Claiming compensation from Natwest

TheBanker

nataliex wrote: »

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

Hi,

I don't think you'll have a problem getting your phone calls refunded. There's no need at this stage to quote legislation or worry about which address to write to. Natwest have promised to make sure nobody is out of pocket. Given that their reputation has been trashed already, they will want to make sure that promise is kept!

I would expect a relatively small claim like yours will be refunded in full with minimal investigation.

You may, however, struggle claiming for a day off work, especially given that it was the first day of the problem. Natwest could argue that it was irrational to take a full day off work in order to make phone calls about a few direct debits which had not been paid. I'm not sure how lenient they'll be but I'm afraid I can't see FOS upholding that part of your complaint.

Agricolae

As someone who works in NatWest's complaints department (although remember I speak for myself and not the bank) I can say that although we are very busy (to be expected) we're not turning people away and affected customers can phone in to complain as well as write or use the webform.

I would advise the OP to work out exactly how much she has lost. What was the exact amount of the phone bill? How much was lost in earnings at her job? Were there any other expenses? These are things the Financial Ombudsman has been advising people to do so they can keep a track of how much they should look to claim back.

I'd also say she should prepare for reasonable questions that might be asked of her if she submits a claim. One question may be "Why was it necessary to take the whole day off work?"

I agree entirely with TheBanker's comments. NatWest has promised to refund expenses so as long as any request the OP submits is not unreasonable then I can see her costs being covered.

nataliex_2

Hi

Just thought i would let all of you who helped me know that i made a complaint via the form on the internet on Saturday, i got an email on Tuesday saying please call customer relations, i called once yesterday and they said it would be escalated and again this morning, about two hours later i got a phone call from the nicest man i think i have ever spoken to on the phone, he listed to everything i had to say when i explained that it has cost me rather a large amount in phone calls to sort this mess out and how stressful i had found the entire thing and the fact i took a day off work etc. and he offered me a significant amount of compensation, enough to cover my phone bill and the day i took off work anyway.


I would say to anyone who has been GENUINLEY affected by this mess to contact Natwest and speak to them as they are being exceptionally understanding and trying to help people as best as they can.

I bet they will get alot of people "trying it on" aswell, people who actually wernt affected in the slightest and just want something for nothing but i guess its upto Natwest to decide whether people are genuine or not.

Thanks for all your help anyway x

Wywth

nataliex wrote: »

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

Don't make yourself look a fool.
Just make a complaint, giving evidence of any quantifiable loss that you consider is directly related to their recent IT issues.