Help needed with claiming charges back from RBS

[brooklyn]

Hi,

 

I'm quite new to this site and have an ongoing problem with comet which is in the relevant thread. I have spent days looking through the site (which i think is great) and have decided to try and give it a go at getting my bank charges back.

 

I'll need all the help I can get so if anyone is willing please don't hesitate:-) .

 

I have no experience with courts nor have I ever done anything like this before, I'm one of the many that just accept charges as par for the course. I have read through lots on the subject in this site and would just like a few things confiming.

 

I have been with my current bank RBS for approx 6 yrs, I didn't used to have an overdraft and occaisonally went into the red for which I received charges. These charges range from cheques being slightly more than my balance and being returned and/or not enough funds for dd's. As I understand it these charges I can claim back even though it was my fault in not bugeting correctly ? Please confirm.

 

I had a period where I was off work for some considerable time and my husbands wages just weren't enough to support us and the kids subsiquently a charge for something being retuned went onto my ac and put me into the red for which I received another charge, as little or no money was going into my ac my unorthorised overdraft kept going up. I did the right thing and contacted the bank explained my situation and had an agreement set up to pay the overdraft back, I did slip a couple of times and had new agreements set up and eventually paid all the overdraft of with the interest. My husband had similar troubles with his ac as he was trying to keep us afloat.

 

My other question is, how does having an agreement set up on my ac affect claiming my charges back and can I still go ahead and send my SAR?

 

Any advise greatly appreciated

Brooklyn.

[Yanni]

I would say yes on both counts but see here

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/faqs-please-read-these/

 

and read the FAQ section. That should help you.

[brooklyn]

Hi,

 

Thanks. Ive just had a letter back from the RBOS asking for a £5 postal order, this is the fee they charge for the service of providing me with my details under the Data Protection Act. Is this correct? I have not read anywhere else on RBOS threads of such a charge. They will not proceed until it is received.

 

Brooklyn.

[clakkers]

Brooklyn,

 

They can ask for payment for a 'S.A.R' - (Subject access request) your statements basically...

 

Normally it's around a tenner, so I wouldn't complain at a fiver!

We sent a chq for £10, a month afer receiving the statements, they cashed it..

 

Send it off asap! Up to 40 days they have to reply...

 

All the Best

[brooklyn]

Hello again,

 

Just realised I have all my statements from account opening, can I just use these to calculate charges and if so do I just send a request for them to be refunded to my branch? or to the address which is on the letter they sent me the request for the £5 fee?

 

Brooklyn.

[clakkers]

Brooklyn

 

We crossed in the post...read this section first...on the right hand side is step by step...

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/faqs-please-read-these/25457-guide-reclaiming-bank-charges.html

 

Here's where you send your letter, once you have checked your statements...its all in the above link, and take some time to read it all...

PRELIM LETTER & LBA

 

Customer Relations

Customer Central Support

First Floor

The Forthstone

56 South Gyle Crescent

Edinburgh

EH12 9LE

 

Regards

[brooklyn]

Hi,

 

Sorry I'm not the greatest or fastest at typing (I've just progressed to 3 fingers )

 

Many thanks, I'm spending all my spare time reading this site and its given me confidence, I guess I'm just one of those people thats nervous.

 

Brooklyn.

[clakkers]

Brooklyn.

Sorry I'm not the greatest or fastest at typing (I've just progressed to 3 fingers )

 

Many thanks, I'm spending all my spare time reading this site and its given me confidence, I guess I'm just one of those people thats nervous.

 

Brooklyn.

 

Lol, no apology necessary, we're no experts either, but we've just trodden the path your going down...I have just recently posted about our next step, ie filing for court, and like you, extremely nervous...It does take a lot of reading, and I would advise everytime time u see a page with info relative to your's, print it off, or save it somewhere, file in a seperate folder, and keep track...

We didnt, and we read and read till our our eyes were bloodshot, our fatal error was not noting what was relevant to us, and we lost our way...but, Im picking it up again today, but work gets in the way!

 

All the best!

 

lol an im not best at typing/editing/writing either..

[Yanni]

clakkers,

I can only agree with you on the folder thing and printing off and filing a hard copy of any relevant stuff, template letters, legal advice etc as there are so many threads and sections to this site it can be a bit of a maze to find things sometimes (not a criticism btw, it's just there are so much stuff) - I have a folder with all my correspondance and other stuff that I will have to get another as its starting to bulge a bit - unless of course RBS settle soon!!

 

And to brooklyn.

when sending your prelimary letter remember to send a list of all the charges you are claiming with the dates, details and amount.

 

Best use one of the spreadsheets on here http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/faqs-please-read-these/25457-guide-reclaiming-bank-charges.html?garpg=5

[brooklyn]

Hello Both,

 

Many thanks Yanni & Clakkers,

Ive started printing and copying.

 

Good luck

 

Brooklyn.

[brooklyn]

Hello all,

 

I've had a reply today acknowledging my request and fee and my statements will be sent out a.s.a.p but there is a foot-note on the letter which is as follows;

 

"With reference to your request concerning any manual 'intervention' to the administrative charges debited, these have been processed in accordance with the terms and conditions of our current agreement with you as a result of the activity on your account. In the event that you breach the terms and conditions, we will take the appropiate action, contacting customers when appropriate, or handling customer enquiries regarding their account status. When a customer has raised a concern in relation to this process, the decision will be communicated to the customer and where appropriate noted on the account."

 

Is there a need for me to respond to this or should I wait for my statements, I haven't seen any reference to this on this site yet but there is so much to read through.

 

Many thanks Brooklyn.

[clakkers]

Not read this in the posts before, that's not to say it's unusual, I just think it's standard stuff (IMO).

 

We didn't receive such a letter, just the statements in about two weeks.

 

Incidentally, FYI, just to let you know RBS have paid up! I hesitated filing for court...and decided to wait the 8 weeks...and lo n behold they offered the full amount minus the intrest.

 

Would have been nice to get that too though...but hey...better than nowt!

 

This will *BUMP* your thread up a bit again, maybe someone will have a definitive answer to your post.

 

Regards

 

Clakkers

[kermit200376]

how long did it take between the offer letter and the funds being paid? Was it straight into yoru account?

Ta and well done you!

[clakkers]

Without nicking brooklyn's thread too much...The money isn't there yet, just sent the letter back today.(rec.delivery).

 

A touch over 7 weeks, since my first letter requesting the refund.(after receiving statements)

 

So not bad at all.

 

Well done me? Well, thanks to this and MSE, without who's forums I wouldn't have attempted it without...

[kermit200376]

I agree this forum and MSE have been invaluable. These guys deserve knighthoods!

[Yanni]

Hello all,

 

I've had a reply today acknowledging my request and fee and my statements will be sent out a.s.a.p but there is a foot-note on the letter which is as follows;

 

"With reference to your request concerning any manual 'intervention' to the administrative charges debited, these have been processed in accordance with the terms and conditions of our current agreement with you as a result of the activity on your account. In the event that you breach the terms and conditions, we will take the appropiate action, contacting customers when appropriate, or handling customer enquiries regarding their account status. When a customer has raised a concern in relation to this process, the decision will be communicated to the customer and where appropriate noted on the account."

 

Is there a need for me to respond to this or should I wait for my statements, I haven't seen any reference to this on this site yet but there is so much to read through.

 

Many thanks Brooklyn.

 

Looks to me as though they may have got your letter mixed up with someone else's - I'd ignore it or perhaps you could telephone the number on the letter and ask for explanation- it's probs someone wanting info as to which charges are manually operated or system operated -

 

just keep to the timetable as advised, if no statements within 40 days, send non-compliance letter (see template letters library) - a bit of patience is needed but as clakkers has shown, you should get refunded in full sooner or later - since I last posted on this thread, I got offered full refund after refusing part refund and am just waiting for my account to be credited which I should be this week.

[brooklyn]

Hello again,

 

Many thanks one and all, My husband banks at the same branch and has 2 accounts, he sent his request at the same time and his statements arrived today nothing for me yet though.

 

Brooklyn

[brooklyn]

hi,

 

Just looked through my husbands statements and the first 14 pages are missing on one of his accounts.

 

Brooklyn

[Yanni]

Happened to me, wrote asking for missing statements which I received a week or so later, 3 times over in 3 separate envelopes!!!

 

A bit like waiting for a bus - none for ages then 3 all at once!!

 

Advise you write and, if you have a number, a wee phone call won't go amiss.

[brooklyn]

Cheers,

 

Many thanks for the advice, I never thought I'd have the gumption to do this but with the help, support and the positve results on this site I'm going for it. I would like some advice on how to proceed is it better to claim all 3 accounts seperately also which work sheet should I use to work out the charges and interest?

I'm a bit confused on the interest side of things, if I include the interest the bank has charged us, which is clear on the statement do I use the exel chart that adds the 8% too, or is it just the charges and banks interest that is in my request for refund to the bank and the 8% when/if it goes to court.:?

 

I don't want to make any mistakes so am checking everything.

 

Brooklyn.

[Yanni]

Cannot really help you on interest but only recount my own experience - I used the Scotland simple Excel table at this link :-

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/bank-templates-library/182-6-interest-calculation-spreadsheets.html

 

 

That's at 8% as that's what I believe Scottish Courts will award if the Sheriff thinks it's warranted - when I first wrote to the bank asking for my "penalty" charges to be refunded I attached the list of all the charges I was asking back with the interest table also shown, just to let them know that I was aware that I could claim it if we went to court, altho I did not mention this.

 

Just followed advice on the link page by Imported. And lo and behold it worked for me.

 

Within 3 weeks I was offered about 73% of my claim by RBS, accepted as part refund but insisted they repay full amount - have since received offer on my full amount, but no interest but that's fine by me, altho have not had money yet, hopefully by the weekend.

[isidore]

With regards to your 3 claims it really is a personal choice IMO. You can either keep all 3 seperate but you will then have to manage 3 sets of letters and responses or you can join them together but be aware that you will still have to supply 3 sets of spreadsheets as you couldn't merge them on to one.

 

From the start, claim for DEBIT interest that is the interest that has been charged to your account at the end of every month for being over your overdraft. Once / if you claim goes to court, you are entitled to add 8% statutory interest, this will be calculated automatically if you use the spreadsheet that yanni has linked to.

[brooklyn]

Hi again,

 

Do you have to break the charges down when doing your sheet?

for example I have 2 unpaid cheques on the same day and a £60 charge do I have to split this and list them individually as £30 or can I do as they have on the statement and just have one charge of £60.

 

Thanks Brooklyn.

[isidore]

no one joint entry will be fine

[brooklyn]

Hi one and all,

 

Just got back from holiday to find the standard letters, considering blarr blarr blarr, 6 to 7 weeks blarr blarr and my husbands missing statements came today so i'll be sending his claim in too.

 

Brooklyn.