Trying to negotiate over the phone - no deal.

[djdave]

I've got a claim being handled by Barclays at the moment, they've been sent the LBA.

 

Having seen the Whistleblower programme last night I thought I'd try my luck negotiating with them over the phone, using the angle that now I was even more likely to win so why don't we save each other the time and expense of going to court and just settle this now.

 

I was even prepared to concede that £2 was a fair charge and deduct it from each charge claimed.

 

It took about 10 minutes to get through "due to the high demand for this service", but they wouldn't budge. My claim is being looked at and Barclays say they've got 8 weeks in which to respond.

 

I stated that my timescale was such that they'd got until the 23rd to reply before I lauch court action, but as a goodwill gesture I would give them a further week.

 

Hopefully by doing so it will strengthen my case in court that I've tried to act reasonably with them at all stages.

 

The poor woman sounded up to her eyeballs, she'd seen the programme last night and it seems to be causing Barclays some grief!

 

So it's not really a progress report, and if anything I've delayed my case by a week, but I feel it was worth a try.

[smit123]

I would stick to your own deadlines. I have rang them on countless occassions to try and settle. I have tried reasoning and at one point i gave them an extra week.

 

Barclays have told me that they will not settle until a court date is set.

[Bookworm]

It won't strengthen your case in court, should you ever get there (oooh, look, up in the sky, a pig! ).

 

The reason we set 14 + 14 days in the template letters is because the CPR states that a month is a reasonable time to settle a dispute without resorting to court.

 

Oh, and don't phone them, you're wasting your time and you're giving the control back to them, by showing yourself to be desperate and not that confident. They'll phone when they want to avoid court. And you shouldn't think in terms of cutting a deal, but in terms of getting 100% of your unlawfully taken money. Because that's what it is.

[djdave]

Thanks for the advice. The tone of my phone call wasn't desperate, just formal and offering them the chance to avoid court. Honest truth it'll be another week before I've got the spare money to pay the MCOL fee, even though I'm 100% confident I'll get it back, so no harm done really!

 

It is frustrating though, knowing I'll win but having to follow such a protracted process.

[Whits]

I've been on the phone to Barclays but nothing to do with the Whistleblower prog.

 

I spoke to them when I was having real trouble getting the money for my AQ, the guy I spoke to said "You know and I know that we'll settle but not until you've got a court date."

 

So I found the money, filed the AQ and got my court date for 18th June. I phoned them again and got told that they won't enter negotiations until about 2 weeks before my court date

 

Needless to say, I told them not to bother calling me then as I'd rather they have the displeasure of coming to sunny Yorkshire to meet me in court

 

Bunch of timewasters they are