mattbee vs. Nationwide

[Guest mattbee]

Well hopefully not too much of a fight but we'll see I guess. As of today, my credit score is apparently no longer sufficient for them to renew my overdraft facility. They say they want 250 quid back within two weeks. I say, let's have a look back at six years of bank charges then

 

Have finally got all my statements filed and ordered, and will start the process on Monday, I think I have about 1200 quid's worth - will keep everyone up to date here.

 

I've got a parachute account almost opened, as I understand I'll get my two accounts closed by going through with this.

[MilkTrayMan]

Hello mattbee!

..I've got a parachute account almost opened, as I understand I'll get my two accounts closed by going through with this.

Very recently, Nationwide have been recalling any O/D that a Claimant has got + getting their 'In-House' Debt Collection Dept. to put duress on the Claimant by threatening Court Action, DEFAULT NOTICES etc etc if the Claimants 'debt' to Nationwide isn't paid asap.

They 'flag' the Claimants Flexaccount, block Online access to it + insist on the Claimant returning their Debit Card + Cheque Book to their local Branch.

It has been a couple of months since Nationwide have actually 'Closed' a Claimant's Flexaccount.

[chrisk7]

how on earth do you deal with all that? ive startd the process(mon11th prelim sent) but im having great diff getting another bank acc,tsb declined me and im waiting to hear from co-op(applied 1 week ago) as to wether they'l accept me,my credit rating is poor coz of defaults and im seriously worried that n/wide will just pull the plug and ill be left with no account.im still determined yo get my charges back(£1600)but am also concerned about the lack of banking facilities,im on this site reading as much as i can so hopefully that will help.

[MilkTrayMan]

Hello chrisk7!

 

DON'T PANIC!

 

Have a look at the following links...

http://www.checkmyfile.com/content/downloads/2006%20Banking%20and%20Credit%20Card%20Survey.pdf

 

Bank Accounts

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/general/13832-do-you-need-parachute.html

 

Please remember that a Bank will leave a footprint on your Credit Report when U apply for a Current Account with it, whether your application is successful of not.

 

Too many application footprints (...within a 6 month period) will indicate to the next Bank that U apply to, that U are a credit risk.

This will make it even more unlikely that a future application, with a different Bank, will be successful.

 

It is much better to research which Bank is likely to accept U BEFORE U make any inappropriate applications for the type of Current Accounts which might be beyond your 'Basic' type one.

 

FWIW...

I know someone who obtained a Basic Current Account from the CO-OP, who had 17 Defaults on their Credit Report + who had had several addresses over the past few years.

They were just required to provde ID + a couple of Utility Bills etc.

The Account had Online Banking, a Cash Card + DD/SO capabilities.

[chrisk7]

HI MTM,thanks for the advice,Ive read those links thats why i applied for the co-op but after a week im finding it hard not to panic,i phoned them y/day and they said my app was still in process,dont kno wether thats good or bad!!ive applied for my credit file(!)but if i get declined by the co-op am not sure what the freakin hell ill do,PANIC coz thats one thing im really good at!

[MilkTrayMan]

...PANIC coz thats one thing im really good at!

I didn't know Corporal Jones was a 'scouser'?!

...Well...U learn something NEW everyday don't ya!!!...lol...

[chrisk7]

givin your age away mtm!!!!!and "scouser"???? im a merseysider!!!!!!!ANYWAY enough frivolity,ive got panicing to concentrate on if you dont mind,

[MilkTrayMan]

..."scouser"???? im a merseysider!!!!!!!...ive got panicing to concentrate on

Always thought New Brighton/Southport/St. Helens was where PanicKing took place.

...Sure 'Merseyside' is in England btw??!...lmao...

[chrisk7]

now your just bein facetious!!!!!(sp)ive had a couple of wines what do you xpect with all the stress im under?! and like i said before. . . . . . your bloody everywhere on this site!!!!! it should be renamed.

[MilkTrayMan]

Hope mattbee doesn't mind U hi-jacking his Thread??!...

"Wine-top"...Is that what 'scousers' are drinking nowadays??

Thought they were well 'ard + supped pints of Kouros like the Russians?!...lol...

BBC NEWS | Health | 'Aftershave drink' kills Russians

[Guest mattbee]

Well to bring the thread back on topic I've spent a wild Saturday night in calculating what's due from all my old statements - £930 without interest, or £1107.18 with the 8% statutory. I'm not too worried about getting a parachute account with Barclays as my company banks with them and we keep a decent float in there most of the time. Letter will go off on Monday, will let everyone know how it goes.

[MilkTrayMan]

Well to bring the thread back on topic...£930 without interest, or £1107.18 with the 8% statutory... Letter will go off on Monday.

Sorry for the Hi-jack...

...'Twas the 'Creme de Old Spice' chasers!...lol...

 

 

Have U considered Claiming CONTRACTUAL INTEREST instead of the s69 Statutory Interest???

...Cos it's advisable to mention it at the Preliminary Letter stage if U are!

[EndOfMyTether]

how on earth do you deal with all that? ive startd the process(mon11th prelim sent) but im having great diff getting another bank acc,tsb declined me and im waiting to hear from co-op(applied 1 week ago) as to wether they'l accept me,my credit rating is poor coz of defaults and im seriously worried that n/wide will just pull the plug and ill be left with no account.im still determined yo get my charges back(£1600)but am also concerned about the lack of banking facilities,im on this site reading as much as i can so hopefully that will help.

 

I'm sure that my credit rating was sub-zero when I needed to change bank accounts in a hurry - I blundered into the local HSBC feeling terrified of getting turned down, and found out that they do a 'basic' account that runs purely on a hole-in-the-wall basis without access to cheque book/card or overdraft but you can still have DDs and SOs going out of it.

 

They went through the application process with me and gave me an answer on the spot and to be honest with you it's been a life saver for me - I haven't been overdrawn by a single penny for over 2 years now. It's been a rough and bumpy ride back for me but I think there's finally light at the end of the tunnel - I just have to hope it's not an express train heading my way!

[northdesk]

I too have a terrible credit rating due to 5 defaults.

 

I tried to open an account with the co-op , but was declined.

 

I then tried the yorkshire bank , who accepted me and I also was given a meastro debit card. Was told that if I kept my account in line for next 6 months then there was a good chance that my account would be upgraded , so i could have cheque book facility aswell.

[Guest mattbee]

Well Nationwide tried to call me this evening while I was out walking the dog - I'm prepared to make a response however they like, but have any other Nationwide (ex) members had similar calls, so I know what to expect?

[chrisk7]

hi matbee,

a friend of mine has had the same thing happen,the bank said it was a "customer service" call to see if they could resolve rhe matter sooner and easier than going to court,my friend said she didnt want to discuss it,and told them to put anything they wanted to say in writing,that way there is at least documentation to show anything that is offered or "threatened"ie:acc closures etc.btw how did you go on opening another bank acc?any luck/

[lesleyawalsh]

how on earth do you deal with all that? ive startd the process(mon11th prelim sent) but im having great diff getting another bank acc,tsb declined me and im waiting to hear from co-op(applied 1 week ago) as to wether they'l accept me,my credit rating is poor coz of defaults and im seriously worried that n/wide will just pull the plug and ill be left with no account.im still determined yo get my charges back(£1600)but am also concerned about the lack of banking facilities,im on this site reading as much as i can so hopefully that will help.

I have a pretty poor credit rating but have recently opened an account with the natwest, its a basic account but i have a debit card, dd and s/o.

[Guest mattbee]

Okay so at the end of last week I received a boilerplate reply from Nationwide explaining that I'd agreed to the charges when I'd signed the Flexaccount terms & conditions.

 

I wrote back on Tuesday (so they should have this today):

 

Thank you for your reply earlier this week.

I am naturally disappointed that Nationwide chooses not to refund its members charges that are imposed as a result of illegal penalty clauses in its contracts. Such clauses are made illegal under the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999. I am therefore left with no choice but to advise you that I will be lodging a claim for these charges in my local small claims court on 11th July, which will include further interest and court fees.

I am aware from other ex-members that Nationwide sometimes chooses to close accounts of members who insist on claiming back such illegal fees. While I appreciate Nationwide has not suggested anything of the sort at this stage, please be aware that I am fully prepared to take such a retaliatory account closure to the Financial Ombudsmen Service who recently imposed fines and compensation against the Alliance and Leicester for breaching its obligations under the Banking Code. I do not wish to go to the small claims court, or to the FOS, and would ask that the society considers that, in view of the many refunds it has made to other members, and the potential breach of its obligations to the FOS in relation to other members, that it quickly refunds my fees.

I look forward to your prompt response.

 

From others' experiences it looks like I will have to spend money going to court, but maybe I can avoid my account being closed, or even short-cut their normal response with a little preliminary sabre rattling.

[rhi83]

I've had a bad credit rating for years but managed to open an account with alliance & leicester with a cheque book & debit card. I done it all online and it only took about a week. This was the first thing I did before starting the whole process of reclaiming.

[Guest mattbee]

Well they're well overdue responding - I just couldn't justify blowing £120 on the filing fee until pay day. So now it's come round and I'll file tomorrow - I heard about the test case and the possibility that my local court will defer, but hey ho... the principle still stands, I'll happily let them rack up more interest if it takes six months longer than expeced.

[Aqualibrium]

how on earth do you deal with all that? ive startd the process(mon11th prelim sent) but im having great diff getting another bank acc,tsb declined me and im waiting to hear from co-op(applied 1 week ago) as to wether they'l accept me,my credit rating is poor coz of defaults and im seriously worried that n/wide will just pull the plug and ill be left with no account.im still determined yo get my charges back(£1600)but am also concerned about the lack of banking facilities,im on this site reading as much as i can so hopefully that will help.

 

 

Although the account isn't open yet, I have "been accepted in principal" for a Step (basic) account with Natwest, you can pay DD, SO, internet/telephone banking, Solo/Maestro card. The returned DD charge is extortionate at 38 quid, but then they all are when we know it costs about 2! Anyway, might be worth giving them a go.

I was also accepted for HSBC, but just had to go into a branch with the documents and my credit rating is low, so they may be worth a try too. Basically if you aren't interested in credit facilities, you should have a chance with one or two. Might be worth going into one of the banks and making an appointment with the manager and tell him the situation, I'm sure they could work something out by giving you a risk-free account and they gain a customer that they can charge the ass off whenever they miss a DD. See, they benefit too, for the moment.

[Guest mattbee]

I finally filed last Monday and yesterday received a letter from Nationwide concerning the OFT test case. They are applying to stay the case, and York are apparently staying most cases as a matter of policy. So I will start looking into objecting to the stay (because I'm still being fined illegally, because I'm now £120 down), and seeing if we can proceed as before.

[Guest mattbee]

Well it's now 1st of September. My filing notice from the court say that Nationwide had until 31st to reply, and I've not heard anything yet (though I suppose the court might have done). So, if I don't hear anything on Monday morning, am I in a position to file for judgement?