Cabot hassling me for Halifax charges

[Complete Misfit]

Hello, would like some advice if possible...

 

I had a current account with Halifax, which had a direct debit going out each month.

I opened a savings account and transferred most of the money into that.

 

I moved to a different address and forgot to change my address with them as I was really busy studying.

 

I later found that my direct debit wasn't being payed,

and that the current account had gone into overdraft which I was getting charged for.

 

I found out that they had taken the money from my savings account to pay off the charges they had given me

and then closed the account.

 

The person I talked to at the bank told me this and didn't say anything else about any more money owed to them.

 

It was really annoying as I had over £1000 in there which had just been eaten up by extreme overdraft charges.

 

But I left it and just thought it was a harsh lesson for me to check my account.

 

But then I started getting phone calls from Cabot finance.

 

After a while of not even answering them I was curious what they actually wanted so I answered.

 

He asked for my address which I didn't give.

Then started talking about a debt I had no idea what could be.

I found out he had my old address on file and they had sent a letter there.

So I went to my old address to get the letter and it said they had bought the account from Halifax.

 

It was bad enough Halifax had taking all the money from my account,

but now Cabot wants £166.89 from me as well.

God knows how much more they will try and charge for interest as well.

 

Needless to say I am not keen on handing my money over to these blood suckers,

and I don't even have the money to at the moment.

 

I am living in overdraft and it's hard enough to make sure I have money to pay the rent.

 

I'm not sure what the best thing to do is..

.do I try and reclaim the Halifax bank charges?

and just not answer to Cabot?

 

I haven't given them my new address..

[renegadeimp]

SAR halifax. Cabot normally collect suspect debts that have something wrong with them. If the debt is made 100% of charges.....

 

Only a SAR will tell.

[mikeymack2002]

First of all get a new account separate from the edited (Halifax) I was chatting and typing at the same time sorry Brig I can't multitask. umbrella, then cancel the DD, then start to claim all those charges back, how much in fees are we talking about?

 

DX100 has that info on here and can guide you to the templates for the charges and explain the reclaim process in much better detail than I

mm

Edited October 12, 2013 by mikeymack2002

[dx100uk]

when were the original PENALTY charges taken

they should not really have used off set to pay PENALTY charges to themselves

they are UNFAIR

 

forget crapbot and stay off the phone to them

 

they are NOT BAILIFFS

and have NO SUCH LEGAL POWERS

 

dx

[Complete Misfit]

I've got another account with Lloyds and have restarted the DD with them.

 

From the statements I salvaged at my old address I can see around £50 in overdraft charges but there must have been more than that.

 

The last letters I got from them were 2 indentical ones apart from amount owed. On one it says £137 and on the other £150.

 

The original penalty charges taken were from February to May 2013.

 

Yeah it is really unfair.

 

Good to hear they don't have legal powers or bailiffs..

 

.I haven't given them my new address anyway and I'll make sure I stay off the phone to them.

 

Thanks

[dx100uk]

bcobs complaint

 

not on any benefits are you?

 

dx

[Complete Misfit]

That's interesting about the BCOBS. I'll look more into that. Yeah I am on benefits at the moment. Is the best to start with getting a SAR from Halifax? and then going to the financial ombudsman?

 

Thanks

[renegadeimp]

Now, were you on benefits when they started taking these overdraft charges?

[dx100uk]

good all the better

BCOBS complain time.

 

have a read of this thread

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?353395-Letter-to-send-if-you-are-being-charged-bank-fees-whilst-on-benefits

 

dx

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

First of all get a new account separate from the RBS umbrella, then cancel the DD, then start to claim all those charges back, how much in fees are we talking about?

 

DX100 has that info on here and can guide you to the templates for the charges and explain the reclaim process in much better detail than I

mm

 

Halifax has no connection with RBS so why the need for a parachute account?

[mikeymack2002]

Halifax has no connection with RBS so why the need for a parachute account?

 

I was chatting to someone in the room regarding the original name I inserted and inadvertently put in the wrong name, my response has duly been corrected and the proper name inserted. Apologies' to the OP for my error and thanks to Brig for the reminder to check what I write is what I was actually meant to have said

 

MM

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

No problem, didn't want the OP going off and opening a new account.

[Complete Misfit]

I was a student when they charges were made, so I had a student loan.

 

Obviously that's not much difference to being on benefits so could I still do the BCOBS complaint?

 

and would you say this is the best thing to do in my situation?

 

If I did this should I then tell Cabot..

 

.or should I just not bother saying anything to Cabot?

 

Thanks

[dx100uk]

you can still use bcobs

 

have a read of the blue rbs link after clicking bcobs

 

forbet crapbot for now

 

dx

[Complete Misfit]

Ok I went in to Halifax and got a list of transactions printed out for my current account,

and the total of charges came to £166.89.

 

This is the same amount that Cabot are asking for.

 

However at Halifax they said they had used the money from my savings account to pay off my current account, and that my savings account is still open.

 

I should have a few hundred in my savings and they said there is only £1 in it!

 

She also wouldn't give me any more information about it as she said it was an online saver and I can only access it online.

I can't log in to it because I don't have the details.

I used to get to it by logging in to my main account, but now that account is closed so I can't log in.

 

On the final statement it says TFR TO CDR 166.89 which brought the final balance to 0.00.

 

It's unbelievable, feels like I'm being conned.

 

Then Cabot has the audacity to try and get the money already taken by Halifax!

 

So...is the best thing to do make the BCOBS claim?

 

I looked on the links, including the RBS but couldn't find an example of what I should send as an initial letter.

 

Is there a template letter anywhere?

Thanks

[dx100uk]

its in that thread

 

it might be an idea to send an sar to Halifax to get all the statements.

 

what they have done is invoked the right of offset to pay the charges

 

I don't thinks that's fair either.

 

here is the rbs bcobs links you couldn't find

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/content.php?829-Charges-successfuly-reclaimed-from-RBS-last-year

 

dx

[Complete Misfit]

I wrote a long email to the CEO of Halifax,

as I read few others had been successful going down that route.

I mentioned my situation, and brought up BCOBS

and was given a number to phone them about it.

 

just been off the phone to them and he explained that no money was taken from my savings to pay off my current account,

and they just passed on the debt to Cabot so that's why they are calling.

 

This is contrary what i was told in my local branch.

 

In branch they said money was transferred to my current account.

 

On my statement it says TFR TO CDR 166.89 which brought the final balance to 0.00.

 

On the phone he said that's just because the balance has to be brought to 0.00 for it to be closed.

 

My online savings statement says there has been no transactions since 2011, but I'm sure there had been...but maybe I just imaged it.

 

He said he would send the statements out and give details how to contact the financial ombudsman to take it further.

I don't know if it's worth getting a SAR if it's just going to tell me the same thing as what the statements say.

I don't want to give them any more money if it's not worth it.

 

I'm not really sure what I should do now.

..how do I continue the claim with BCOBS?

 

UPDATE:

 

Just been called back to confirm my new address,

and also said because of the mistake that was made in branch

(regarding them saying money was taken from my savings)

that he was enclosing a cheque for £25.

Not quite what I was hoping for but it's a start

haha.

[Complete Misfit]

I got this letter from Halifax along with statements:

you'll need to upload a pdf converted copy...dx

On my statements I realised I'd transferred some money to another account I had

which meant i didn't have as much as I thought I did.

But I would still like to try and get these charges back.

 

The thing is, when I opened the account,

I remember them asking me if I wanted an overdraft and I said no,

because of my worries of the exact type of thing which is happening now.

 

 

It seems as if they gave me an overdraft even though I didn't want one,

yet it still says it's an authorised overdraft.

 

 

So they are taking money I didn't have, and then charging me for it.

It's like forcing me to lend money off them and demanding charges because of it.

 

Dx, on the link you gave that seems like an individual case,

where they seem they are already in the middle of a claim.

Do I just write a letter stating my own case and use a few paragraphs from it,

such as the bits about BCOBS and quotes about the Supreme Court etc?

 

Also do I say to them that I was in financial hardship at the time,

such as on a student loan, and that I am currently claiming benefits?

 

Thanks

[renegadeimp]

Cabot are only acting on behalf of the OC

[Complete Misfit]

Hi Renegade,

 

 

I just don't answer the phone to Cabot.

They just have my mobile number so I see it's them ringing and

my reception isn't very good in my flat anyway so I miss the calls a lot.

Also they don't have my new address, which I am quite glad about.

I hope they don't get it off Halifax.

 

I'm a bit confused how to do this now though.

Halifax were paying direct debits which were taking me into overdraft.

I want to claim the charges back,

but obviously I can't get the amount for the direct debits back because I owed that anyway.

So I would have to pay that back to them...but now Cabot has the debt...

I don't know what the best thing to do is..

[Complete Misfit]

When I set up a reward current account with Halifax, I remember them asking if I wanted an overdraft facility, and I said that I didn't want one.

 

A few months after, I realised on a statement that they had given me an authorised overdraft of £200.

 

I didn't really think much about it.

 

But now, a few years later and my account has gone into overdraft paying direct debits, and i have ended up with a load of overdraft charges.

 

I am just wondering if I have a case of claiming this back by telling them I didn't want an overdaft,

and that they have more or less forced me into lending money from them, before giving me unfair charges for it.

 

I didn't realise my account had gone into overdraft and I'd rather the DD just didn't get payed,

rather than the bank taking money out of my account I didn't have.

 

Can I use this with a BCOBS complaint?

[dx100uk]

if this was after nov 2009

 

then yes

 

dx

[Complete Misfit]

Dx, it was just a few months before, think I set up the account in the summer of 2009 sometime. So that means I couldn't use that argument?

 

I want to claim the charges back, there are other issues. They have closed the account and passed the debt to Cabot. I still owe the amount taken for the DDs and the charges...so I guess that would mean I'd only be able to claim back the charges.

[dx100uk]

I think it would be worth a general bcobs complaint encompassing the overall issues?

 

dx

[Complete Misfit]

I would like to claim back the overdraft charges,

but some of the amount owed is DDs that I technically haven't payed back,

and now my account is closed.

 

Would I have to offer to pay back the amount of the DDs to them?

 

Cabot now has the debt.

 

Really not sure what the right way to go about it is.