Complaining when in debt?

shaziow

My token offer letter included on to my bank to pay off an overdraft - I was in the process of moving banks at the time but hadn't completely finished. I heard nothing for two weeks, and so went into panic mode when my payments were being declined and I couldn't use my card even in branch. I knew I had money left in my overdraft so I checked online banking but all the info was 'unavailable'. So I went to my local branch...

...where I was made to call one of their helplines and wait in branch in a queue on the phone for approximately 30 minutes. During this time I was told (by the people on the phone) that I had to speak to credit control and was transferred. After 30 mins I made the decision to try again from work.

So, at work I called again and was waiting in a queue - again for over 30 mins before someone answered my call. They told me that my account had been shut down because of the token offer I had made, that I had asked for this to be done and that a letter went in the post yesterday (this is what they said on the day I called - 2 weeks after I had written to them).

I was fuming. I told them that I had not asked for my account to be closed and had merely made an offer of £3 a month towards my overdraft as I could not afford to pay it in full. I asked them how they expected me to recieve my wages and pay my bills when they had shut down my account. After some arguing they agreed to reinstate my account and told me that I would need to re-write to them to make my token offer/close the account.

After this I logged onto internet banking and the information was still unavailable. So I called and waited again - I was told that my account had been reinstated and that there was probably just a delay with the online system, they also told me that my card should work. I then had to call and speak to another department about a dd that had been taken out but returned. So I tried to make my payment again and my card was declined.

I then went back to the branch, tried my card there and it wouldn't work. I spoke to the cashier and told them that I wanted to take out what was left in my account but my card won't work - she swiped the card and it also wouldn't work. I then had to provide ID and another person at the bank called for authorisation to take the money out, whilst I called the phone service again. I was then told my card wouldn't work until the following day.

So, all-in-all I wasted over two hours trying to sort this mess out. And I now have to write to them yet again to make my token offers (coincidentally on the day this happened I had put a second letter in the post to all my creditors as none of them had responded).

NB: This was during work time so I am lucky that I have an understanding employer. Although this upset me that much that on top of all the chasing I probably spent another half an hour crying in the toilets and a further half an hour explaining to my line manager exactly what had happened.

I really want to complain, but wasn't sure if it'd be advisable given my situation? i.e. I want them to freeze interest/charges and take my token payment, I expect they're not likely to 'play game' if I complain about their service. Any ideas? Surely even if in debt I'm entitled to customer service.

mummytofour

Am I missing something? You offered to make token payments and the bank closed/blocked your account not allowing you access to the overdraft etc?? What did you expect them to do? In all honesty you were very naive and should of sorted the new account out before you sent the token payment letter to the bank. I personally don't see you have a leg to stand on and were very lucky that your account was re-instated at all.

shaziow

mummytofour wrote: »

Am I missing something? You offered to make token payments and the bank closed/blocked your account not allowing you access to the overdraft etc?? What did you expect them to do? In all honesty you were very naive and should of sorted the new account out before you sent the token payment letter to the bank. I personally don't see you have a leg to stand on and were very lucky that your account was re-instated at all.

Thanks for that less than polite response - you could have worded that in a much nicer way, yet you've decided to 'have a go' at me, so I don't even know why I am saying thanks. Yes I probably was naive, but this is all very new to me and I don't really know what I'm doing.

They hadn't responded to me so I presumed they weren't doing anything, and had thought that whatever action they took they would have notified me of. I did not think they'd close down my account, as effectively I was not paying off my overdraft anyway as I was going back into it (in its entirety) each month).

This is the last time I come to here for advice. I'd rather deal with the rest of it on my own if this is the sort of 'help' I am going to get.

**Amy**

HI shaziow

Welcome to DFW.

Firstly have you sorted out a new account? If you havent i suggest that is your first priority. Make sure that your wages and your direct debits etc. are going from that account.

Then tackle the over draft problem by sending them a letter detailing your SOA (statement of affairs - a list showing your outgoings and showing how much money you can afford to pay them back). Ask them if they can freeze interest etc. within this letter.

Start making token payments, even if you do not hear from them, as at least this shows willing.

Keep a note of the problems you have had (dates and times etc.) and then once the above is agreed or you are at least moving forward, then write a letter of complaint about the problems you have encountered.

I hope this helps?

x

bargainbetty

Don't let that stop you asking for help here, most of the posters are very nice and supportive.

Personally, I'd wait until everything has settled down, all the time keeping a log of calls, problems etc. Then, once you are nicely tucked up with a new bank, slap them with a complaint to the financial ombudsman and a demand for compensation for all the calls, visits etc that you have had to make to fix their problems.

You do have a right to fair service and treatment. They might say nothing, but you never know...

phantom9999

Hi Shaziow

please don't give up on MSE - there are some very helpful people on here.

I had a First Direct account with just an overdraft and when I made an offer to pay it off (over about 10 months) the account wasn't frozen and if I'd wanted I could have kept the account going once I'd paid it off.

I think **Amy** and bargainbetty have some good advice re: complaining - keep a note of everything then when you have your account moved send a letter of complaint (so the bank can't do anything to "get back" at you).

Hope everything gets sorted soon

P

Kudox

Hi Shaziow, hope you have'nt given up on MSE, I dont do much posting and am really new to all this but when I asked a question a couple of weeks ago you were one of the people that answered and that helped me a lot.
I opened a new account at a different bank a while ago when I was trying to reclaim charges so I sympathise with you and know the feeling of not knowing what you are doing and feeling overwhelmed.
Hope you get sorted soon.

coolcait

Hiya shaziow

I think you might have to choose your battles carefully on this one.

If your account had been in credit at the time you couldn't use your card, and payments were being declined, then by all means complain about the fact that you couldn't access those funds. It would have been YOUR money, which the bank was not allowing you to access.

However, since you were already in overdraft at that point, and had already written to the bank to make a token offer to pay it back, I think that the bank would wipe the floor with you if you tried to argue that it was poor customer services to stop you accessing the overdraft. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but it's actually fairly mild compared to the kind of letter I think you would get back if you tried to make that argument.

All of that said, I think that you have fair grounds to complain about the lack of customer service offered to you in trying to resolve the problem:

- the fact that you could not deal with it, in person, at your local branch;
- the length of time you had to wait on the phone to speak to someone;
- the fact that the bank claimed - in error - that you had asked for the account to be closed;
- the fact you had been told that thing had been sorted, when they hadn't.

Personally, I would stick to those factual issues, which are quite clearly to do with customer service failures. Because you've got a pretty strong case on that alone, from what I can see.

Good luck whatever you decide to do.