Question for BarclaysManager

Ambre_Solaire

Quote:
Originally Posted by BarclaysManager
Whilst I am sure everyone can appreciate the difficulties of such a situation, you must surely be able to appreciate that claiming mis-selling after so many years of the charge being unchallenged is going to be seen as slightly dubious.

I don't doubt that you could get some of these fees back if approached correctly, but I would ask them to provide any records they had of the sale, rather than just claiming it was mis-sold, and go from there. You might be able to negotiate a partial refund as a gesture of goodwill in that case, rather than just having your claim outright refused.

BarclaysManager - I took your advice and wrote to Lloyds TSB requesting any records they had of the sale of the Select Account to my Mother. Today I have received a letter from the Bank confirming that the Select Account was opened in 2001. The letter continues that they are unable to supply a copy of the Select Application as they are only required to hold forms of this nature for 5 years.

Can you advice my next step ? I only requested in my initial letter to the Bank the records and did not mention the possibility of the acount being mis sold. As I previously detailed my Mother is in her eighties and terminally ill. She has no savings and lives in a rented property, so any refund would be of great benefit to her

Regards

natweststaffmember

Bump on this one.

staffie1

mmm interesting one. Still going through the courts this, isn't it...?

Ambre_Solaire

Can anyone offer me advice to my question above ? My Mother is 82 and has been paying £7.95 per month for a Select Account, she only receives a very small amount every month into the account which is my Fathers pension and I think that the account has been mis sold to her in 2001. She is terminally ill and also has Dementia. She has no savings, lives in a council owned property and I feel she will has been "talked into" taking out this account. I am therefore trying to obtain some/all of the money she has paid in fees.

I need help with regard to my second letter to the Bank, ie the best way to request the fees that my Mother has paid over the past 7/8 years

Many thanks

natweststaffmember

Ambre_Solaire wrote: »

Can anyone offer me advice to my question above ? My Mother is 82 and has been paying £7.95 per month for a Select Account, she only receives a very small amount every month into the account which is my Fathers pension and I think that the account has been mis sold to her in 2001. She is terminally ill and also has Dementia. She has no savings, lives in a council owned property and I feel she will has been "talked into" taking out this account. I am therefore trying to obtain some/all of the money she has paid in fees.

I need help with regard to my second letter to the Bank, ie the best way to request the fees that my Mother has paid over the past 7/8 years

Many thanks

I can only state the obvious from someone who has never banked with them. First of all get the account changed from a select account to a normal non fee paying account. With regards to the mis selling of the account I think you need to ask the bank to provide something that she signed to either (a) upgrade the account or (b) open the account. If they can't then you may have to explain the circumstances that she had and the benefits at that time and why they may not have benefitted at all.

natweststaffmember

That may not mean that they will refund any amount but I am not an expert on this specific area as it is not a normally reclaimable fee.

Ambre_Solaire

natweststaffmember

Thanks for your prompt response.

I have changed the account from the Select to a normal non feeing paying account as soon as I became aware of it.

The Bank confirmed that the account was opened by my Mother in 2001 and that they do not have any records because they only have to keep records for 5 years.

Do you think that it is a waste of time trying to obtain the monies from the Bank that my Mother has paid. Why is it not normally a reclaimable fee ?

Many thanks

natweststaffmember

Ambre_Solaire wrote: »

natweststaffmember

Thanks for your prompt response.

I have changed the account from the Select to a normal non feeing paying account as soon as I became aware of it.

The Bank confirmed that the account was opened by my Mother in 2001 and that they do not have any records because they only have to keep records for 5 years.

Do you think that it is a waste of time trying to obtain the monies from the Bank that my Mother has paid. Why is it not normally a reclaimable fee ?

Many thanks

Because the select account is a bells and whistles account, so to speak, you cannot claim charges back because they are service charges ie you get extras for having the account even if you do not use them. However, the account is live so I would press them further to prove she signed for the account or to repay amounts taken from her account or provide proof of any benefits that she had taken up. That 5 years they told you, is not entirely correct because they can go back 10 years for copy statements.

Ambre_Solaire

Many thanks for your kind assistance, I will start round 2 tomorrow !