Popski Vs Barclays

[popski]

Hi All,

 

Thought I'd start a thread, as another individual thrilled at the prospect of making the bank pay back unlawful charges. Always felt it was a bit unjust as I had been a good customer to Barclays for years, and then was unemployed for a while which is where the charges started creeping in, obviously making the situation no better at all! Knew absolutely nothing of the ability to claim all this back until recently but now am determined to make them pay!!

 

Have sent off my intial letter for statements and am currently awaiting these, whilst reading up some more about the following stages. My partner (who also has a thread: Chopski Vs Halifax) has become fascinated by the whole thing and so between us we should be pretty clued up when the time comes, but any help and advice from anyone is always welcome!

 

I do have one question which I have searched for on the site but not found specifically in relation to Barclays. Even if Barclays pay back all my charges, it would not clear my current overdraft, and I am worried that they will close my account and demand full payment. The overdraft is within an agreed limit so are they actually allowed to just close the account? As soon as the o/d is clear I will close it anyway, but will be holding off on asking for my money back until I can be sure that my account is safe for now!! Anyone with any info please let me know.

 

Anyway, will update as things progress, and good luck to all you other bank charge claimants out there!

[popski]

Yes I do already have another account but will be reluctant to claim anything if there is risk of the Barclays account being closed, because I will still owe some money on my overdraft even after any charges are refunded. I have read a lot of cases on the site where accounts have been closed, or people have been asked to close them, but there are also a few threads popping up now where banks have been fined for unlawful bank account closure, so maybe they will start to be a bit more careful about closing accounts down!

 

Thanks for the advice.

 

popski

[popski]

Very good question, I'd be interested in the answedr to this one...

 

Good luck in your claim, I am just at the court stage!

 

 

Good luck to you then, technically shouldn't be long now! Keep us posted.

[popski]

Plus, have you opened a parachute account in case they do close it, it can have an effect on your credit rating making it difficult to open an other one?

 

 

Hmmm, didn't know claiming your charges could affect your credit rating. Could affect my decision to claim as my rating has only really taken a battering in the last year, and am currently working on getting it back to something like normal again!! Interesting.

[popski]

Hi everyone,

 

Sent SAR to Barclays on 6th Feb to the address found on this site. Have just been away for two weeks but have returned to find that still no statements have arrived, and in fact I haven't even had an acknowledgement of the request. Tracked letter and it did arrive. Does anyone know if there is a templete 'why haven't you sent my statements' type letter, or shall I just do one up - wasn't sure if I could quote any jargon re: breach of 40 day legal timeframe etc.

 

Thanks,

 

popski

[popski]

Hi Again,

 

After a bit more looking, I have found this link for templates if your statements are not received/incomplete. I will send off template 3 today.

Data Protection Act - Non-Compliance - Template Letters

[popski]

Hi everyone,

 

Just another update. After sending an LBA for breach of the 40 day deadline of SAR, I received my statements and totalled up the charges - I even suprised myself to find I had been charged a whopping £700 in just three and a half months last year due to being temporarily unemployed. What annoyed me even more was that looking back over my statements since 1999, my account had never had a single charge, or even been overdrawn before July of 2006, and yet the banks won't make any allowances for this whatsoever. I have pointed this out in my preliminary letter that was posted off yesterday. See what happens!

 

Have now started a claim on behalf of my sister against Barclays too. She is one of the many out there who wouldn't have done so off her own back, thinking she wasn't entitled to, or wouldn't be successful - we'll see about that!

[popski]

Hi all,

 

Just another quick update.

 

Sent prelim to Barclays on 17th April. Had a letter on the 14th day saying they were looking into it but it could take up to 8 weeks, blah blah blah! Went ahead anyway and sent LBA, deadline was today and have received the same letter again, however this time saying they will resolve it within 4 weeks - such a shame I will have filed my claim by then!

 

Meanwhile my sister who I am helping out with a claim, had until yesterday to get her statements and nothing, so yet another breach of DPA letter off to Barclays today!

 

Will keep you all posted,

 

popski

[popski]

Well,

 

Since I posted two days ago with my own claim on the brink of court action, and about to send a breach of data protection letter for my sister, a lot has happened!

 

The day after I received my 'still investigating your complaint' letter, I receive an offer for the majority of my charges, and on the same day my sis received her statements - they must have sensed my letters coming!

 

Think I may accept their offer - the difference between the offer and what I asked for is less than the cost of filing, and as the account is back in order now, its all money in the bank which I will have within ten days (I'll believe it when I see it!)

 

popski