BBA perplexed by announcement on bank charges

[fallen404]

Precisely. I can see this is getting a little off-track now. It's important to remain moral and sensible when dealing with the banks and any similar organisations. Flying off the handle and taking recklessly illicit or illegal actions is certainly not going to help your case any.

 

Either way, it does astound me that so many of the BBA's staff would be off at any one time. Surely they don't all have kids to look after over the holidays?

[Spiceskull]

Sounds to me like they prepared their statement last week, sent it off to the 'post room' on Friday for a Monday release, and then closed up for a week...because they knew that a lot of people (well, me at least...) would be writing in for a clarification...

[coffindodger]

Sent the original to Ms Elson and cc'd it to the rest of the list. It's time that the major banks and their cohorts realised that we mean to get justice

Brian

It's amazing how many people are on leave at the moment

[EricTheRed]

I put a read receipt on my email to the BBA. Most of them are on holiday but the one to Ian Mullen came back as

 

Your message

 

To: [email protected]

Subject:

 

was deleted without being read on 11/04/2006 12:55.

[Spiceskull]

I put a read receipt on my email to the BBA. Most of them are on holiday but the one to Ian Mullen came back as

 

Your message

 

To: [email protected]

Subject:

 

was deleted without being read on 11/04/2006 12:55.

That's interesting - I would have thought they would be keen to hear from your Joe Average bank user...

[dave]

Maybe it's time for a protest outside the BBA headquarters?

 

Any thoughts?

[Spiceskull]

Maybe it's time for a protest outside the BBA headquarters?

 

Any thoughts?

Yes - it's nearly easter weekend - they will be closed for a few days (although it sounds like they already are...) the papers have bugger all to write about so why don't we all (including the papers) go down there for the afternoon on Monday. It would make great reading for BBA staff on Tuesday morning...

[polar_b]

I'm up for a demo but what would we gain?

[bram stoker]

Publicity and more support. Power to the people!!!

[fallen404]

Not entirely sure I see the point in going to an empty office building on a bank holiday. I think we'd end up looking a bit stupid, personally. I'd say the best way to get publicity as to spread the website address round by word of mouth, so that more people take action, more of them get to court, and then there's more victories reported in the papers and on television.

[Spiceskull]

Not entirely sure I see the point in going to an empty office building on a bank holiday. I think we'd end up looking a bit stupid, personally. I'd say the best way to get publicity as to spread the website address round by word of mouth, so that more people take action, more of them get to court, and then there's more victories reported in the papers and on television.

There is that as well. But...we could argue something along the lines that we were holidaying at the bank on a bank holiday...or something...

[angry cat]

"EXCELLENT" !!!

 

I will most certainly be sending a similar letter to the relevant parties at the BBA

 

Thanks

 

angry cat

[EricTheRed]

Did anybody ever get a response to their letters?

[Spiceskull]

Did anybody ever get a response to their letters?

Only auto-replies, although I did get one response that said my query was being forwarded.

 

However, Joanna Elson popped up again today, on the BBC article...if she wants to speak then she MUST expect a barrage of emails from me...:):)

[EricTheRed]

I thought I would follow this up. I recently wrote to my MP about bank charges asking him to take it up with the CoC. he replied and was most interested and asked me to keep him up to date. I've sent him this letter. Please excuse the plagiarism in some parts.

 

 

Dear Mr Rooney

 

Bank Charges

 

Thank you for your response to my letter about bank charges. Your reply asked me to keep you up to date. From my own perspective I can inform you that I will shortly be issuing summonses in the Bradford County Court against Abbey and Capital One for recovery of penalties applied to my bank account and credit card(s). Abbey haven’t even had the courtesy to comply with their obligations under the Data Protection Act and my case will be based on a reasonable estimate of part of the claim.

 

In addition they have informed me that

 

“If the complaint escalates into a claim in the County Court, we will review each case individually, and if we feel that our relationship with our customer has broken down completely, we may decide to give notice to close the account under the Terms and Conditions.”

 

To close an account because a customer complains and stands up for their legal rights has already been addressed by the Ombudsman and as one would expect, the outcome was favourable for the originator of the complaint and the complaint was upheld. The Ombudsman agreed that to close the account was against “natural justice” and awarded compensation to the purveyor of the original complaint.”

 

Over 4 years Capital One has charged over £1200 on 2 credit cards each with only a balance of £200.

 

I’ve also attached a letter that I sent to Joanna Elson of the British Bankers Association on 11th April. Ms Elson has not replied to this letter. The letter was sent also to Ian Mullen Chief Executive of the same organisation.

 

I find it hard to understand what Ms Elson and Mr Mullen have not had the good manners to reply to my letter when I clearly indicated that I wanted a response. The email sent to Ian Mullen came back as

 

Your message

 

To: [email protected]

 

was deleted without being read on 11/04/2006 12:55.

 

I seem to remember that at least one of them deleted the email I sent without even reading it.

 

The question of bank charges is a serious matter and for this to be dismissed through lack of response by a responsible member of their professional body concerns me greatly.

 

I have incurred penalties from my bank. I appreciate that if I am delinquent, inadvertently or otherwise, in my banking that I should be penalised but only to the extent that it is legal and fair and not a case of my bank making a profit on the back of my delinquency. It is well established at both common law and enshrined in statute that a bank can only claim back its actual loss and not impose unfair contract terms on its customers. I don’t expect to contribute towards the shareholders champagne at the banks AGM after they have announced that once again they have made £xbn profit. The big 5 banks made £31bn profit last year. I believe that the banks made approximately £3bn in bank charges.

 

I don’t think the questions posed in my letter to the BBA should be anything they should hide behind when all I required was a written response penned in honesty.

 

Would it be possible for you to solicit a response from this organisation on my behalf?

 

I know that several members of the Consumer Action Group forum - http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk - have asked the same question of Ms Elson and Mr Mullen and as far as I am aware neither have had the courtesy to respond.

 

Perhaps you could bring this to the attention of Anne Snelgrove the member for South Swindon as you are probably aware has asked questions regarding these issues.

 

The banks and credit card companies are a law unto themselves having scant regard for the laws of this country (and indeed the OFT) and the majority of their customer base.

 

Fight the good fight and I look forward to your response.

 

EricTheRed

[mechs]

Good on you Eric ....lets hope you get a better reply from him than we did from our mp he didnt even reply to our first email

[cakey]

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