. many thanks.

Mindzai · August 31, 2006

They drag it out right to the wire because, inevitably a number of claimants drop out at each prevaricational stage. They get fed up with the waiting, they get scared they might lose or whatever but for whatever reason a percentage of claimants do drop out so the longer they wait the more money they save.

Pete

Although in our case the longer they take means the more they end up paying as we ARE taking it all the way and the interest keeps mounting up

Hi all,
Can someone help me and tell me where I need to send my letter asking them to pay back my charges along with the spreadsheet. I received the statements from Birmingham. Should I sedn the letter to Birmingham or does someone know of a correct address. many thanks.

Yes Birmingham is fine, its where I send mine.

Balbadier · August 31, 2006

Hi there

What is AQ? I am totally new to this.

I got my reply to my Data Protection letter today, saying that Lloyds are registered at Swallow House PO Box 139, B1 2AL (and not where I sent it to) when that is not even registered at www.esd.informationcommissioner.gov.uk but I guess that is there way of putting me off at the first hurdle.

coral123 · September 1, 2006

Not sure if this is normal after the LBA stage, but I had a call from a nice man at Lloyds TSB today wanting to "help me sort out my account".

At least you got a phone call from a nice man at Lloyds TSB. I'm helping my son out at the moment with his problems with Lloyds TSB. Prelim letter was sent 15/08/06. He's had an acknowledgement dated 18/08/06, and then a few days later a woman phoned from Customer Service Recovery Centre at Colmore Row threatening (and I Quote) black listing, account closure and further action. My son asked her to speak with me and handed me the telephone. I explained to her that the matter was (supposedly) being dealt with by Customer Services at Colmore Row, and suggested that she shouldn't continue the conversation in this manner. She refused to speak with me insisting that I put my son back on the phone (which I did) and continued with the threats. Perhaps LLoyds TSB should ask their own staff to read their Customer Services leaflet "How to voice your concerns"!

I've noticed on a few threads comments about accounts opened before the account holder was 18. Does this shed a different light on the subject? My sons account started out as an under 16's account and has just continued from there. He's never had a debit card for this account (Only a cashcard fir the atm) or completed any kind of credit agreement with Lloyds.

He's not challenging a massive amount but it has so far reached a total of £169.69 for an unpaid direct debit, which attracted a £35 charge which caused a further bounced DD. (moved the DD to his other bank at this point) and so on. We went into the bank over the first bounced DD because the only reason the DD wasn't paid was it took 4 days for money transfered on the internet from one lloyds account to another! We were told it was normal for an internal transfer to take this long.:o

sgriffin · September 1, 2006

on the subject of brighton call centre and them calling in overdrafts, this is pretty much how i woke and smelled the coffee and why im taking action against lloyds.

Back in April i decided i wanted to get my finances in order, was making to some changes to my pension and whilst chatting with helpful Financial advisor in Lloyds ( she really was!), she said I should have had an account relationship premier manager all these years and had ai never had a revirew with anyone? no says i.

To cut a story short, I had a meeting with a guy who helped my 're-organise' m,y accounts. I wanted to reduce my overdraft so he said ai should make an agreed payment every month, and NOT TO WORRY cos if i could knock a bit off one month it would be fine, the facility was still there.

Little did i know, he put some hex like computer stoppages on my account that meant the overdraft was automatically reducing every month, and on the 1 month when i wasnt going to have extra funds i was charged to the hilt ( 170quid!!).

In i went to speak with him, thinking it was a mistake, nope!

Even though i had been given a 1550 facility till 2007, it was reducing by 150 a month nonetheless!

The charlottan had moved on and the poor cow who had took his place was powerless to do anything, as because of the charges it had put a black mark against my account.

Thats why i started this and why i will finish it. Bloody lying frigger!!

So if anyone deals with a 'Premier Manager' by the name of Rob Hislop, tell him to get his head out of the banks arse and kiss mine!

sgriffin · September 1, 2006