Reopening a 'Gesture of Goodwill' Claim - Barclays Additions and Additions plus accounts?**Extra PPI and Additions Refunds**

[autumn53]

Hi,

 

Sorry for jumping in like that but I feel I have a similar case. Anyone else here who has been had by Barclays Additions and Additions plus accounts?

 

I have banked with Barclays for the past 11 years (since 1996) and some time during '97 THEY upgraded my account whithout my written permission and started to charge me £5/month for what they call an Additions Account. This fee kept rising every year or so and currently they are charging me £11.50 per month.

 

All this while I used to think that this amount is some sort of Bank fee/charges for accounting with them and something you have to do with just about any Bank Account.

 

The Barclays Additions members here would know that this charge is for some extra services that Barclays is providing its customers. They include intrest free overdraft facility, Roadside breakdown cover, Gas or Central Heating cover, plumbing etc. etc.

 

As I was not aware of these services I have been paying for, I kept spending elsewhere for getting these services all these years.

 

When they increased this fee to the aforementioned amount of 11.50 I grew interested in finding out what it was about. Moreover, I started questioning the fee itself, because, as a customer I felt that the bank should NOT be charging for having an account with them (it should be the other way round.... right?)

 

I aproached my branch and asked them for a total refund with interest as I never opted for this scheme in the first place. I was very cross because I remembered unclogging my drains myself not knowing I am covered for it for the past 10 years ... grrrr.

 

They forwarded my complaint this Thursday to their 48 hours service Complaint Department.

 

Within this time I calculated what they actually owe me and arrived at an amount of £750/- (without interest).

 

This morning I received a letter from Barclays that says:

 

They advised me through post each time the Additions fee was increased and that it was MY responsibility to check back with the bank to discontinue this facility.

 

In this letter as what they call a 'gesture of goodwill' have refunded me a sum of £34.50. This could be an amount I have paid since they last sent me a letter showing an increase in the fee.

 

They have also discontinued my Additions and changed my account to Standard Current Account.

 

Now, this means I never opted for the Additions account and never opted out of it on paper. They have been doing it all by themselves.

 

They have given me a period of 8 weeks to continue this matter with them before they consider it a 'case closed'.

 

This letter also advised me to go to the Financial Ombudsman Service becaue the bank has not been able to give me a full refund. Wow. I thought I was to threaten them with this.

 

I have had some advice here at CAG that I need to send them a letter saying this is not acceptable (I have seen a template here) and that I will go to small claims. Problem is that so far my complaint to them has been verbal ... so I never sent them a complaint letter or what I understand from CAG a ... Letter Before Action. I hope it is not too late me to start written communication with the bank.

 

Anyone here who could advise me about my next move. Any more people who are in the same boat as I am ... Additions members?

 

Love Autumn

[autumn53]

Thanks so much for the reply Karn. The complaint I lodged in the first case was not written ... I made a visit to the bank.

 

I do not understand the iterating bit ... I did this the hard way by looking at all the past statements and considered increases in fee and time periods etc. etc.

 

I met someone here in the chatroom who suggested using one of the spreadsheets. Which one would be appropriate for my case?

 

I am considering taking court action. I believe it will cost me some £80 in the small claims. And will be refunded if I win. I incur in terms of court fees if I lose which I am prepared to.

 

I will post the letter I will draft according to your above post so you could check it for any flaws.

 

Love Autumn

[autumn53]

Thanks for that post.

 

On my last visit to the bank I asked them if I was entitled to some preferential rates and the fellow confirmed I was and did receive them.

 

I too have a feeling I will not win the claim if the case witnesses a court date. But, have had some feedback from people here that, the Bank incurs costs in these matters hence, usually refunds just before the court date. I hope I will be able to pull this off.

 

Love Autumn

[autumn53]

Barclays Bank Plc

XXXXXXXX

 

Re: Account number XXXXXXXX

Response to settlement offer.

 

Dear Ms. Denise Mathews,

 

Thank you for your letter dated 23rd March 2007,

I respectfully decline your offer of settlement and request, once again, that you return to me all charges imposed on this account, totalling £750.00 (I think I need a spreadsheet to be attached here … I really do not know how to use the templates to suit the kind of claim I am making)

 

I will accept the sum offered only as part settlement and on the clear understanding that I will pursue recovery of the remainder, with a County Court claim if necessary.

 

My visit (It was not a Letter Before Action since I met the Bank staff and made a verbal complaint) to the bank on Thursday the 22nd of March 2007 regarding this matter indicates that you have until xx/xx/xx (do not know what date I can put legally) to respond before Court action commences. You are reminded that there will be no extension to this timescale.

 

I trust this clarifies my position.

 

 

Yours faithfully

Autumn

 

 

Karn could you please help me a bit more on this letter? I promise I will stop drawing your blood after this one.

 

Love Autumn

[saka]

Hi autumn,

 

When looking through my bank statements to claim back unfair bank charges I too noticed that my account fee had steadily been increased from £6 to £13. I first thought: okay that's the normal account fee for my current account, thought it was quite high though (therefore opened an account with a different bank that doesn't charge anything for a basic current bank account, which is all I need...).

Yesterday, a friend told me that she noticed Barclays had upgraded her Basic Account to an Additions Account without asking her. She only noticed from the increased account fee. So I now know that they must have done the same with me. I have never been asked to upgrade nor did I sign anything. Okay, I should have noticed earlier, but they did that step by step and if you don't check your statements regularly or thoroughly enough - how should you notice (and Barclays relies on the "stupidity" of customers like myself 8-) ) ???

 

Is Barclays now trying to compensate its "bank charges reclaim losses" by upgrading each account and taking higher fees without permission of the account holder????

[autumn53]

Well, some really kind people here have advised me regarding this matter. My claim has got me a very tiny amount back from the bank ... but, they also degraded my account to a standard account without the facilities or the fees. But, full refund never arrived. I am planning to take it up in the small claims court. I am going to lose if the case makes it to the court date ... but, Barclays will incur costs which will persuade them to refund before the court date ... that is what I have been advised here.

 

Let us keep in touch here.

 

Love Autumn

[autumn53]

Barclays Bank Plc

P.O. Box 305,

Northampton,

NN1 4WL

Your ref. :

 

Re: Account number

Response to settlement offer.

 

Dear Ms,

 

Thank you for your letter dated 23rd March 2007,

 

I respectfully decline your offer of settlement and request, once again, that you return to me all additions account charges imposed on this account, totalling £xxxx. I have detailed these on the attached spreadsheet for your reference.

 

You will be aware I visited my branch on Thursday 22nd March 2007 and made a verbal complaint regarding this matter.

My account was opened on 29th June 1996 and at no time was an additions account requested, nor offered to me. I discovered the transactions leaving my account on –21st March 2007 at which time I immediately requested you for a total refund.

 

Additionally, throughout this period you have been taking a sum of £8.00 per month to pay for overdraft protection. This also has not been requested by me, and I request a full true signed copy of my account application. This has also been added to my claim for a refund.

 

This letter is to inform you that I intend to take further action on this matter, within 14 days of this letter, in order to obtain a refund of this money taken by yourselves in respect of additions account fees and overdraft facility without my permission. I will accept the sum offered only as part settlement and on the clear understanding that I will pursue recovery of the remainder, with a County Court claim if necessary.

It is my belief that these 'options' have been added to my account in error by your staff and I expect to be refunded in full.

 

I trust this clarifies my position.

 

 

Yours faithfully

[Guest ChloeJane]

WELL DONE!

 

Fab letter as I said in chat!

 

Post with confidence.

 

See you back in chat if you need more help!

[autumn53]

Thanks for ur time chloe.

 

Love Autumn

[MEOB]

Hi autumn53,

 

Did you get anywhere with this claim?

 

I ask because I am considering asking for my additions fees back too.

[dar£n]

Hi MEOB,

Dont know about this thread, but I complained [in bank] about my Additions accounts, and managed to get my monthly fees refunded, with only one phone call [from them]

[MEOB]

Hi Dar£en,

 

How many years did you get back, and how long ago?

Was it really that easy?

 

Could you reply in my thread where I have posted details of how I think Barclays have charged me for Additions, but have not even given me the £250 free OD facility!

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/barclays-bank/83268-meob-barclays-help-please-3.html

[The Druid]

An interesting, and I trust, amusing tale for you here.

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/barclays-bank/133344-druid-additions-fees-tale.html

 

If its of any help to you please click the scales. Thank you

[autumn53]

Dear friends,

 

I am planning to reopen a ;Gesture of Goodwill refund; I received in 2007 after the whistleblower show on BBC about Barclays Additions and Overdraft Protection Insurance mis-selling.

 

The story so far ...

 

1. In 2007 I discovered that two different amounts had been leaving my account monthly since I first opened my account in 1996. One for Barclays Additions Fees and one for Overdraft Protection Insurance. (I did not know about PPI at that time ... a third kind of sum being nicked by Barclays ) Both the sums had been steadily rising and hence eventually caught my attention as the beasts grew in size.

 

2. To my amazement, BBC aired the whistleblower documentary in the same week.

 

3. I took advice here and immediately proceeded to make my claim. Mentioning in my letter a sum of 1637.50 which happened to include a total of both the outgoings plus a poorly calculated interest. The principal roughly being £1200/-

 

4. Barclays extended a Gesture of Goodwill and refunded me a sum of £35/-

 

5. I came back here and was advised to reject this offer.

 

6. Barclays extended another Gesture of Goodwill and refunded £290/- in respect of half of Addition Fees over the past six years

PLUS another £280/- towards half the monthly premiums paid for the Overdraft Protection Insurance.

Their letter said "....customers have a duty to care to check their statements ......"

 

7. I never spoke or wrote to the Bank on this matter. So no acceptance letter was sent to them.

 

8. I just realised that the Barclays' Gesture of Goodwill was not good enough even on the second attempt. And that they did not do the calculation right. I strongly believe that my refund should have been far larger than even the amount I was asking them to refund to me. I do not see any signs of a decently calculated interest in my refund.

 

Please someone throw some light on this and see if I can ask them to reopen this case, I have all my bank statements at hand.

 

Thanks for being there for the 'common man' and taking time out of your own busy lives for us. May god bless you all.

 

Hugs

Autumn

[slick132]

Hi Autumn,

 

When did the bank offer to refund the £290 plus £280.

 

Did they credit this amount to your a/c at the time or shortly thereafter.

 

[autumn53]

Thanks for the quick response,

 

I do not have copies of the letters that I sent to them ... sadly lost with an old desktop computer

 

1. 23rd March 2007 I recd. my first Gesture of Goodwill letter handing me £34/-

 

I must have quickly rejected this in writing and ...

 

2. 4th May 2007 I received a letter saying "...I am reviewing your case ..... will reply no later than 16th May 2007 with my response ..."

 

3. 8th May 2007 I received the final Gesture of Goodwill as stated in my original post here. The letter clearly says "...I have refunded your account with £292 in respect of half the Additions .... and £288/- ..... Overdraft Protection Insurance ....If I have not heard from you by then I will regard your complaint as closed ....."

 

Both the entries are for 8th of May in my Account Statement.

 

Here is a link to my chat on this forum during that time ...

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?76930-reclaiming-additions-fees-autumn53-v-barclays&p=674419#post674419

 

Thanks

Autumn

Edited January 3, 2014 by autumn53

[autumn53]

Oh just came back to this thread as I just successfully claimed PPi on two accounts and am trying to reopen this case too. Thanks for all the advice I have been getting here I am now around £7k better off in terms of my PPI refunds and am hoping to finally get some justice done to the claim in question here on this particular thread too. I did get a slightly better Gesture of Goodwill from Barclays in case anyone is interested in knowing what happened after I last posted here on this thread.

 

Here is the link.

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?414034-Reopening-a-Gesture-of-Goodwilled-Claim&p=4435315#post4435315

 

Hugs

Autumn

[slick132]

Hi Autumn,

 

Any response from folk should be made on the new thread.

 

[slick132]

Hi Autumn,

 

I would normally say that you left this far too long; that, by default, you accepted the banks refund in settlement of your complaint because you failed to reject it and continue to negotiate; and that you should let the matter drop.

 

That's my advice about the Additions fees.

 

However, PPI is being refunded as a matter of course and I think you SHOULD pursue a full refund of any Overdraft Protection Ins'ce.

 

Use a site spreadsheet to list all the charges and make a manual adjustment below the total of charges and interest, to show the amount refunded and the NET amount you now want back.

 

[autumn53]

Ty for the reply.

 

Yes I think Additions is a bit too old and more or less settled.

 

Would like to bring a few things to your notice about my potential Overdraft Protection Insurance claim,

 

a. I never had to send a spreadsheet for my PPI Claim, all I had to do was fill the questionnaire and I got the refund at lightening speed. Moreover, I was about to make the mistake of mentioning the sum I expected them to refund me ... some £1800/- that I arrived at after totalling the actual premiums that I paid. I was advised here to omit the amount from my letter and it paid off. I got £6.7k as a refund towards my PPI claim.

 

b. I did, initially at the time of claiming, in 2007 send the spreadsheet to the bank when they did the Gestures of Goodwill. It included all the premiums paid plus a badly calculated interest that looks nothing like the way Barclays breaks up my PPI refund. I think I had just added up all my OD Protection premiums and the Additions charges into one sum and added some 8% of that amount. lol

 

Should I not get the bank to do the maths exactly the way they calculated the PPI refund?

[slick132]

I think with the OD Prot'n Ins'ce, you could try the same approach as with the PPI - ie send them a list of the charges you know you paid and tell them you require a refund plus interest, less the amount refunded in 2007.

 

Let them suggest how much they'll refund but be aware they may initially refuse to repay due to the refund in 2007.

 

You should still do your own calc'ns using an 8% simple spreadsheet so you know what sort of amount to expect.

 

[autumn53]

Hmm, thanks for the advice.

 

About the OD Insurance ...

 

I notice that all my statements are laced with the word OVERDRAFT in many places in the same month.

 

I see it appearing as O/D Protection charged as an entry pinching a small sum of anything between £4 to £8 from 1996 to 2007. But, what is now confusing me are what they call ADVANCE NOTICE at the end of each statement ... they are, for ex., worded as follows ..

"ADVANCE NOTICE

THE FOLLOWING CHARGES ARE FOR THE PERIOD OF 02 OCT TO 31 OCT AND WILL BE DEBITED TO THIS ACCOUNT ON 25 NOV 1996

 

OVERDRAFT FEE £5.00

DEBIT INTEREST £3.36

TOTAL £8.76

 

What is going on here? What are these charges when they have already made me pay for the OD Insurance Premium throughout the time I have held the account???

I would love to know what these outgoings are and if I can claim these amounts too over and above the ODI premiums.

 

Thanks

Autumn

[slick132]

Hi Autumn,

 

The Advance Notice refers to fees you've incurred by going overdrawn, or being over your OD limit. These are NOT amounts you can reclaim as part of the OD Protection Ins'ce. Same goes for any OD Interest you were charged.

 

You can only reclaim the OD Protection Ins'ce and I assume you can identify the amount charged each month when you were overdrawn.

 

Edited January 3, 2014 by slick132
typo

[autumn53]

Ok thanks, that clears everything.

 

I will reclaim only the monthly premiums I paid towards OD Insurance.

 

Please could you also answer a couple more questions I have,

 

1. Can I use the usual PPI consumer questionnaire (FOS) to file this claim like I did for my recent PPI claims from the following source?

 

http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/technical_notes/ppi.html

 

2. I am not planning to mention in my covering letter any past claims I have made on this ODI and also not sending any particulars about the expected amount to be refunded. I am totally going to leave it up to Barclays to work it all out just to keep my case strong. Will this be a good move?

 

Thanks for your precious time. I really appreciate it.

 

Autumn

[slick132]

Hi Autumn,

 

1. Yes, as it is a PPI type product in my opinion.

 

2. Yes, you can leave the bank to do their calculations but do your own as well, so you have a guide as to what you should expect.