Very Very Very Angry! The 3rd and (hopefully) final installment of this gripping saga

Donedoingdebt

Mirtos wrote:

what made me angriest was that she said they'd refund the returned DD charges "AS A GESTURE OF GOOD WILL" Good will? Good will? IT'S MY MONEY THAT THEY TOOK ILLEGALLY!! :mad:

PLAN AHEAD FOR THIS. I'm with Abbey Bank. All my d/ds & s/os come out of my account on the 16th of every month, the day after I get paid. A few months ago they were all duly taken out as normal on the 16th. "Due to computer problems" they were all duplicated & taken out again on the 17th. So, I got charged for 6 items they tried to send out & then refused, & then got charged for going into an unauthorised overdraught. Needless to say, they refunded all these charges when I phoned them but as the OP said, it was a gesture of goodwill. I almost needed oxygen laughing at him when he came out with that!

nrsql

Don't let it stand as a goodwill gesture.
There's another post on this site where a someone tried to reclaim charges and the bank's response was to try and claim back the money previously refunded as a goodwill gesture.

Xbigman

So to summarize. Lloyds made an error which was then corrected after intervention by the OP. Unfortunately these things happen and are just part of modern life. The only thing to get :mad: about is the fact it had to be done via a useless indian call centre. Now that complaint I not only accept but positively agree with.

As for the comments about organizational skills. Anyone who plans their finances closely (I use a spreadsheet) can eliminate 99.9% of any problems with a bit of common sense. I had a phase years ago of getting hit by regular bank charges and I can categorically say it was bad organisation. I've no debts now and avoid credit like the plague, but I do have a £350 overdraft I've not used since 1996 that will cover the mortgage payment no matter what. This is a sensible option in an emergency.
Now my daughter is just like I used to be. If she had an overdraft facility she would immediately run it up to the limit because she would view it as money available to spend. This is just wrong, wrong, wrong...

As for the OP. I agree with everything you are doing and congratulate you on the progress you are making getting rid of that overdraft. Whether or not you eventually dump the overdraft complately is nowhere near as important as learning the concept that an overdraft is evil debt not to be used likely, and I think you have learnt this.
Regards



X

lipidicman

seven-day-weekend wrote:

I don't like talking to Sukhwinder in Bangalore, as I can't understand what they say. I even wanted to open an account where you get 10% interest for two years on the phone, this involved moving money around and I couldn't make her understnad what I wanted to do. Have to wait until I go into the branch, which won't be until September as I live in Spain.

It should be quite easy to open the account over the phone and then set up all the movements, iniital deposits and SOs using your internet banking. Lloyds have a fantastic (the only?) real-time online banking system.

I also dislike their call centre. So here is what I do. I phone up and say I need to speak to a named person at my branch. They transfer you within about 30 seconds. It is a pain that you cant dial direct, but the end result is the same.

Emmzi

On the subject of leaving o/ds in place...

Some ODs charge an arrangement fee of a percentage of the credit available. So it can be financially worthwhile NOT renewing it, or reducing it - depending on how it's set up.

MrsTinks

Lloyds are utterly rubbish! Sorry but I have been with them since 1998 I think it was and for years I thought they were ok. I have over the years had several loans through them, a mortgage through their advisor, current account, platinum card, business account and insurance.
I REFUSE to speak to someone in India! It annoys me that their profits go up but service gets sent to bangalor to increase shareholders profit in exchange for service. Their Business banking is a joke! I had to get through to their London head office to speak to someone before they even replied to me after 4 days! They messed up the closure of my platinum card and refund of credit on the card, and frankly their branch staff are as much use as a chocolate teapot!

A&L are not fab but only my current account is there and all my other financial affairs are with Egg who at least are nice to you on the phone!

seven-day-weekend

>>... iniital deposits and SOs using your internet banking. Lloyds have a fantastic (the only?) real-time online banking system.<<

I agree, their online systenm is terrific. What I meant about the phone call to Jaswinder in Bangalore was that I wanted to ask some details about the account before opening it, and she didn't seem to understand what I was talking about. I know I can do the actual 'momey-moving' online.

Floss

nrsql wrote:

Don't let it stand as a goodwill gesture.
There's another post on this site where a someone tried to reclaim charges and the bank's response was to try and claim back the money previously refunded as a goodwill gesture.

AARGH!:eek: don't give NatWest any ideas - they have refunded £697 of charges over the last 3 years & I am still trying to claim over £2k of others - but I guess that if they ask for my £697 back, I'll just add it onto my claim from them!;)

lipidicman

seven-day-weekend wrote:

What I meant about the phone call to Jaswinder in Bangalore was that I wanted to ask some details about the account before opening it, and she didn't seem to understand what I was talking about.

Oh right. I opened the account on day one, ages before the promo or staff training. I had trouble extracting the form from them.

We had a thread that can probably tell you everything you need to know:
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=200061

Mirtos

lipidicman wrote:

So why does this constitute appalling customer service?

You mean besides telling me that they'd closed my overdraft facility as a way of getting me to call them???!!!! (Bearing in mind that I'm NOT hiding from them or refusing to take their phonecalls).