Have the banks got 8 weeks to reply?!!!

Stephen_Leak

pnewman wrote: »

so i should really wait until the full 14 working days are up on my first letter before sending the "letter before action"?

If you've given them 14 days (I don't remember seeing anywhere that it was working days, though) then its only fair to keep to that.

These days, your chances of getting all your charges back in response to a strongly worded letter are as slim as a size zero model. The letters are just to show that you have tried to settle the matter before you escalated it to the courts or Financial Ombudsman.

Dans79

I sent my first letter to Barclays Bank and received my statements; I then completed the interest calculation and added everything together to find a £4600 amount. The request for reclaiming my money back was sent on the 26th of April to which I got a prompt reply saying I would be contacted by the 25th of May. I then received a letter just after saying they are looking into it and I will be advised by the 25th of June.

What should I now do?

Thanks.

Twinkly

Dans79 wrote: »

I sent my first letter to Barclays Bank and received my statements; I then completed the interest calculation and added everything together to find a £4600 amount. The request for reclaiming my money back was sent on the 26th of April to which I got a prompt reply saying I would be contacted by the 25th of May. I then received a letter just after saying they are looking into it and I will be advised by the 25th of June.

What should I now do?

Thanks.

The banks are allowed 8 weeks to respond to and deal with a customers complaint as per the guidelines laid down by the FSA. This is only relevant if you were to use the Financial Ombudsman as you would be required to exhaust the banks complaints procedure first.

If you are using the court route then there is no requirement to follow those timescales yourself. You need only show to the court that you have allowed ample time for them to respond to and deal with your claim. You can send the LBA (letter before action) now if you wish. Good luck

samw04

Hi i sent the 2nd letter giving them 14 days to respond they have sent me a letter saying they will be in a position to respond to my claim in 6-7 weeks but hopefully sooner. is this normal should i wait or write to them again?

Stephen_Leak

The letters saying that they are investigating and have 40 days to respond are little more than acknowledgements of receipt and attempts to make you give up and go away. The 40 days timescale only applies if you are going to escalate the claim to the [URL=“http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk”]Financial Ombudsman[/URL].

If you have not received a full reply by 14 days from the date of your second letter, start court proceedings on the [URL=“http://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk”]MCOL website[/URL].

Please read the [URL=“http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=400981”]Reclaim Bank Charges Help[/URL] thread.

cas.dean

Hi
I have recently written to Abbey National asking for my bank charges to be refunded.
Today I received a standered letter telling me they are looking into my complaint and that it will take some time to do, informing me to contact them in 4 weeks if I have not had a response from them.
Should I wait that time or can I send my 2nd letter sooner?

Burlesque_Babe

If you have waited the correct number of days, then send the next letter.

It's your timetable not theirs - they are just playing for time.

adelene

Dear all,
I wrote to HSBC at the end of April asking for my bank charges back, and received a standard complaints letter as a response (we're sorry you have a complaint, we'll deal with it and let you know when we have an answer). I phoned and asked how long it would take for them to reach a decision, and the lady I spoke to said she had no idea and she wasn't authorized to give out that kind of information. I phoned again the next day and said I thought it was unacceptable for them not to give me any clear indication of how long the process usually takes, and was informed that banks legally have eight weeks to deal with it, which means I won't hear anything until the 27th June. Is this eight-week time limit true? I haven't heard this before, and I'm pretty sure they'll tell me on the 27th June that the answer is no, and then I"ll have to write again and wait another eight weeks. What should I do?
Thank you,
Adelene

Stephen_Leak

The letters saying that they are investigating and have 40 days to respond are little more than acknowledgements of receipt and attempts to make you give up and go away. The 40 days timescale only applies if you are going to escalate the claim to the Financial Ombudsman.

If you have not received a full reply by 14 days from the date of your first letter, send them the second “Letter Before Action” letter, giving them another 14 days to respond or else you will start court proceedings. If you have not received a full reply by 14 days from the date of your second letter, start court proceedings on the MCOL website.

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.

novelli

So does this mean that as its now nearly 30 days since mt 1st letter to HSBC and i have had no response that i should now send the next letter?? or do i have to wait for the 40 days. In my original letter i gave them 7 days to reply???
It was sent to head office and a copy to my local branch, but i have recieved absolutely nothing??

thanks