Claiming compensation from Natwest

nataliex_2

Hi

Just wondering if anyone is considering claiming compensation from Natwest?

Ive just checked my phone bill and nearly died, over £20 of calls to 0845 numbers and the like due to my wages not going into my account therefore all my direct debits bouncing.

I also had to take a day off from work, unpaid, to try and sort the mess out Natwest left me in.

Ive printed the phone bill and highlighted the calls and totalled them, can anyone advise me / give me a draft letter which i can send to Natwest? Im not sure which legislation to quote i know there is some but i want to be 100% before i fire this off.

Also, should i sent it to the head office or my branch?

Any help would be sooooooooooooo appreciated

I really cannot afford to be paying an extra £20 on my phone bill on top of loosing a days pay. This has just been one big nightmare!

Thanks in advance xx

epm-84

Why did you use an 0845 number when Natwest had an 0800 number and a 0161 number on their website for people affected by the problems as well as an online facility to request a call back: https://www.natwest.com/Secure/personal_call_back/callback.asp?pid=50202 ?

pinkdalek

Firstly you are quite within your rights to complain and request compensating for the expenses you've incurred and loss. I would also though mention the amount of distress and inconvenience that this has caused you, having to take a day off, numerous calls, special trips, basically having to do things that you would expect your bank to have done properly.

How you do it is up to you, in writing, phone call or branch, whichever you find easier, they will have deadlines to adhere to, you should get acknowledged but it may take them a few weeks to resolve (probably due to the high volume) I don't know, however generally if your complaint has not been resolved in 8 weeks then take it further eg ombudsman.

pinkdalek

epm-84 wrote: »

Why did you use an 0845 number when Natwest had an 0800 number and a 0161 number on their website for people affected by the problems as well as an online facility to request a call back: https://www.natwest.com/Secure/personal_call_back/callback.asp?pid=50202 ?

What difference to the customer does this make in reality? Even had they used the alternative number, it is still all the distress and inconvenience caused.

madgagoo

Write a letter to your branch. Outline what additional expenses you have incurred (telephone calls and lost pay) and why it was neccessary to take a day off work (bear in mind that branches were open for extended hours, so I would suggest explaining why this was not a solution to not taking a day off - too far to travel?).

We haven't been told the process for dealing with complaints related to the issues yet but I would expect a specialist team to be put together. Your branch (or customer service centre if the letter gets sent there) will log it and send it on to them.

BugsyBrowne

Rbs don't have to give anyone compo.

innovate

Refer to the public statement form Stephen Hester, CEO of the RBS Group (currently still prominently on the Natwest homepage - may be make a screenshot of it):

I also want to reassure customers that no one will be left permanently out of pocket as a result of this, and again, they should contact us directly about this.

There is official Natwest Complaints information on the web Given the current turmoil, and that they will be inundated with claims, I would definitely

1. put the claim in writing - include all the proof, e.g. phone bills etc. Also include a request to compensate you for your time, and for the distress caused. If you lost a day at work / a day of your holidays, get a letter from your employer to confirm you did not work that day
   .
2. handcarry the complaint into a branch and ask them to give you a datestamped and signed copy, so you have proof they received your claim (unless they are prepared to settle your claim there and then - - though that's probably unlikely).

innovate

BugsyBrowne wrote: »

Rbs don't have to give anyone compo.

Oh yes they do. Mr Hester has already publically promised, more than once, that people will not be out of pocket as a consequence of the mess his organisation caused.

innovate

epm-84 wrote: »

Why did you use an 0845 number when Natwest had an 0800 number and a 0161 number on their website for people affected by the problems as well as an online facility to request a call back: https://www.natwest.com/Secure/personal_call_back/callback.asp?pid=50202 ?

The 0845 number was for days the only number NatWest had asked people to ring.

The other two numbers only appeared in the last two days, and were so well hidden that hardly anyone could find them. Same applies for the online facility for callback.

If Natwest don't want people to ring them on 0845 numbers, they can take these numbers out of operation.

BugsyBrowne

innovate wrote: »

Oh yes they do. Mr Hester has already publically promised, more than once, that people will not be out of pocket as a consequence of the mess his organisation caused.

He has said that but legally they don't have to, he could say No compensation if he really wants to.
If rbs customers think they will be getting hundreds of pounds think again it won't happen.

Skinto_7

pinkdalek wrote: »

What difference to the customer does this make in reality? Even had they used the alternative number, it is still all the distress and inconvenience caused.

Im not generally one for this compensation culture that we are now in, with everyone claiming everyone for anything they can get as pinkdalek seems to advocating above, why money would automatically sooth anyones "distress and inconvenience" seems beyond me.

That said anyone left genuinely out of pocket by this mess should get every penny back and i am sure they will.