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

Stephen_Leak

tweeki wrote: »

Can any one help me please ive sent the letter requesting charges back which their response was a bog standard letter saying thank you fou my complaint and it will be delt with in 4 weeks. So i carried on the 14th day and sent the letter threatening court and they have sent another letter saying still being delt with hopefully in the next 4 weeks. At no point did it mention bank charges just sorry for my recent complaint! What do i do do i carry on and now and start with the courts procidure? Or do i wait 4 weeks for them to stall evan more. What doesnt make sense tho is they not mentioning what the claim is or trying to explain why they charged. Please hlp i would be very grateful.

The standard letters saying that they are investigating and will reply sometime between now and the next ice age are little more than acknowledgements of receipt and attempts to make you give up and go away. The next stage, from the banks point of view, is another standard letter, saying that the charges are correct because the OFT says so and they were in the terms and conditions.

If you have not received an acceptable reply by your deadline, then start court proceedings on Money Claim Online.

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.

tweeki

Thanks for that i was getting quite confused which do you feel is the better route court or ombudsman? please

babycakes666

Hello,

I have sent my letter asking for the mone yo be repayed of over £1,000. They sent me a letter saying they are looking into this and will get back to me. I have rang them today as in the letter it states they have 14 days to get this sorted.
Theysaid they have wrote to me and that was in the 14 days, this has brought them time now and they have 8 weeks to reply to me with an offer from the date they sent the letter. Can anyone tell me if this is right or are they trying to put me off. I was kind of hoping to have received a offer by now, but it just looks like i will have to wait another 6 weeks now.

Any advice will be appreciated, Many thanks

Leanne

dawniegirl

I have the same problem as you and also dont know what to do? I suppose we just have to wait for 8 weeks, but is this just a fob of letter?

ohmsoft

Hi both,

The Financial Services Authority allow firms 8 weeks to respond to a complaint (they must acknowladge within 5 days and then again at 4 weeks) before the customer is allowed to take the matter to the Ombudsman (can be refered earlier if a final response is issued by the firm).

Sounds to me like the firm is very busy (as are many) with charges complaints and your in a queue

dawniegirl

Please help my bank have wrote saying sorry your unhappy with your charges, but we cannot reply within 14 days, these things can take up to 4 weeks which it has been now. Or they will respond in 8 weeks letting me khow the outcome. Am i being fobbed off? What shall i do next?

3princes

Hi dawniegirl,it depends which bank you're with,some are paying the full amount within 8 weeks.If you have a look at the thread for your bank the posts on there might give you some idea of what to expect regarding your bank! GOODLUCK

Stephen_Leak

dawniegirl wrote: »

Please help my bank have wrote saying sorry your unhappy with your charges, but we cannot reply within 14 days, these things can take up to 4 weeks which it has been now. Or they will respond in 8 weeks letting me khow the outcome. Am i being fobbed off? What shall i do next?

If you are claiming from The Royal Bank of Scotland, who are currently paying out in full after 8 weeks, wait.

If not, the letters saying that they are investigating and will reply sometime between now and the next ice age are little more than acknowledgements of receipt and attempts to make you give up and go away.

Your first claim letter should give them 14 days to reply. If you have not received an acceptable reply by your deadline, send them the second “Letter Before Action” letter. At this point, you have to decide between referring your claim to the Financial Ombudsman or starting court proceedings.

If you don't think that you could successfully handle a court claim, or can't afford the court fees and aren't eligible for fee relief, then the Financial Ombudsman is an alternative. It is free of charge and handles everything for you. However, they cannot force the bank to pay up, set the level of the settlement or award interest like a court. Despite this, their success rate is good. Being financial experts, they can also threaten to ask the bank some very awkward questions. If the Financial Ombudsman is unsuccessful, you can still take the bank to court.

If you threaten to refer your claim to the Financial Ombudsman, give them until 8 weeks from the date of your first letter to reply. However, if the reply either suggests that you now refer your claim to the Financial Ombudsman or says a definite no, then you can refer your claim to the Financial Ombudsman straight away. If you have not received any reply for the 8 weeks, then you can refer your claim to the Financial Ombudsman.

If you threaten to start court proceedings, give them 14 days to reply. If you have not received an acceptable reply by this deadline, then start court proceedings on Money Claim Online.

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.

kellymundy

In short...Yes you are being fobbed off!
This is just a stalling tactic hoping that you will give up waiting and just go away.
You gave them a time frame of 14 days and they have gone over the time frame so send them your next letter. Don't let them start dictating to you how long things take as it's just a slippery slope downwards and they think they can try every delaying tactic possible on you think that you'll fall for it.
Good Luck and don't be dictated to by the banks, you're the one in the right!!!

babycakes666

Thank you, i hope this is the case. They have sent an acknowledgent letter within the 14 days so looks like i will just sit and wait for a few more weeks.
dawniegirl, good luck i hope you manage to get something.
Dont suppose you are with HSBC by anychance?

Leanne