Initial application for copy statements, BoS no response

[penny1403]

Hello

 

On the advice of Moneyexpert.com, I sent a letter to my branch of the Bank of Scotland (Edinburgh)over 40 days ago, enclosing the required £10 fee. I haven't heard a thing from them and furthermore they haven't cashed the cheque. I did intend to send them the "reply within 7 days or I'm taking you to court" letter as advised through CAG. Unfortunately though I didn't send my original letter Recorded Delivery nor send it to my Banks registered address (although the registered address for BoS is about 600 yards from my branch so someone could have actually run up the road with it!!!) I'm worried now that the Bank will try to waste more time by suggesting that they didn't receive my letter and without evidence it would be my word against theirs.

 

Has anyone else done the same thing - is it worth pursuing from this point or should I just bite the bullet and resubmit another request (by RD, to the Head Office) and wait a further 40 days (Aaarghh).

[dx100uk]

phone and ask the branch what happened to your letter or go in in person and ask.

if they deny all knowledge ask where the £10 cheque is?

if they cant answer that then get it cancelled [no please dont charge me!] and start again with RD to head office or special delivery [that tracks too! and is cheaper.

 

pers, i've had no problems with 3 claims all made through local branches

 

dx100uk

[Dusary]

Hi there Penny,

Welcome here!

 

I think that you'll be advised to stick to just one forum - otherwise you could get yourself in a bit of a muddle.

 

It is PERFECTLY normal for HBOS to respond (HA! HA!) to you in this way. They've done it to loads of us. As DX100uk has suggested, press on! Send everything Registered Post and to this address:

 

HBOSplc

Trinity Road

Halifax

HX1 2RG.

 

Read other people's threads here - especially the ***WON*** ones!

 

Good luck!

[penny1403]

thanks for both replies -you're absolutley right, i'm sticking with you guys from now on!

 

I will either phone or pop into my bank this afternoon and see what the dirty rotten scoundrels have got to say for themselves.....

[Dusary]

..... and, what happened?

[penny1403]

Ah.

 

Realised a little later on that I didn't have a copy of the letter nor a record of my cheque number with me (was at work).:o

 

Reckoned without them, I would probably be fobbed off with "well, can't trace anything without cheque number, copy of letter, blah, blah, blah.." so now am armed with all relevant info and will go in tomorrow (Monday)

 

Keep you posted!

 

[Dusary]

OK.

[penny1403]

A quick update on my (non) progress with BoS.....

 

Went in at lunchtime armed with copy of original SAR (dated 5th May) together with copy of the £10 cheque number. Nervously accosted young bank lady, expecting to have to raise voice and thump table. Young bank lady (YBL) very apologetic, checked computer, computer says no...evidence that my letter has been received/being dealt with. YBL promises to get onto the "Head of the computer section" (isn't that Rodney Trotter? ) and she will ring me back before 5pm today. YBL very apologetic again. I leave feeling put out that I didn't raise voice or thump table and scuttle away back to work having left her with a copy of my SAR.

 

Yes, you've all guessed what didn't happen next, haven't you - NO PHONE CALL.

 

So what next - do I a) go back in meekly asking what happened to my phone call, b) go back in, raise voice thump table etc (which I'm actually pretty c**p at). or c) do I just send them the non-compliance letter and report them to the IC, then run away and hide.

 

I must admit that even now, having literally just started this I'm already starting to feel a bit despondent, feeling a bit stupid and that I'm being a bit of a nuisance.

 

Will I be able to last the distance like you guys???

 

[moneyhelp]

I personally would go with © they have had plenty of chances.

 

And YES you will last the distance - as we will make sure you do!

 

Hang tight and get that letter out asap.

[Dusary]

Moneyhelp is correct.

 

You WILL last the distance - for some of us it's a bit of a marathon. It is widely suspected in CAG that the banks are hoping that you WILL flag and opt out.

 

The reason CAG is here is to make sure you don't!

 

I agree that c) is your way forward. But why *run away and hide*? It is YOUR money that the bank has taken without justifying or being able to justify the full amount of the charges.

 

If you think that YOUR fight is protracted - look at these three threads:

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/halifax-bank-bank-scotland/78659-macboy-halifax-hello-group.html?highlight=dusary+v+hbos

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/halifax-bank-bank-scotland/94286-kennythecelt-1-halifax-bos.html?highlight=kennythecelt

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/halifax-bank-bank-scotland/81108-dusary-bank-scotland.html?highlight=kennythecelt

 

And, if you get depressed reading them (which WASN'T the intention!!!!) - go look at some of these:

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/halifax-bank-bank-scotland/32578-successful-claims.html

[penny1403]

Sorry guys, just had a bit of a moment last night after reading a bit more into other peoples stories. I guess it hit home at that point just what a struggle might lay ahead of me

 

However today is a new day, your comments have bouyed me up again and I am now inspired and ready to start the battle!

 

Anyway, guess what - YBL rang me at 10am this morning. She apologised for the delay in not getting back to me but said she tried ringing "the computer section" lots of times yesterday afternoon but couldn't get through until first thing this morning. Surprise, surprise, they deny receiving my letter or cheque. Nevertheless she has promised to send out tonight by First Class mail, all my statements going back to 2004. The earlier statements however are archived centrally. She assures me that she is sending an email marked as urgent priority to the archive section to request these today and that I should get the remaining archived statements either by the end of this week or beginning of next. I asked whether I should cancel the "missing" cheque but she was going to seek advice and get back to me. Methinks perhaps, "missing" cheque might just turn up.....

 

ps. am I right in assuming that all phone calls to/from banks to/from customers get recorded? Perhaps that is why she is falling over herself to be nice and helpful to me (or am I being a tad too cynical.....)

[Dusary]

Cynical?

 

What's cynicism?

 

Forget about last night's "moment". It happens to us all.

 

I've given you a wee nudge of encouragement! (Well, tried to. Apparently I've reached my allocation of "encouragements" for 24 hours. At least the thought was there!)

[penny1403]

Hello again

 

I'm sitting here with my pink highlighter marking all my "excess O/D charges" contained within my statements which finally arrived today from the Archive-woohoo!

 

Not all have arrived though, I'm still 2 years short but I am eagerly expecting them from HO soon.....

 

I also got a letter with the statements saying they have cancelled the "missing" cheque.

 

 

I note however that in addition to slapping on an instant £20 charge per day each time I went further into the red, the Bank also added an "Account Maintenance Charge" of £15 a month for each month where I exceeded my authorised overdraft (regardless of how many times within the month I was overdrawn). By Oct 2003, this charge had risen to £28.

 

Can I ask for these charges back, with interest, as well? :?

[penny1403]

Och, why is it as soon as you post a question, you find the answer by chance. :o

 

I was looking back through various threads and saw that Dursary asked this very question. It seems that all agree it is a charge and can be claimed back?

[Dusary]

It sure can!

 

I know that my thread is long.

 

But I've tried to include everything that I have written/done and everything that HBOSplc have written/not/written/done/notdone

 

PRECISELY so that others who are just starting out can see where they are going.

 

You go ahead and include those Maintenance Charges!!!

 

Have you any more accounts with them?

(I discovered LOADS and LOADS and LOADS of them! - in this marathon of mine!)

 

PS. Have you seen the latest in my saga?

 

IT MIGHT ENCOURAGE YOU!

WRONG!

IT WILL ENCOURAGE YOU!