Any Barclays Loan employees around?

LeeSouthEast

Today was their response deadline.... and I find a letter on the mat.

Dear Me,

In our previous letter we promised to keep you updated on the progress of our investigation.

To help us resolve the matter we need to contact various areas of the bank to gather further information. When we have this information we will be able to provide you with a full response to your complaint.

We remain committed to resolving your complaint as quickly as we can and will contact you again by 8 January 2010.

If you would like to speak in the meantime, please call us 0845 609 0806.

Yours sincerely,

(signed)
Customer Relations Advisor

Nice to see their complaints department moves quickly. Not.

Bit of good news from Experian though: Both loans now showing 'Settled' with just green 0's.

thriftymomma

The Experian update sounds promising. And congrats on your debt-freeness early! Go you!

LeeSouthEast

Thanks! And yes, hopefully, that means there might be goodness at the end of this particular tunnel.... if Barclays can find the time to investigate this before I die.

LeeSouthEast

Well, today was their second reply deadline.

Oddly enough, no reply received. And they can't use "the weather" as an excuse: I've had mail from all over the country today. I just had to go and collect it myself from the sorting office!

That's another phone call to make tomorrow!

squeak24

As a broadcaster I am familiar with these laws, you may record a phone conversation, and you don't have to inform the person on the other end that you are recording it. However if you don't inform them that the call is being recorded it can not be used in court, which if you inform them from the outset that the call is being recorded it can be used. Same as if you wanted to broadcast the call, you have to let them know that the call is being recorded at the start of the phone call. If you don't tell them this then you may write a script of exactly what was said. Unfortunately with this method is they can deny that they said that, it is better to let them know that it is being recorded so they can't deny what has been said. If they get really picky audiologists can determine if the call has been doctored in anyway.

cos wrote: »

My understanding is that you certainly can record these telephone calls in your home and that you do not have to tell them you are doing it. Furthermore, you can present the evidence of these calls back to them. If you are going to use the recordings in a civil suit you may have to give evidence, to a court, of their veracity as regards the technology (i.e. that you've not forged them).

I could be wrong as the regs are not comic-book reading level, unfortunately.

Edited to add reference from Oftel:
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/oftel/consumer/advice/faqs/prvfaq3.htm

LeeSouthEast

I think court is a bit unlikely for the sake of £8 I have it turned on so I know what was said during phone calls months down the line, on the odd-occasion I have to go back to them to prove something.

LeeSouthEast

Another "sorry" letter yesterday (quite a few days late, but it was printed on the 5th so I'll blame the weather). I won't type it all out, it's much the same as the last one except it now doesn't give any indication when I may receive a response to my actual complaint.

Included within was a FOS leaflet and an indication that I may now pursue my complaint through them but that they'd rather I didn't.

I phoned 'Customer Relations' and spoke to a nice lady who was quite honest and said they are snowed under dealing with the charges reclaiming issues. She had no idea when I might receive a response either, and could only say that it was "ongoing".

I think my complaint was quite straightforward, and what I wanted to happen quite clearly spelled out in my initial letter. I wasn't unreasonable, I don't think?

Should I go to the FOS? I appreciate this involves a cost to Barclays if I go that route.

squeak24

Personally I wouldn't worry about any cost to the bank I refuse to say. There is a complaint that they have not responded to fully. Let's say for instance there is an issue on your behalf which they take you to court over, are they going to worry about the cost this will have on you? I don't think so. Well that's my view, and I wouldn't think twice about taking them to the FOS if they have failed to respond, that is my view and I can not advise you to do that, it is purely a view.

LeeSouthEast wrote: »

Should I go to the FOS? I appreciate this involves a cost to Barclays if I go that route.

LeeSouthEast

A fair point there Squeak, thanks. I'll give them until next week before taking if further I think!

squeak24

good luck!