Halifax do not answer .... please help

[Daemonia]

Hi all, I need some advice. I had a template for the first letter to the bank which I copied and edited with my own charges amount, which exceed £2000 over the past three years. Halifax then replied and offered to give me £200 back as 'a gesture of goodwill'. I wrote a second letter saying that £200 are not only about 10% of the charges and could they please make me another, more acceptable offer. The deadline I set them was 4 weeks from the date of my letter, which was 7th July (so they should have answered me by 7th August). However, up to today I have not heard from them, but they still carry on charging me the £39 per transaction refused plus the £28 for making me overdrawn by charging me. In the last 2 months this amounted to about £500!!! In fact they even had the cheek to write to me and warn me about 'somebody' using my account unlawfully and making it overdrawn ... when it was them themselves who did it. I also have a bad credit rating because of their charges.

 

What can I do to get at least some of these excessive charges back?? I only earn £800 a month and due to their charges couldnt pay my rent in full the last couple of months and have now been handed my notice of termination of my rental contract.

 

I really am at a dead end, so please, please help. Thanks in advance. Karina

[pollyjohnson]

You need to send them the prelim letter then the LBA and then file on line or go to the county court with N1 form. Claim the charges right up to filing. This would include the past 2 months of charges.

You will still get charges while the process is running so you will need to claim again after all this has finished to get back what they have charged you since claiming. Soes that make sense?

[aardvark the lecturer]

It sounds like you have sent the prelim letter already, but you say that you have given them 4 weeks to respond? Did you also send an LBA (letter before action) after 14 days had passed? If not then you need to do this next. You can also 'update' your schedule of charges at this time by including the following to the template LBA

 

Quote:

 

I now calculate that you have taken £xxxxx.

I have enclosed an up-to-date schedule of the charges for which I am claiming. Please now disregard previous schedule, already sent you in my original letters of the dates quoted above, and these have now been updated to the current date.

 

I require repayment in full of this money. If you do not comply fully within 14 days then I shall begin a claim against you for the full amount (including any further charges you levie against my account before this date), plus interest, plus my costs and without further notice.

 

 

Don't forget to include the updated copy of your charges also.

 

They will most likely continue to try and fob you off or make silly offers, my advice is to stick to your request for a full settlement and file a court claim at the end of the 14 days if they have not agreed.

 

On current form it would seem that all cases are going to the stage of filing claims, but being settled soon after without actually being defended. You must read through the FAQ's and step-by-steps thoroughly though so you know what to expect, and how to respond.

 

Keep an eye on peoples threads who are at a similar stage, and you will see that they almost all follow the same pattern and responses from the bank. That way you will see what their current gameplan is. Anything out of the ordinary happens or you need help, just post.....

 

Cheers and good luck

Good Luck