Bank Charges Financial Hardship Disussion

PeppyLaPugh

Hi Natweststaffmember
Sorry it has taken so long to reply, I lost my internet for a while, but back online now.
Anyway, after natwest refused my hardship claim, a week later I got a call from a woman from Natwest (my local branch), she asked me what problems I had with the bank, i told her and she said well my claim is live, so I should write and explain to them what the duplication was about, and that it was a mistake on my behalf and did not mean it as a duplication, (I added the same debt in section 5 and section 8 of the financial form, as it is classed as other debts as well), but did not add a duplicate payment. Anyway, she told me to write and explain this to Natwest, so i did on the 2nd november 2009, and this morning I got another letter off them, again refusing my hardship request based on the duplication, even though i have explained it to them. but a duplication payment was not added just the name.
But it seems they have stopped all charges coming out of my account. the 1st part of the letter reads:
Dear Miss C****. I write to advise that we have received your letter dated 2nd November 09 in connection with your financial hardship claim. This letter was forwarded to this department from the banks Customer response Services unit. under the financial hardship policy, we can look to review your existing banking facilities to ensure future interest and charges are held unapplied until the legal proceeding between the various banks and the office of fair trading with regard to the fairness and legailty of bank charges has been determined.
So do i give up now, until the courts rule in favour of us the customers/consumers. Its like being kicked when im down, they are taking out more money than I actually get, so surely they can see the hardship, even without the financial hardship form. I have had to stop all my money going into that account, just so I can survive. All direct debis have been cancelled, no money comes out of that account anymore, and only my child benefit goes in, but I draw that out the same day it paid in. Rant over.....
Thank you

natweststaffmember

PeppyLaPugh wrote: »

Hi Natweststaffmember
Sorry it has taken so long to reply, I lost my internet for a while, but back online now.
Anyway, after natwest refused my hardship claim, a week later I got a call from a woman from Natwest (my local branch), she asked me what problems I had with the bank, i told her and she said well my claim is live, so I should write and explain to them what the duplication was about, and that it was a mistake on my behalf and did not mean it as a duplication, (I added the same debt in section 5 and section 8 of the financial form, as it is classed as other debts as well), but did not add a duplicate payment. Anyway, she told me to write and explain this to Natwest, so i did on the 2nd november 2009, and this morning I got another letter off them, again refusing my hardship request based on the duplication, even though i have explained it to them. but a duplication payment was not added just the name.
But it seems they have stopped all charges coming out of my account. the 1st part of the letter reads:
Dear Miss C****. I write to advise that we have received your letter dated 2nd November 09 in connection with your financial hardship claim. This letter was forwarded to this department from the banks Customer response Services unit. under the financial hardship policy, we can look to review your existing banking facilities to ensure future interest and charges are held unapplied until the legal proceeding between the various banks and the office of fair trading with regard to the fairness and legailty of bank charges has been determined.
So do i give up now, until the courts rule in favour of us the customers/consumers. Its like being kicked when im down, they are taking out more money than I actually get, so surely they can see the hardship, even without the financial hardship form. I have had to stop all my money going into that account, just so I can survive. All direct debis have been cancelled, no money comes out of that account anymore, and only my child benefit goes in, but I draw that out the same day it paid in. Rant over.....
Thank you

Have they stopped the charges being applied or are they still applying them. That letter is not particularly clear. Who was it from?

natweststaffmember

littleeff wrote: »

thank you for the advice. its just that in the FOS letter they say:

"I should point out that a banks obligations to act positively and sympathetically to consumers in financial difficulties only apply to those consumers who have an account with the bank and who owe some debt to it."

as if to say, i should have stayed in the awful situation and not got myself out of it by changing banks I was shoclked at this!

It implies that I dont have any rights to challenge the past charges... I guess i have to wait for the OFT test case result.

You don't until the OFT test case issues are resolved. I'm not sure I would agree with the phrase on no debt to the bank but if you had closed the account with no charges owing then I would agree with their assessment.

ailsajayne29

Hi, Im looking for some advice about Halifax? I've written to them asking about my £2400 charges about a month ago. I sent the letter advising them of hardship and sent them a letter from the CCCS with expenditure (which they actually know about anyway because they get a small repayment every month from them towards the overdraft that is entirely made up of charges!) anyway I have had absolutely no response, not even a letter telling me ill have to wait (like i was sent the first time i asked for these charges refunded). What is the next step?

Also Lloyds replied to my letter about the £270 they owe me accepting i was in hardship and referring me to their recovery dept. They called me but as i dont owe Lloyds any money she said there is nothing they can do, but I've still had no response about my charges. So if they have acceped im in hardship then what is my next step if I havent heard anything since (also a month ago!)

Thanks in advance for any help!!

Ailsa

natweststaffmember

ailsajayne29 wrote: »

Hi, Im looking for some advice about Halifax? I've written to them asking about my £2400 charges about a month ago. I sent the letter advising them of hardship and sent them a letter from the CCCS with expenditure (which they actually know about anyway because they get a small repayment every month from them towards the overdraft that is entirely made up of charges!) anyway I have had absolutely no response, not even a letter telling me ill have to wait (like i was sent the first time i asked for these charges refunded). What is the next step?
two questions: Where was the letter sent?
Did CCCS do an income and expenditure form for just you or your household?
Also Lloyds replied to my letter about the £270 they owe me accepting i was in hardship and referring me to their recovery dept. They called me but as i dont owe Lloyds any money she said there is nothing they can do, but I've still had no response about my charges. So if they have acceped im in hardship then what is my next step if I havent heard anything since (also a month ago!)
Can you clarify that they spoke to you?
Under financial hardship no bank has to refund charges even if you are in financial hardship
Thanks in advance for any help!!

Ailsa

Please see above and will come back further. Do you have credit cards, store cards, catalogue accounts that had charges on them? They can be reclaimed.

ailsajayne29

Hi, I sent the letter to the head office in edinburgh for Halifax, the cccs income expenditure form is the one CCCS send me relating to my dmp. I used the adress I sent my original claim last year too and got a reply from saying I would have to wait but as I am now in hardship I decided to send the letter explaining that.

Lloyds did speak to me. I recieved a letter saying thank you for your letter as you are in financial hardship we are referring you to the recovery dept, they will be in touch but will not discuss your bank charges claim. The recovery department rang me to discuss reducing repayments to them etc but as I explained to them I do not owe Lloyds any money so she said all she could do was add the control facility to my account to reduce the cost of any future charges but could not comment on whether I would be receiving the £270 of claimed charges back?

To be honest Im having to move house to somewhere cheaper so that I dont end up with any priority arrears but obv moving house is going to cost me and I really do need to get this sorted!

adam.lapworth

Hi all,

Just joined this forum but have been checking it for since 2007.

I was just like to make a point which really baffles me is why the banks can have a waiver for not paying back bank charges but the customer doesnt have a waiver for not being charged these excessive bank charges. It's like one rule for one and a rule for everybody else.

Another point I would like to make is that I dont understand why the courts have not just said in the test cases that ' the banks already look guilty because of them already paying out a certain amount of people'.
Surely they can't pay out a few people and then not everyone, that is really disgraceful, it should never have got to court because now the banks have got time to still charge people these huge amounts of bank charges which while in a recession must be 10x more for them and make as much money as possible. What about if the banks win, what happens to the people who have had there charges reclaimed have they got to pay it back to the bank?

It is a total joke how this process is going on especially over such a long period of time.

The economy is down as they say so these bank charges will boost the economy by people buying again so business' will thrive.

Enough of my whinging but it is getting pretty annoying now!!

bracken79

I have been reading the advice on this site,and the advice and experience of the people in the forums for a while now.
I bank with the Nationwide and they have been taking what I believe to be,excessive bank charges from me,for late direct debits.

I and my partner have been in financial hardship since 2007,since we lost our hime due to my partners business failing.

I had planned to write to the bank,as instructed on this site,telling them we were in financial hardship,and would they consider repaying our charges to us.

Today on a whim,while I was in the bank,I asked the bank costumer service man if he could help me with it.
Shocked,he said yes.He took my details and asked me about the financial hardship I and my partner had been through.
He also gave my young daughter a packet of smarties,from I guess,the smartie room in the back(now we know what they spend our bank charges on!)...

Anyway,he informed me that paperwork was now on route to my address,for us to fill in,and then we were to send back the paperwork and await a decision.
He was VERY nice about it,and when I asked what he thought our chances were of getting a refund,he said from what I told him,our chances were very good.

I will keep you informed about how this proceeds.:rolleyes:

ailsajayne29

Ooh Lloyds are incredibly annoying!! Ive just spoken to them regarding a claim i put in under the financial hardship thing for £270 worth of charges. I was told that they accept that I am in financial hardship but that Lloyds are not paying out to any charges to anyone even if they are deemed to be in hardship. Is this right? are they allowed to do this? because if they are not paying out to anyone surely that makes a mockery of the FSA saying that banks should reassess? as I dont owe Lloyds any money there is nothing they can do, despite the fact i owe other people (including halifax) money, is there anyone i can complain to about this or anyway to get anything done? because while i am not in priority arrears, i do have plenty of other arrears and if they continue to take charges from my account at the rate they are I will be in a position where i cannot pay rent, tax etc!

I am so fed up of receiveing letters from Lloyds saying you seem to be struggling, give us a call and we can help, getting my hopes up thatsomething will be sorted just to give me one month of not being behind on everything else due to their stupid charges then being slammed right back down to earth by rude and nasty staff who turn around and say we cant do anything and we wont

sorry rant over... I'm just very annoyed that they seem to be able to get away with whatever they want even if it screws the rest of us :-(

littleeff

I couldnt agree more with you. I feel let down by the FOS as well as my bank...