loan charges harrassment from hbos

annamack

Can anyone help me. I have a loan with hbos and have missed some payments and am a bit of a lazy payer but as far as i am aware i have caught up with any payments. About 4 weeks ago I started getting phone calls to my home telling me I had charges for late payments. I asked them to explain the charges and why I had never ever had a letter telling me this. I refused to pay said charges and have been getting calls ever since at all times of the day and night and every time I am told a different amount of money. I have written a letter of complaint and told them to stop calling me I have also requested a statement showing me exactly how much I have payed in and what these charges are made up of. But I was wondering can they just call you and say "Erm you have £1000 in late charges can you pay that now please?" and then get all stroppy with you when you dispute it and ask for it in writing?. I feel like Ive taken a loan out with a loan shark!!! Please help Im demented with these calls.

BoGoF

How many missed payments is some ?

If you have a look at your loan agreement then it should specify the potential charges should you default on your account. Just had a look at my Bank of Scotland agreement and it says

Cost for returned cheque - up to £25 (I assume this also applies to any missed payment)
Cost for default letters - up to £30
Cost per collection telephone call - up to £10

You have breached the terms and conditions of the loan and they are within their rights to charge but you are entitled to a breakdown.

feisty1

This doest soud like HBOS behaviour..... however if i had loaned someone money and they had signed a contract agreeing to pay a monthly amount which they defaulted on the grounds of being a lazy payer, i would also be foning them!!!!!!!!!

annamack

Over 2 years about 6 payments. At the risk of sounding stupid I just dont get why they never sent out a letter. I have asked for my terms and conditions too. When I missed my first payment they called me up and told me to borrow the money from a family member if I could!!!. I had a friend with me at the time and we were both in shock. That was last year and although I have had some more late payments I have always caught up its just so out of the blue and they cannot explain themselves on the phone. My last late one was at the beginning of September and they said they would reduce the charges to £180 if the money was in the account the next day. I told them the money would be but I wasnt paying any charges as I had nothing in writing. I put the money in and a few days later I got another call asking me where it was!!!. I told the very rude lady the money was in and I had been told that they would transfer the money from my bank account to my loan. She said we cant do that you have to go to a branch and do it. I told her I wasnt going to the branch as I had already been and if they had told me that in the first place I would have done it. She got really aggresive and I ended up putting the phone down. I want to pay my loan its my debt so my responsibility I just think its so wrong to be able to phone customers and demand money especially when you cant tell people what its for. Lets face it if someone came to your door and said you owe us xxxx amount you wouldnt just hand it over would you.

annamack

If they were only phoning for the late payment then I agree. And when I say lazy payer what I mean is I work about 60 hours a week have a young family and usualy run around like an idiot. I dont mean that I dont want to pay.

BoGoF

However you're now in a vicious circle whereby every phone call is adding to the charges. It's in your own best interests to get things up to date asap as your credit rating will be taking a pounding. Might be best to get everything up to date then challenge the charges........and if your're not already doing so, pay by direct debit...

annamack

Have got digital banking with them now so will be able to transfer money from the account my salary is paid into straight into the hbos account 5 days before the loan payment is due. Fingers crossed everything will be fine