Alliance & Leicester - fees, letters & bad customer service ?

lots29

Hi all, last year we wanted an easy way to pay in money to a post office on a daily basis (basically the daily takings from a shop) before it could be transfered into our main business account. We were "advised" t open the alliance and leicester account that asked for a minimum £500 deposit a month. We quickly found out we needed a "card" to pay in at the post office and where never sent one. So, we never used the account really appart from for one cheque in it's first week. 6 months later, we had incurred over £200 of charges. I had also been given an 8 digit rather than a 12 digit internet bank password, so could not access it properly. I sent a letter explaining we felt we have been miss-sold to and asking for fees to be suspended until they investigated. I have had 2 letters responding saying they are looking into it, 2 more letters saying we are still incurring fees (at £5 s day) and finally one letter yesterday saying we can no go to the ombudsmen as they have not resolved it in 8 weeks....aghhhh any advice ??

noh

Was it a business or personal account with A+L?
Who advised you to open it?
Why didn't you close the account when you realised you were unable to use it?

Whatever the answers to the above questions you agreed to the T+Cs of the account.
If I was in your position I would pay what I owe and move on.

Nigel

YorkshireBoy

lots29 wrote: »

6 months later

So presumably 6 statements later (or, in the case of the Premier Direct account, 6 e-mails reminding you to check your online statement)?

You'll be wasting the FOS' time (which could be better spent dealing with genuine complaints) if you involve them.

As Nigel says, pay up and move on.

olly300

lots29 your post is hard to read.

I presume your last sentence is that you cannot go to the ombudsman until you have waited 8 weeks and that you are still incurring charges.

The questions I have to ask is:
1. When did your realise you needed a card?
2. Why did it take you more than 6 months to ask for one?
3. When did you realise your internet password wouldn't log you on?
4. When did you mention that you couldn't log on to your account to A+L?

If you can't answer those questions with a good reason for the delay in you asking for these things then it's a waste of time going to the ombudsman.

Send a letter to A+L by recorded delivery to close the account with a cheque to pay of the charges. That way you know A+L have got the letter, and so if they try and pursue you later you know you don't owe them a thing.

YorkshireBoy

olly300 wrote: »

I presume your last sentence is that you cannot go to the ombudsman until you have waited 8 weeks and that you are still incurring charges.

I think they've missed a 'W', ie...

"finally one letter yesterday saying we can noW go to the ombudsmen as they have not resolved it in 8 weeks"

olly300

YorkshireBoy wrote: »

I think they've missed a 'W', ie...

"finally one letter yesterday saying we can noW go to the ombudsmen as they have not resolved it in 8 weeks"

To be honest even though it's a waste of the ombudsman's time and the OP's, due to the poor customer service of the Santander group repeatedly complained about on this and other consumer boards, I think the OP should make the complaint to the FOS.

A+L will end up paying the cost of the OP using the service which works out more than what the OP owes, and it may help them to learn to resolve simple complaints quickly as it's less hassle for them.

YorkshireBoy

olly300 wrote: »

A+L will end up paying the cost of the OP using the service which works out more than what the OP owes, and it may help them to learn to resolve simple complaints quickly as it's less hassle for them.

The £450 'case fee' is only charged if the complaint is upheld, and with the limited info posted that looks unlikely.

I mean, the customer opened an account (a personal one for business use?), used it (albeit only once for a cheque), didn't read the T&C's, ignored statements, letters, and/or emails, didn't mitigate the situation by acting earlier, and then makes a complaint.

Any FOS complaint would be swiftly rejected I feel.

agsnu

YorkshireBoy wrote: »

The £450 'case fee' is only charged if the complaint is upheld, and with the limited info posted that looks unlikely.

Not true. The case fee is charged at the point that the Ombudsman decides to accept the case for investigation.

See http://www.fos.org.uk/faq/businesses/answers/funding_a5.html


(Of course if they decide it's completley spurious then they'll probably just not accept it for investigation).

YorkshireBoy

Sorry agsnu, should have said "worthy of further investigation/involvement" if the initial assessment by the Customer Contact Division deems it can/should be passed to one of their casework teams.

So, it looks like the Customer Contact Division is the gatekeeper?

http://www.fos.org.uk/publications/technical_notes/QG1.pdf

allh2k

Glad i'm not the only one

I knew I shoulda closed mine but just forgot about it.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1313183

Mrs_Ryan

I've just had a complaint about A&L upheld and compensation awarded, yet the person I spoke to on the phone a few weeks ago said 'Oh no, we will not be fined if the ombudsman investigate.'

The FOS were very interested in this, and have assured them they most certainly will. Interestingly, my complaint was also a mis-sold account and my mum has had a complaint of a mis-sold account as well. Evidently, mis-selling IS happening but in this case it seems pretty clear cut what's happened...