claiming through a company to get charges back from Nationwide what a nightmare!!!!!

[willowrose]

hi all

as i didnt want the stress of claiming myself i used one of the companies on a website to do it for me ( i wont name them ...yet !! ) the amount was for £2500

i claimed back in january, i dont get replies to e mails i have sent and when i call then their mailbox is full and i cant leave a message, on the few occassions i have been able to talk to them all they say is that it is in their legal department, this was back in march. they also said the money would be in my account within 3 weeks !!! has anyone else had problems like this? i wish i had never started a claim with this company, i dont know what to do now, i am very stressed out and getting frustrated as i have never get any correspondence from them.

[northdesk]

Hi.

I have also used the services of a so called proffesional company who promised me that the whole process from them getting the statements to payout would be 12 weeks. It all started well , I got an email from them within 3weeks telling me that the statements had been received and that the total ammount due was £2108. So I had all this info from February 15th. they then sent out the normal stuff leading up to after 14 days they would proceed with legal action.

By the time it got to mid march , I still hadnt heard anything , so rang company up and they said that they are waiting for 8 weeks as they may use the financial ombudsman as this maybe a quicker way to get back the money. End of April still no news. So I sent an email explaining that from reading post on forums , Nationwide dont pay up unless the legal route is taken . was informed that my case was ready to be sent to their solicitors but they were still deliberating as to which was the best course of action , either ombudsman or courts. Finally received a letter on May 11th informing that they have passed it onto the their own solicitors and if i had any offers from nationwide in the next 21 days then to contact them immediately. also amendment to ammount of money on claim as solicitor cost added. I rang the company on monday 4th June they said my case was up review today , and to ring back back on friday. I am confused also with why I am told 21 days , when all the other guys on this forum who use MCOL talk about 28 days.

anyway good luck with your case and I hope you receive youre money soon.

[PPMAN159]

North

 

As they are using the FOS to get your money back how can they then justify taking their fee from the funds that are recovered?

 

What actual costs have they incurred?

 

The phrase 'money for old rope' springs to mind.

 

Also have they given you written proof(copy statements) of the funds that they are reclaiming for you?

 

At the end of the day, whilst it may seem easier to use one of these firms to claim for you, if you read up on the actual process it is not as scary as people tend to believe.

 

Willow

 

Check the paperwork that the firm has sent you as there may be a get out clause that might enable you to ditch them and start your own claim-that way you get to keep 100% of the funds.

[northdesk]

They are using their own solicitors , so taking the court action route , what I cant understand is that they have put 21 days , when everybody else on this forum have 28 days for nationwide to file a defence.

[willowrose]

hi again

i wish i had done it myself, actually North yours seems worse than mine !!! but......... i typed in the address given on the website of the firm i am using and lo and behold they have various different names claiming to be financial advisors etc, so i called the number on their financial advisor ad and a woman answered without stating the company , just a hello, i think it was a house number and when i asked her if that was******* ( the claims company i was using) she was very hesitant and finally said it was, i explained all the problems, no replies to e mails and telephone calls etc and she said she would get someone to call me, 5 mins later i get a call from a mobile phone saying that the claims company are going to send me a cheque for the full amount claimed plus interest less their 10%, and that as soon as I get my charges back from nationwide then i can send them the money, this seems really weird as they are prepared to gamble on me getting it back, a bit flummoxed now so deciding what to do, they were also supposed to be doing a small claim to barclaycard for me of £205. this too been going on since jan 2007 with no corresondence at all, so 2 weeks ago i used a template letter and sent it to barclaycard myself, and got £73 back as they have said that they have reduced their late fee charges from £30 to £12, but I have wrote back and said I want the rest of the money as that it is still unfair, but this was done on my own and the company that was supposed to be dealing with it hasnt even contacted barclaycard, i think these claim companies have rules etc and are governed by a regulatory body which i may compalin to, perhaps you should as well North

[northdesk]

this is a copy o letter sent.

 

We write following our recent conversations to confirm that we have sent instruction to our solicitors today to issue legal proceedings due to an inadequate response from your debtor.

The claim balance above has increased due to cost paid by FRL for court fees and solicitor fees , these amounts are recoverable from your debtor therefore it is essential that should your bank attempt to make a settlement of this legal claim during the next 21 days that this passed to FRL to ensure that all monies due are recovered .

Solicitor Fees £80

Court Fees £120

 

Our previous experience shows that our next written communication should include settlement of your claim , the return of your statements.

[PPMAN159]

That letter has proved my point.

 

Not only do they take anything up to 25% of the funds recoverd but they have also added on a fee of £80 for using a solicitor.

 

If people use the CAG route then no solicitors fees are involved and you get to keep 100% of the funds.

 

Also, as they are claiming via the Court have they added on the 8% interest that you are entitled to claim, over and above the basic charges?

[northdesk]

yes.

 

penalty charges £1719.50

interest £509.12

 

they get back 17% of this for their professional service !!!!

[PPMAN159]

Nice!!

 

£378.86 for writing a couple of letters and making a few phone calls.

 

Now you see why I say that using the CAG route is better-and a hell of a lot cheaper.

[northdesk]

I know I am still having nightmares about it, you are promised money within 12 weeks, they make it sound so easy. Get told that they have designated people who deal with all of the banks so it will all be fast tracked. All I can say to others is that it is all a bunch of lies, you are left in the dark as you have no direct communication with Nationwide as you sign over your account to them. And at the end it cost you nearly £400 .

 

I am ringing them back up this afternoon to ask for an update + why they have informed me by letter that the bank have 21 days , when all other people on forum have 28 days using MCOL

[willowrose]

Northdesk it is a con as you said, i rang Nationwide myself and they have no record of any correspondence let alone court action, which i was told was going to happen early March, the company i used said it would take a maximum of 12 weeks, i provided statements etc so they didnt have to do that, they are completely useless, if they dont buck their ideas up then i will name and shame them on here ( if im allowed !!! ) i could have borrowed the £120 from my mum to pay for the court costs and then claim them back instead of going through all this hassle, they were supposed to take all the stress etc away but they have added to it, at least if i had done it myself i would know exactly where i stand, as it is i know nothing about what is going on with regards to my account charges, othere be warned, do it yourself!!! these companies promise a lot but don't deliver and they charge a lot for doing nothing

[PPMAN159]

What I aslo do not understand is why should a claim made through one of these companies get fast tracked over a claim made by an individual?

 

At the end of the day surely they have to give the banks the same amnount of time to espond as we do?

 

I feel that they spin out this bulls*** just so that they can justify their 17% fee.

 

Also have they given you copies of the statements that they have obtained from your bank so that you can check that what they are claiming is correct?

 

As you can see I am not a big fan of these organistions!!!

[rbrears]

The £80 solicitors fee is the fee for the solicitor's time and can only be added if the claim form is drawn up by a solicitor. It is recoverable as part of the debt in the same way as the court fee is.

[PPMAN159]

Willow

 

Company X must be a member of a trade organisation and as such if they are providing the advertised service then they should be named and shamed.

[northdesk]

I have just rang FRL asking the following.

 

1. Asking why they informed me that the bank has 21 days to respond , when all other people who use online claims say that they have 28 days for bank to respond.

 

Answer . It is 21 days as it takes an extra week to process using online system.

 

2. Asked that if that was the case and that you had informed me by letter that instruction was sent by your solicitors on Friday May 11th , when will the 21 day period be up for me.

 

Answer . Tomorrow, so I should here something then , BUT , the solicitors they are using are ever so ever so busy , so it could be delayed until early next week !!!!!!!!!!!1

[PPMAN159]

I fully appreciate that the solicitors are busy but at the end of the day is that really a concern of yours?

 

They should employ more staff or work longer hours to catch up.

 

Make sure that you keep chasing them for an update-do not get carried along on the 'we are very busy' train

[willowrose]

like i said before the company i am using has said they will pay me with a cheque for the full amount i am claiming as it has taken 6 months, and they said that when i do receive a payout from nationwide then to send it to them and they are willing to take a risk that they may not get it? doent this sound strange to anyone, the company i am using i think is a husband and wife team that have set up a business at their home address with different names for their companies, they have 2 that i know of for claiming back bank charges, one charges 15% the other 10% !!!

[PPMAN159]

Sounds very wierd way to run a business.

 

Did they mention anything about them charging you interest on the funds that they are, in effect, lending to you?

 

If it was me I would be very careful before accepting this 'kind' offer.

[northdesk]

Did you not sign a form to hand over control of your account , as this would be the only way they could get statements and deal with Nationwide on your behalf. If this is the case then they would need to send you a for so you can regain control of your account .

 

In my situation I signed the form , which also means that all monies are sent to FRL , who then take out their charges and then send me a cheque , all my statements and letter to send nationwide to regain control of account.

 

It makes me wonder if they have had your money for sometime and are cashing in on the interest, as using these companies we never have any idea of what is actually going on.

[emma81]

If i was you guys i would send then a letter asking them to stop all action on your behalf and do it yourself from start to finish from when i filed my claim myself i had over £2000 back in my account just over 6 weeks from Nationwide thats with writing the letters myself (or copiying them off this site) and filing a court claim it was easy as pie, i feel sorry for you guys as i know how easy it must be to say yes and forget about all the hassel, these people are a pain someone tried stopping me in the high street last week and said have i had any bank charges i replied yes and i claimed them back myself you robbing B*****d! If you can gain control again i think it will be in your best interest for you to contiune it as they obviously have done nothing!

 

Good Luck !

[willowrose]

Did you not sign a form to hand over control of your account , as this would be the only way they could get statements and deal with Nationwide on your behalf. If this is the case then they would need to send you a for so you can regain control of your account .

 

In my situation I signed the form , which also means that all monies are sent to FRL , who then take out their charges and then send me a cheque , all my statements and letter to send nationwide to regain control of account.

 

It makes me wonder if they have had your money for sometime and are cashing in on the interest, as using these companies we never have any idea of what is actually going on.

 

ahhh that is a very good point, i didnt think of that, may be they have got money after all and that is why they are letting me have their money, i think i need to talk to Nationwide again and see if they have paid anything out as i did sign it to say they could deal with everything

[kennythecelt]

It is a pity you did not go down the CAG route- look at the success on these forums and threads- nobody is paying a thing. You should now consider doing so. The company you are dealing with is probably utilising advice gained on this forum, but evidently, not to effect. They are also charging you for it. You don't know what is happening and they appear to be misleading you, to say the least.

 

Try to get out of it by cancelling any contract you may have signed and as another post said, take control.

 

All the answers are here. You are not getting them from that company as is evidenced by the numerous different posts raised.

 

This process works and people will help you.

 

Good luck!!

[panicstricken07]

Hi, I too have been chasing various charges through on eof thse "mushrooming" companies. Last I heard they had given up and left my details to the financial ombudsman. If you are on a "no win no pay" basis with these companies, then don't worry. Fight your debts yourself. These companies are worthless.

[northdesk]

After speaking to FRL yesterday afternoon , I was informed that I should be hearing from their solicitors on Monday , and that I was to keep checking my account as they believe that Nationwide are paying monies straight back into account , but are withholding court fees and interest. I have been asked to notify the solicitors as soon as I am paid. If and when I am paid , hopefully it will include all cost and interest. I will then make the company wait before they recieve any of the money they are owed . Which would make me feel a lot better.

[trickyt]

Sorry to hear about the problems people are having with these unscrupulous sods. I agree with some of the posts above from people who say go the CAG way. I have gone this way right to the point of submitting my claim online but at the last minute I became so angered with NW's delays I went to the Financial Ombudsman last Thurs. and registered a complaint with them. Again this costs nothing and depending on what you require to settle your claim you could end up with more than if you go through the court. Updates on my progress can be found on the thread I started today.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL

Trickyt