Someone to hold my hand (doing battle with Halifax)***WON***

[debbarker]

As I'm still waiting for Halifax to send details of all charges over last 6 yrs, I have started to record the charges I do know on the spreadsheet I found on this site. Gives me something to do whilst waiting! I just want things to get going!

Oh and I have emailed someone in Customer Services Legal Dept asking why I haven't heard that they have recieved my request and £10 (of my hard-earned money!!) - haven't heard yet tho!! LOL!

Debs

[debbarker]

It is now almost 4 weeks since we sent the SAR and £10 to Halifax - no acknowledgement that they have received it. I know they technically have 40 days to act on our request, but why do they make us wait like this? I just want to get on with things! And what happens if they don't send the evidence of charges etc?

By the way, I have phoned and emailed also in the last week and got absolutely nowhere - no one replies to me

[debbarker]

And another thing.........

is it 40 WORKING DAYS or does it include WEEKENDS? Cos obviously this makes a massive difference....

[Michael Browne]

All timescales are calendar days.

[debbarker]

Oh right, so as we sent the SAR on 12th March , that would mean they have until around 21st April to act on our request, and not until 7th May as I originally worked out?

Sorry to be a dimwit, but am full of cold today and brain is not working!!!!

[sea-sidelady]

yes, 21st April is right.

[debbarker]

Thanks Sea-side Lady. Just as well I asked otherwise I would be giving them extra time!! Still wish they would hurry up and send them to me!

[debbarker]

Well what a bunch of plonkers the Halifax are!!!!!!

I phoned today in response to a letter we received a couple of days ago regarding the first letter we sent (that is the one I sent before coming to this site and finding out how to do it properly!). This is the second letter aout my original letter and it says that they are sorry they still haven't given me a full response to my concerns, but they will reply by 1st May.

So as I haven't heard anything from them in respect of the SAR and £10 I sent on 12th March I thought I'd phone the no.on top of this letter (08457253519 - Customer Relations).

WELL........can you believe there is nothing on file/account about the SAR I sent, but she said it might be still in the system and waiting to be logged. At this point I made her aware of the first letter I sent at beginning of March, to which I have had 2 replies......and GUESS WHAT??!!!! No record of that on system either! **&&???!!

With that she put me on hold and spoke direct to the dept dealing with these things and then told me that they have had so many to deal with (aaaahhh!!!!) that there is a backlog and I will probably hear from them in next few days.

I told her that if they don't send me the info by 21st April (40 day deadline) then they are in breach and will be getting the next letter from me anyway.

 

What bunch of complete inefficient jerks!! This only makes me more fired up to take them for all they owe me....every last penny!!!!!

[debbarker]

OK, so I'll reply to myself cos am bored at work and still almost an hour to go!!!!

I guess the Halifax really don't know what they are doing and don't even seem to be capable of keeping accurate records of what is happening with their customers.

And I'm SOOOOOOOOO frustrated waiting for the damn info to come thru!!! I just want to get going on it! I guess it's what everyone else has experienced.......

 

Debs x

[debbarker]

Am STILL waiting for them to act on SAR and send me details of charges etc. They only have until 21st April tho!!

In the meantime me and my husband are having a bit of a time with them over an apparently failed d-debit they have charged us £39 for. I say seemingly because the d-debit was not actually set up on the account at the time they say they couldn't pay it!! Now they are harrasssing us....phoning almost every day....because we are £72 (yes just £72!!!) over the overdraft limit and that is because of their charges I might add. We haven't used the account sonce Nov last yr, when we set up a parachute account. They were bleeding us dry with £300 of charges each month and no way of getting on top of things - we had to move our money away and start to recover financially. So you can imagine how angry we are that THEY have made a mistake and expect us to pay.

The ovredraft amount is £672 and we just don't have the money to clear it. Once we get our charges back they can have their money and we're finished with them.

My husband speaks to them when they phone and their latest tactic is to hang up on him (although they phoned in the first place!!) when he goes on about the mistake they made and the fact we won't pay them another penny more when they insist on 'stealing' it in charges.

Anyone else had this strange treatment from them?

[c_allen]

send the a letter recorded of course telling them that the account is offically in dispute, and ALL contact is to be by letter in future, and to no longer phone you, if the phone you you will complain to the police about harrasment. that should get their attention and stop the calls

[spartan]

Hi Deb,There is a good letter in the bank template library re harrasment phone calls.

[chaddyowl]

I have used this letter with Lowells and it works. They called me every day for 2 weeks almost then stopped when I sent letter!!!!!

[debbarker]

Hi and thanks for your replies.

I found that letter and have sent it to them today. It should make a difference then.

Will also phone Customer Relations in the week to ask about my SAR and WHERE IS THE INFO I ASKED FOR?!!! Just want to get going on it!

Debs

[debbarker]

Today we received a letter from Halifax offering £6,000 as full and final settlement. This relates to the first letter I sent (if you read my thread this will make sense!!) with an 'estimate' of £6,000 of charges. However, since sending that and coming to this site I realised we are probably owed more than that and have sent SAR and £10. The SAR hasn't been acted on at all.

This evening I phoned the named person on the letter (Graham Neale 01977 627185 - Customer Relations) and I have to admit he was very helpful. I explained about sending the SAr and not having received any statements yet, and the deadline being this coming weekend. Straight away he said he would get on to it and have them sent out to us immediately!!!!! I did say to him that we reckon the overall amount we will claim is more than £6k and that we would get back to him once we have recalculated everything - obviously still within timescales etc. Am just feeling glad that things are now moving and I can see the light at the end of the very long tunnel!!

Debbie x

[debbarker]

To anyone taking the time to read this -

Further to my last post, am I going along the right lines. Is it what you would do?

 

Thanks.

[happyolddog]

Hi deb,

Yes things are going right for you,but hold back from accepting the offer unless you are entirely satisfied.If your claim goes to court, you win and then interest will also be added. I put that because if you had invested the money you would have gained interest; so why not claim it now? I would start preparing a court bundle;

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/bank-templates-library/33060-basic-court-bundle.html

Claim what is rightfully yours.

FAQs....

Templates Library....

If you have charges going back further than six years read in here;

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/general/80486-claiming-beyond-6-yrs.html

There is also live chat, visit if you need any quick advice.

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/chat/flashchat.php

Finally good Luck.

Happyolddog.

 

If my advice helps please tip the scales, left.

[debbarker]

Thanks HOD!

I need to calculate all the charges first and then decide if they come to more than £6k, which I suspect they will do. Then I'll know what to do next.

Will keep posting on here as I'm sure I'll need more advice soon!

Thanks again.

Debbie

[debbarker]

Not sure what to do now...........

You know I said that we had been offered £6,000 by Halifax? Well I phoned and explained that w estill waiting for statements etc as I only estimated £6,000 but think it's actually a lot more in charges. We are STILL waiting for statements (I phoned them again today to hurry up) - but today they put £6,000 in our current account!!!!!!!!!

NOW - does this mean we can still claim for the rest - I reckon there's another £4-5,000.

I'm kind of thinking we carry on as we planned to - but their letter said it was 'full and final offer' and they wouldn't give us any more money.

Am confused......PLEASE HELP!!

[debbarker]

By the way - we haven't actually accepted their offer. They just paid it in!!!!

[debbarker]

The only letter we sent originally was off the MSE website (before I came here) - the one where you have so many yrs statements and estimate the 6 yrs amount to claim from the figures you do already have. Great - only I didn't estimate right, did I? Being as they stumped up exactly what I asked for in the letter - am amazed about it - but does that mean I can't claim the rest?

Help........

[TUTTSI]

Hi Deb

I would send the rejection letter which can be found in the template library and accept the £6K on a partial basis only and when you eventually get your statements, you can claim for the total of your claim + interest less the amount paid on a/c leaving a smaller balance.

 

DS

[debbarker]

Thanks Ds, but I can't use that template yet because I don't know exactly what the total charges are that I'm claiming.

I guess I just have to hope the statements etc come very soon. The guy I spoke to today seemed to think we should have them by now.......and so the wait goes on......and it's also after the 40 day deadline now too.

[c_allen]

don't accept it at all, theres a few problems accepting may bring up in the future,

1. when you claim the rest, which charges have they already paid back? the first £6000, the last, or 1 for here 1 from there?

2, if/when it gets to court, if they say the first then you'll lose loads of interest.

3. if you go for contractual interest then you'll have lost even more.

theres likely to be other problems as well but i can't think at the mo, v tired:)

it's for you to decide whats best for you, but thats what i'd do, it's still early in the process and if they've offered that much already then they've had a look at your charges and think it's worth it, just think how much they really owe you:eek: . write a letter telling them you don't accept and to remove the money from your account, and get a move on with your S.A.R. request,

once again thats what i'd do.

ps i'm skint so i would be tempted;) but i'd gain confidence from an offer that BIG this early.

hope this helps

[debbarker]

Well that's sort of what I'm thinking. If they paid out £6k just like that, they must know exactly how much they owe and think they are getting off lightly, if we will accept that amount.

Am wanting to go for the rest - definitely - it's just knowing the best way to go about it, and I don't know much really!

Thanks for the advice x