Abbey (merged)

AliceBanned

surfer.rachel wrote: »

Can someone PLEASE HELP ME?
I successfully claimed £40 from Capital 1, I managed to escape the stage of asking for charges because I had all my statments anyway. BUT. Abbey have replied and the data they have given me is like the Da Vinci Code, it doesn;t make sense AT ALL!!

1. They didn't even send me up-to-date lists, it only goes up to Mar/06!
2. I don't understand why they've given me a print out of transactions from 2003 - 2004 (some of which include just ATM use) The statement says ***end of account at the bottom*** why haven't they given me up to date ones?:mad:
3. i really really don't understand the rubbish they've sent me and it's really putting me off. Can someone please help me step by step with what this means?

Please? I'll buy you a pint (via cheque!!) :T

Don't let them put you off. Abbey are notorious for taking ages to give the correct information, as you will see from other postings on this thread! I had the same problem - I emailed their customer services and finally got the statements (via Abbey website).You need to threaten them with the Information Commissioner if you haven't already (see Martin's article on reclaiming bank charges).

I'm afraid you have to chase up quite a bit with Abbey and keep records of everything, always using Recorded Delivery and keeping a copy of everything you send, otherwise they just won't come up with the information, or not soon enough for you anyway. It seems they ripped too many people off in the past and they are now inundated!! If you use the Information Commissioner to get your statements back (https://www.ico.gov.uk) you will need copies of your recorded delivery receipts as well. They will hassle Abbey, because as you may know Abbey are not complying with the Data Protection Act by not giving you the information you have a right to!

Good luck and most importantly don't be put off by anything Abbey tell you - they know you have a right to the money are will try to scare you off!

AliceBanned

sHUGGYBSE wrote: »

Hi, I have recently tried reclaiming my bank charges from Abbey. The first response I got from them after about a week was a letter saying that they were busy and they would contact me in four weeks.. Ok so they may be busy. Then the next letter I got almost 4 weeks later was that they were looking in to my case and would be in touch again in another 4 weeks. Thinking that this was just a ploy to keep me waiting, after a further 2 weeks I sent the letter that gives them the option to pay with in 14 days at a reduced rate. To which I got a reply from them saying bthat they had looked in to my case and that the bank charges were applied correctly and that they were not going to refund any charges. etc etc. and if I didn't like it I should go to their complaints dept. or the financial ombudsman. (this is just the highlights of the letter) My question is what do I do from here?

As long as you are reclaiming hefty overlimit charges they won't have been applied correctly. Abbey will say this to put you off but don't let them worry you. You have been generous to offer them a reduced rate and they are not interested so I advise going to the Moneyclaim website and claiming it back through the courts, or claiming it back via the financial ombudsman. i have only tried the former and it has worked, and seems to work for 99.9% of people! Ignore Abbey's comments, they will say anything to put you off. Good luck!

stonerose

OK, so I am an idiot. Of that there is little doubt. I check my account, and if there is money available, I draw it out. This has landed me in a lot of trouble almost every month, with one month producing a total of around £600 in charges. Much of this was charged for them paying five or six charity monthly DDs of just 2 or 3 quid.

I have amassed over six years a total of £7389.25, including interest at the standard 8% (thanks for the calculator Martin x). It cost me £250.00 to take it to court as they would NOT play ball with me, so I borrowed it from my husband, who is still very sceptical about us getting anything back.

This morning, I have received an offer of £4803.01, And I am at a loss as to what I should do. Should I give in and accept it? Or should I go the whole hog and try for the lot. I am not a greedy person, and I fully believe that they have hoodwinked me again and again. I would be grateful for opinions on the matter, and would urge any Abbey customer to set up an account with the Alliance and Leicester, who are lapping up other banks' dissattisfied customers, and take Abbey to the cleaners. :T Don't give in, because they are so awkward and stubborn, but they are giving in here bit-by-bit.

Stephen_Leak

stonerose wrote: »

OK, so I am an idiot. Of that there is little doubt. I check my account, and if there is money available, I draw it out. This has landed me in a lot of trouble almost every month, with one month producing a total of around £600 in charges. Much of this was charged for them paying five or six charity monthly DDs of just 2 or 3 quid.

I have amassed over six years a total of £7389.25, including interest at the standard 8% (thanks for the calculator Martin x). It cost me £250.00 to take it to court as they would NOT play ball with me, so I borrowed it from my husband, who is still very sceptical about us getting anything back.

This morning, I have received an offer of £4803.01, And I am at a loss as to what I should do. Should I give in and accept it? Or should I go the whole hog and try for the lot. I am not a greedy person, and I fully believe that they have hoodwinked me again and again. I would be grateful for opinions on the matter, and would urge any Abbey customer to set up an account with the Alliance and Leicester, who are lapping up other banks' dissattisfied customers, and take Abbey to the cleaners. :T Don't give in, because they are so awkward and stubborn, but they are giving in here bit-by-bit.

The amount offered is Abbey's current standard 65%.

Obviously, it all depends on your circumstances and the amount involved (both in real and percentage terms) but, personally, I regard any part offer or payment as an attempt to take some of the charges from you for a second time!

Write to them, and politely (a judge might also read it) accept their offer as a "part payment, without prejudice". You can then legally continue your claim for the balance.

However, do not forget that you aren’t legally entitled to the 8% per year statutory interest on the charges unless it is awarded by a judge. However, it can be used as a bargaining chip.

Please read the Reclaim Bank Charges Help thread for information and the Reclaimed Bank Charges Success Stories and Reclaimed Bank Charges Success Stories II threads for inspiration.

stonerose

Stephen_Leak wrote: »

The amount offered is Abbey's current standard 65%.

Obviously, it all depends on your circumstances and the amount involved (both in real and percentage terms) but, personally, I regard any part offer or payment as an attempt to take some of the charges from you for a second time!

Write to them, and politely (a judge might also read it) accept their offer as a "part payment, without prejudice". You can then legally continue your claim for the balance.

However, do not forget that you aren’t legally entitled to the 8% per year statutory interest on the charges unless it is awarded by a judge. However, it can be used as a bargaining chip.

Please read the Reclaim Bank Charges Help thread for information and the Reclaimed Bank Charges Success Stories and Reclaimed Bank Charges Success Stories II threads for inspiration.

They have taken £6038 over the past 6 years, and with the interest it totals £7389.25. They have offered me £4803.01.

I have a £900 overdraft, and I haven't been able to get my account into credit for a long time, as they just keep on taking money and making matters worse. I feel sometimes like I am making a "smash and grab" raid into my own account on pay day, just to feed my children and keep my car running to get to school and back.

Abbey have regularly taken huge sums from my account, and when I have called to beg them back, they've made piteous amends by refunding 20, 30 or 50 pounds, when they have taken hundreds. Often, it has been Abbey that have made me go over my limit by taking charges over and above my available balance.

Would it be silly to accept the offer? I would like to for the sake of speed and closure, but to me, the remaining 35% is a lot of money. Abbey say that I can't expect them to charge me nothing. I can't argue with that. I am toying with the idea of replying and informing them that I will accept £5750.00 in full and final settlement. Would this be advisable? Would it diminish my position at all? Had they offered me that amount, I would have accepted with no quibbles.

May I also say that I am very grateful for your reply to my post. If not for people like yourself, I, and thousands of others like me, would have given up a long time ago, and the banks would be laughing.

Stephen_Leak

stonerose wrote: »

They have taken £6038 over the past 6 years, and with the interest it totals £7389.25. They have offered me £4803.01.

I have a £900 overdraft, and I haven't been able to get my account into credit for a long time, as they just keep on taking money and making matters worse. I feel sometimes like I am making a "smash and grab" raid into my own account on pay day, just to feed my children and keep my car running to get to school and back.

Abbey have regularly taken huge sums from my account, and when I have called to beg them back, they've made piteous amends by refunding 20, 30 or 50 pounds, when they have taken hundreds. Often, it has been Abbey that have made me go over my limit by taking charges over and above my available balance.

Would it be silly to accept the offer? I would like to for the sake of speed and closure, but to me, the remaining 35% is a lot of money. Abbey say that I can't expect them to charge me nothing. I can't argue with that. I am toying with the idea of replying and informing them that I will accept £5750.00 in full and final settlement. Would this be advisable? Would it diminish my position at all? Had they offered me that amount, I would have accepted with no quibbles.

May I also say that I am very grateful for your reply to my post. If not for people like yourself, I, and thousands of others like me, would have given up a long time ago, and the banks would be laughing.

As in my previous post, I have a very dim view of part offers or payments.

However, now might be the time to put that 8% interest to use. Remember, you aren’t legally entitled to it unless it is awarded by a judge, so it can be "sacrificed" for the greater good.

The Golden Rule of any negotiation is that you don't let your adversary know how much you would settle for, Thats for them to offer. Its like an Arab market, but in reverse: they start low, you start high.

I would respond to their 65% offer by asking for the £6038. This is less the interest, which they would have to pay if they let this opportunity to settle slip through their fingers and made you have to take them all the way to court hearing.

And we haven't even added in the court fees, which would be added as soon as you issued a court claim. I'd look these up, before writing to them, so that you can quote the exact amount. There is a link to these on the Reclaim Bank Charges Help thread.

You have to show them what the costs to them would be if they make you issue a court claim and then if they decide not to settle "out of court".

If they go for the £6038, they can say that they have avoided the court fees and still not paid you all that you were claiming. You, on the other hand, have got back everything you were legally entitled to.

They will almost certainly offset £900 against the overdraft, but you were going to do that yourself anyway, weren't you?

Obviously, you have the figure of £5750 as your lower limit. If they won't come from £4308 up to that, then you are going to have to either refer your claim to the Financial Ombudsman or start court proceedings.

Even if it comes to this, it will do your case no harm whatsoever when the FO or judge reads the letters and sees that you have taken the initiative and tried to resolve the matter.

Keep us posted.

stonerose

Thanks Stephen. I have already issued court proceedings, and that cost me £250.00. Would there be any more charges besides that? They have entered a defence, and sent me a copy of their defence along with the letter making the offer.

Stephen_Leak

stonerose wrote: »

Thanks Stephen. I have already issued court proceedings, and that cost me £250.00. Would there be any more charges besides that? They have entered a defence, and sent me a copy of their defence along with the letter making the offer.

We will just have to rely on the interest, then. Mind you, its £1351, which should be a pretty big disincentive to the bank letting it actually get to a hearing, which they must know that they will almost certainly lose.

No, that is it for the court charges. The court have obviously dispensed with the £100 Allocation Fee and Allocation Questionnaire.

WEND12814

Hi
I hada letter from the Abbey asking me to ring them, I spoke toa lovely guy and we agreed a settlement, dont be scared of these people at the end of the day if your not happy just tell them you'll go to court they'll soon offer what you want, I received £3000 on one accountand £2500 on another.
be strong
Wendy

stonerose

Thank you VERY much Stephen. I will certainly let you know what happens.