Youngest v. Halifax

[half ax I]

Claiming for youngest daughter with 3 accounts with Halifax.

 

Sent off SAR back in Feb and received statements for 1 account so far. £350 of charges. 40 days are up next Monday and despite 2 phone calls to remind them they are close to non compliance. Will probably give them to Tuesday post arriving and will then phone again and send off the Non Compliance LBA which is already drafted in anticipation.

[half ax I]

Looks like I will not need to send the Non Compliance letter as post has just arrived. Highlighter at the ready.

[bennyowen]

Get ready and prepare for the next stage while you wait.

[boobyerp]

make sure that all the statements are there.... the first time I went through mine I found that they had missed out 7 months.

[half ax I]

Thanks peeps.

 

Well each of the other 2 accounts had 1 charge each so that's another £65. One was overdrawn by £2.99 for 1 week and incurred a charge for £35. The other exceeded the authorised overdraft by £0.55 after interest of £1 was debited and no charge made and then over by £1.63 after interest was debited and incurred £30 charge.

Disproportionate or what!

 

All statements are there. No gaps. Letter printed along with 3 schedules to go in the post when Post Office next open.

 

 

Hopefully it will get the same response as Eldest's which was a full repayment offer, although yet to see colour of her own money .

[half ax I]

Refund request letter sent on 10th. Received the standard Thanks for your complaint and we'll get back to you within 4 weeks although the FSA gives us 8. Well their letter was dated the 11th so the 14 days in the request for charges letter before LBA takes us to 25th. Note in diary to check or send LBA.

[half ax I]

No Response - 14 days are up so time to get the LBA off tin the next couple of days.

[half ax I]

Letter arrived today referring to original letter and stating they have another 4 weeks in which to respond. 14 days is definitely up over the weekend so time to prepare an N1!

 

S

[half ax I]

Haven't managed to do the N1 and file yet. Their last letter said -

 

Further to our letter of 11th April 2007. I'm sorry that you have not yet had a full response to your concerns.

We're still investigating your complaint, and you will receive a response from us as soon as possible, but certainly no later than 7th June 2007.

Our complaints leaflet, which we sent to you previously, explains how we will handle your complaint.

Yours sincerely

 

I think I might wait for that letter before continuing as will need to wait until after pay day before filing.

 

S

[half ax I]

Well Halifax have responded before their deadline of 7th June with the letter below. So despite following the normal process it seems they have selected this as one to refuse outright. Could it be because one of the accounts is an ex-staff account? I think a complaint to FOS could be in order so that we are seen to be attempting all avenues before court in accordance with CPR. I thought they each complaint that FOS investigates costs the bank about £400 which is less than the claim. Any thoughts?

Thank you for your recent complaint about the charges which have been applied to your account. I am sorry you are unhappy.

Our Investigation

I have carried out an investigation of your complaint and I am satisfied that the charges have been correctly applied to your account. This letter explains the reasons behind my decision.

Why You Have Been Charged

When you opened your account, you agreed to our terms and conditions which explained that charges would be applied if you did not keep to the terms of the account. From time to time, we have also sent you information about the current level of charges. This information formed part of your agreement with us and we have applied them strictly according to the terms agreed.

We apply these charges because when customers have insufficient funds in their account to cover a payment they have asked us to make, this means additional work for us. As a result, we feel it is reasonable to charge for this service.

How We Can Help

If you continue to manage your account in this way, future charges will be applied to your account. We know you do not want this and we would like to work with you to help you avoid these charges altogether. We offer free banking, which means your account is free of charge, as long as your account is in credit or within an agreed overdraft limit. To ensure your account remains free of charge, it can help by keeping a running check on how much is in your account. You can get an up-to-date balance at any of our cash machines, over the phone and on line. It is also worthwhile checking the dates of your direct debits to ensure that you have enough money in your account to cover the payments when they are due to be paid.

If you need greater flexibility, we may be able to help you by providing an overdraft or extending your overdraft facility. This can help to keep the costs of any unauthorised transactions down. If you feel you need more help to manage your bank account, I enclose a leaflet explaining the situations when charges will be applied and the services we offer.

Outcome

I am sorry to advise you I am declining your complaint. I hope I have explained the reasons for my decision.

You recently received a copy of our leaflet explaining our complaints procedures. Should any of your concerns remain unresolved please let me know what you would like me to do to put matters right. We are keen to resolve your concerns, however, if we are unable to do so we'll provide you with details of how you can contact the Financial Ombudsman Service for help. If I do not hear from you in the next eight weeks I will assume you are happy.

Yours sincerely

[half ax I]

Phone call to Halifax confirmed this was their final response letter so have sent off complaint to Financial Ombudsman in the interest of trying all options before litigation in accordance with CPR.