Lets Help More People reclaim their charges!!!

[Guest Alison82]

Matc 1, I feel sorry for you. Yo haven't got a clue!!!!

[podgydad]

All valid points but there was a similar debate a while ago in chat, the guy poted his url and when I checked it, it made it all look deliberately complicated, long lists of relevant statute etc. It's OK to provide a service if there is a demand but in all fairness you should be prepared to tell potential clients if there is a free alternative and how easy it would be to do the job yourself.

 

But you wouldn't be in business long if you kept telling people not to use you and use the guy down the road that does it for free instead.

[Guest ian cognito]

Not necessarily, there will always be people scared to death by the thought of taking their bank to court, how do I put this politely? lacking the sufficient understanding to do it, as above, too lazy or just happy to pay someone who appears to know what they're doing, as the examples above, gardeners, decorators and mechanics don't seem to have a problem but we could all mow a lawn, paint the lounge or stick a new battery in the car.

[Slimine]

I think 'con artist' is a tad strong. Just because someone decides to decorate an old ladies lounge for nothing does not make a painter and decorator a con artist does it. One of the problems is that MatC was talking out of his backside Quite why he felt he needed to make things up is beyond me but there you go. Its great that this site exists and helps thousands of people reclaim their charges, just don't expect everyone to use it, some people would prefer to pay someone else to do it and where there are people prepared to pay for a service there will be people prepared to offer the service.

Its not that surprising that you are defending this matc1 character considering that YOU were doing EXACTLY the same thing on the "penalty charges forum" the other day! Oh, not as podgydad but as your other alias willwood. As I recall you seemed to get quite irate at the lack of sympathy you received. How is your business going by the way? Didn't you mention that you are also in talks with banking organisations etc too? Coincidence?...maybe.

 

There is this thing called ethics - Motivation based on ideas of right and wrong. You know when what you are doing is ethical by the feeling that you get inside, its something that you cannot hide from yourself. When you are at odds with your ethics you need reassurance hence your objections to (and need to reply to) the word VULTURE (penalty charges forum) and CON ARTIST (here). I don't believe that you are completely sure that what you are doing is the right thing to do.

 

Thanks for listening

[podgydad]

Its not that surprising that you are defending this matc1 character considering that YOU were doing EXACTLY the same thing on the "penalty charges forum" the other day! Oh, not as podgydad but as your other alias willwood. As I recall you seemed to get quite irate at the lack of sympathy you received. How is your business going by the way? Didn't you mention that you are also in talks with banking organisations etc too? Coincidence?...maybe.

 

There is this thing called ethics - Motivation based on ideas of right and wrong. You know when what you are doing is ethical by the feeling that you get inside, its something that you cannot hide from yourself. When you are at odds with your ethics you need reassurance hence your objections to (and need to reply to) the word VULTURE (penalty charges forum) and CON ARTIST (here). I don't believe that you are completely sure that what you are doing is the right thing to do.

 

Thanks for listening

 

I don't think I was doing the same thing actually. Firstly I joined in an ongoing debate to try and give the other side of the story, nor did I mention my company name, nor did I state I was in talks with the banks, try and stick to the facts please.

 

Yes I did get annoyed at the response on penaltycharges, and rightly so I feel. I was treated in a disgusting way, I thought forums had rules about treating other users with respect. However it would appear as though penaltycharges do not respect free speech or anyone who doesn't agree with them. Its worth noting that I only went on there in the first place because a number of our clients stated that they had heard about us from penaltycharges, however I could find no mention of my company name on the site. I thought I would give my opinion on the subject and was rounded upon. I have been registered on here for over 6 months, have never even once tried to promote my company on here, nor do I intend to.

 

What I do intend to do is share my knowledge on here, as I did the other day after we got over £12k back for one of our customers. As a result of my input a couple of users avoided having to go down the MCOL route and got settlements there and then.

 

I understand and respect other peoples points of view, its a shame you can't.

[podgydad]

There is this thing called ethics - Motivation based on ideas of right and wrong. You know when what you are doing is ethical by the feeling that you get inside, its something that you cannot hide from yourself. When you are at odds with your ethics you need reassurance hence your objections to (and need to reply to) the word VULTURE (penalty charges forum) and CON ARTIST (here). I don't believe that you are completely sure that what you are doing is the right thing to do.

 

Excellent, the Witch trials were ethical then.

[Slimine]

I don't think I was doing the same thing actually. Firstly I joined in an ongoing debate to try and give the other side of the story, nor did I mention my company name, nor did I state I was in talks with the banks, try and stick to the facts please.

Quite right, I apologise if you assumed that I was suggesting that you mentioned your company name, you didn't mention the name.

We are having some interesting chats with bank data controllers and managers, any useful info we can pass on we will do.

 

I think the reason you didn't receive the welcome that you wanted (and it wasn't as bad as you are trying to have people believe, the majority were quite tolerant of you) was your choice of words. To be honest, you came across as quite the business man, talking of profit, success, opportunity and the "taking advantage of it". On a self help site run solely on donations and the GOOD (FREE) WILL of its members your pleadings for acceptance would quite rightly cause a certain degree of scepticism.

 

As most people are in this position in the first place because of business, profit and greed, there is bound to be conflict....get over it!

 

However it would appear as though penaltycharges do not respect free speech or anyone who doesn't agree with them.

You are generalising. You were offended by one or two people's remarks.

FYI: penaltycharges is the name of a website/forum, it has no concept of respect or free speech. There are xxxxx amount of members on that site all with their own opinions and you only experienced a minute portion of them (some agreeing with you, some in two minds and some not). I fail to understand why you only focus on the negative.

 

Excellent, the Witch trials were ethical then.

No.

 

One last quote

I would also like you to confirm what legal qualifications you have, or have you just used my advice to now make yourself a profit,

 

I don't have any legal qualifications, nor do I need to have. I have used information in the public domain and my own experiences to make a business out of something people were giving away for free.

Vulture? Unethical? Perspective!

 

All of the above (and possibly below) are my opinions only!

[podgydad]

Quite right, I apologise if you assumed that I was suggesting that you mentioned your company name, you didn't mention the name.

 

I was trying to point out the differences between myself and MatC, he came on here and started a thread promoting his company, I didn't do that and I think its a big old difference.

 

I think the reason you didn't receive the welcome that you wanted (and it wasn't as bad as you are trying to have people believe, the majority were quite tolerant of you) was your choice of words. To be honest, you came across as quite the business man, talking of profit, success, opportunity and the "taking advantage of it". On a self help site run solely on donations and the GOOD (FREE) WILL of its members your pleadings for acceptance would quite rightly cause a certain degree of scepticism.

 

That's the thing, why should I be 'tolerated'? I'm not offended easily and I felt offended. I then got banned, which again I felt was totally uncalled for. I guess I came across as a business man because I am one, I'm not one for mincing my words, however I do understand that this is sometimes interpreted as arrogance. We Brits don't like or respect confidence. I didn't need acceptance but nor did I need insulting. I'm quite at ease with my ethics and conscience.

 

As most people are in this position in the first place because of business, profit and greed, there is bound to be conflict....get over it!

 

But that was my point, profit isn't bad in and of itself.

 

You are generalising. You were offended by one or two people's remarks.

FYI: penaltycharges is the name of a website/forum, it has no concept of respect or free speech. There are xxxxx amount of members on that site all with their own opinions and you only experienced a minute portion of them (some agreeing with you, some in two minds and some not). I fail to understand why you only focus on the negative.

 

Well I got banned for having an opposing opinion, something I felt was a disproportionate penalty, quite ironic really ;-)

 

You seemed to be indicating that my desire to defend myself somehow demonstrated my guilt, a tactic used to great effect in convicting witches.

 

Having said that, I'm not really on here to debate the rights and wrongs of what I do, people have very strong views about it and although I disagree with them I respect their right to have that opinion.

[sycostill]

so you are not even qualified? as a business people have faith and believe you are qualified in the area you work in, running a business based on information in the public domain, i.e. these websites, where is your expert knowledge!??

[Bookworm]

Thankfully, this:

 

The Compensation (Regulated Claims Management Services) Order 2006

 

should soon put pay to the self-styled businessmen so keen to assist us!

 

Seems quite a shame to see that 100k research investment going to nothing... You'd think that the research would have turned up that little piece of proposed legislation, huh?

[sycostill]

lol ! thank you very much,

 

brilliant.

[sycostill]

enougth said on this matter then.

[podgydad]

My expert knowledge is in running a business, setting up processes and systems to handle large numbers of claims. Is Richard Branson a pilot, train driver or telecoms engineer? Where is his expert knowledge? I have now gained sufficient experience in this industry to feel comfortable charging for a service that people quite clearly want, and where I lack that experience I use the services of solicitors who can advise me. The difficult part of reclaiming charges is the initial learning curve of understanding the processes, people spend many hours on here learning this process and reclaiming their charges, many people can't be bothered. The value in our service is saving time and avoiding hassle. Sign a form, then sit back and wait for a cheque. We switched our ad back on the other day and had 100 people sign up in 24 hours. Now anyone searching for our services will have undoubtedly seen links to this site and penaltycharges. They have all the info they need to make an informed decision. There are many businesses that charge a lot of money for services we could quite easily do ourselves, estate agents spring to mind.

 

Look, I really don't have any interest in arguing about this, peoples positions on the issue are pretty entrenched, its not going to get us anywhere. I'm also keen not to make this thread about me.

 

I value this site very highly, and hope that the knowledge and experience I gain can be passed on for FREE to the people on here. If I was some kind of mercenary business man, why would I do that?

[podgydad]

Thankfully, this:

 

The Compensation (Regulated Claims Management Services) Order 2006

 

should soon put pay to the self-styled businessmen so keen to assist us!

 

Seems quite a shame to see that 100k research investment going to nothing... You'd think that the research would have turned up that little piece of proposed legislation, huh?

 

No Bookworm, it will simply regulate the industry, which I welcome. I was talking to my solicitor the other day and he says this legislation is more to do with certain firms in the Northwest doing door to door selling and offering people loans at high interest to pursue personal injury claims. Regulation will ensure that things are done properly and will make people accountable. We will do whatever is necessary to comply with the act and become authorised.

[podgydad]

So am I right Bookworm, that if a company becomes regulated you then won't have a problem with them? The banks are regulated and look how that's worked out.

[sycostill]

let us know how you get on then!

 

and we'll see.

[Bookworm]

No Bookworm, it will simply regulate the industry, which I welcome. I was talking to my solicitor the other day and he says this legislation is more to do with certain firms in the Northwest doing door to door selling and offering people loans at high interest to pursue personal injury claims. Regulation will ensure that things are done properly and will make people accountable. We will do whatever is necessary to comply with the act and become authorised.

 

Your solicitor needs to do more research. It is a lot more than that. Read the directive yourself, and you won't need your solicitor, it is quite self-explanatory. Then once you have read and understood it, you will see why people like you or Matc need to worry. ;-)

 

So am I right Bookworm, that if a company becomes regulated you then won't have a problem with them? The banks are regulated and look how that's worked out.

 

No, you're wrong.

 

I have problems with lots of regulated companies when they flout the law. The banks being only one of those industries. Retail store which try and twist SOGA to their advantage are an other. Dodgy clamping companies, the list goes on and on...

[podgydad]

I have read it and I'm not worried. Sorry to disappoint you Bookworm.

[sycostill]

lets just see shall we....

[Bookworm]

I have read it and I'm not worried. Sorry to disappoint you Bookworm.

 

You're assuming again. First, you assumed that a regulated industry would mean my automatic approval, and you were wrong. Now you assume that whether the state of mind of people out to make money out of other people's misery concerns me. Wrong. Again.

 

Not interested in turning this into a personal argument, however. I have posted the relevant information, and people can act on it any way they like. That's as far as my involvement goes.

[podgydad]

Look, I'm quite open to being wrong. If someone wants to point me to the section that they think is going to cause us a problem I will take a look at it. From what I can see, the bill basically sets out the introduction of a regulator and that to offer a claims management service you need to be regulated. To be regulated you must fulfill a number of criteria. The only ambiguous part is the the section about being an 'authorised person'. It says that the regulator needs to decide if you are a competent person to offer such a service but lays down no criteria for that.

 

Regulation is a good thing, but we have all seen that in practice many companies and organisations ignore the regulator, bailiffs and banks being a prime example.

 

I think companies like mine can only help raise the profile of unlawful bank charges, the more of us that are out there will mean more people are claiming. As popular as this site is, its only dealing with a handful of those affected by bank charges and while in an ideal world everyone would come here and reclaim their charges thats just not the reality. Of course this could all be solved tomorrow if the banks were ordered to stop levying these unlawful charges and told to refund anyone who asked but we all know that's not going to happen.

[bottomburp]

deleted

[podgydad]

You're assuming again. First, you assumed that a regulated industry would mean my automatic approval, and you were wrong. Now you assume that whether the state of mind of people out to make money out of other people's misery concerns me. Wrong. Again.

 

Not interested in turning this into a personal argument, however. I have posted the relevant information, and people can act on it any way they like. That's as far as my involvement goes.

 

I didn't assume anything, I asked a question. You brought up the Compensations Act and said I needed to worry.

 

I think you have assumed that everyone reclaiming bank charges are in misery. Yes some are, a lot aren't. I wasn't in misery, I had just let the banks take a lot of money off me, I wasn't struggling to make ends meet, I wasn't a victim. I would say that the majority of our customers are what I would describe as middle England, they are not on the breadline and unable to make ends meet. Some are of course, I have helped them, and let me tell you they are very appreciative, its tremendously satisfying to help people who really need it. They get their charges back, I make a little money. Yes they could have done it for free themselves but they have chosen not to, you should respect that choice, if they are happy, I'm happy.

[sycostill]

"i make a little money"

 

surely your business does, how many of you are there? is this a one man show?

[podgydad]

eeerm, yeah, sure, but shouldn't you pay us a fee for our help?

 

 

 

Really? Do we?

 

Yep, nobody is going to order the banks to repay £18 billion. The OFT may make a ruling about bank charges but let me predict the future here, they will reduce their fees to £12 and there will be no order for them to repay the unlawful charges they have already taken over the last 6 years. Am I mistaken or have the credit card companies repaid all the unlawful charges they have taken over the last 6 years?