Suggestions for honing the Reclaim bank charges article/reclaiming

MSE_Martin

Hi folks.

Thanks for the above. Going to look at the changes - some of the earlier ones have already been done. There are some interesting suggestions here

Some of the templates have been tweaked already, and there's a few more good tweaks since i last looked.

Keep it up

Martin

sheashea1

1. If you go to the Penalty charges website there is a downloadable spreadsheet with formulas already in place, all you have to do is put in the details and all int. etc is calculated.

2. I have found reading Martin's site, the Penalty Charges site and Consumer Action group all help as they all have invaluable info. For eg Penalty charges lists exactly what you can and cannot claim for. But taking time to read through all 3 sites gives you all the info u need and 3 approaches to reclaiming.

Hope this helps.

Aaron

The BCH link seems to go to a domain squatter.

Twinkly

Hiya Martin its me again

I have another little suggestion for the main article. Its been asked for in the threads so can we please have a template for accepting partial settlements ? Something worded in the same manner as the first two, for continuity of writing style, that anyone could edit to suit their circumstances as needed would be perfect.

Thanks

esmerellda

Maybe you should also put in BIG LETTERS ..

stick to YOUR timetable

esmerellda

Also you NEED particulars of claim for the N1 form.

LittleButtercup

I'm puzzled. The step by step guide seems to suggest that it is extremely unlikely that the bank will defend and that you'll have to go to court. But looking around the forum it seems that actually nowadays there is actually a fair chance that you will have to go to at least one hearing. Do you think it's the case that since this site has relatively few users who have successfully recovered their charges, there could be a quite a few people who are in for an unpleasant surprise when they make their claim?

From reading the step by step guide, it looks to me like all the banks respond to claims in the same way. Is this correct? If so, can I suggest that you amend your guide?

pete-in-london

After reading about the differences between business and personal account claims on the Consumer action group site I'd suggest a paragraph is added to the article stating the differences between business/personal accounts. Quite a lot of people seem to ask this in the forums. It might be better to just do a link to CAG for business accounts.

I used the Particulars of claim template from this site for a business account and have since found out that the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999 does not apply to business accounts - so technically my claim is wrong and could possibly give the bank a defense. The cases for common law are also different.

(This is not a problem as the particulars of claim can be amended using an N224 form but this is a bit of a hassle)

Thanks and keep up the good work!

Twinkly

LittleButtercup wrote: »

I'm puzzled. The step by step guide seems to suggest that it is extremely unlikely that the bank will defend and that you'll have to go to court. But looking around the forum it seems that actually nowadays there is actually a fair chance that you will have to go to at least one hearing. Do you think it's the case that since this site has relatively few users who have successfully recovered their charges, there could be a quite a few people who are in for an unpleasant surprise when they make their claim?

From reading the step by step guide, it looks to me like all the banks respond to claims in the same way. Is this correct? If so, can I suggest that you amend your guide?

I too am puzzled...by your post. Step 5 in the main article clearly lays out what happens if and when you need to take this to court stage. In 1924 (to date) users who successfully recovered charges in 9 months there is only one documented case of a court hearing. You say that there is a fair chance that you will have to go to at least one hearing. As far as I am aware there is only one hearing, not two. At this one hearing (if it gets that far) you win by default since no bank has ever turned up.

There are 1924 posts in the success thread and that is just the people who actually posted their success here after completing the process. Many many more are receiving offers of partial settlement and enquiring as to whether they should accept full settlement without interest. There are probably many more people who took the information from the main article and didnt bother with the forum. However if there were more court cases that actually got into the court then I am sure we would have heard about them.

You say that relatively few have successfully recovered their charges and I am puzzled. Relative to what exactly? There are no reported cases on the forum of failure to receive any charges back after completing the process laid out in the main article and 1924 people have successfully reclaimed. Of researched posts in the success thread for my own benefit statistics show around 80% get the full amount and around 20% settle for lower of their own volition. The rate of getting to court stage varies but it is fairly rare that a bank will actually defend even after threatening to. Not one bank is reported as turning up in court.

From information given by all the people in the success thread the banks respond in different ways to different people. This is clearly reflected in the main article. People are given step by step letters to write and advice on what may happen at each stage. No two cases are identical and the same bank may treat two claimants completely differently. There is no way to be specific and exact about what will happen to individuals. Every persons story is different in the success thread but the end result is the same. They got their money back.

If people end up in court and are unpleasantly surprised then they havent read the article properly.

pete-in-london

Another suggestion:
Send all letters to your bank by Recorded delivery.

A friend of mine sent the request to her bank for 6 years of statements by first class mail (not recorded), but they said they never received the letter after she inquired a couple of weeks later. I sent all my stuff recorded and had no problems and you can also track when the letters get 'signed for' by the bank.