MSE Not So Expert Advice!

lewis3478

Hi, first of all I browse much more than I post and the main articles on this site are fantastic as are the documents, and most of the forums.

However I posted here back in April concerning PPI, an incorrect recording on my credit record and how to deal with lloyds tsb. I explained some of my prior personal circumstances as well.

I was advised I didn't have a case and to forget about it, which I duly ignored.

After arguing my case, and writing to the chief exec about 10 times. I have received around £4,500, with one item credit card charges and insurance still being argued over.

So to anyone who is still thinking of trying to take the banks on but your unsure. Here's my advice!

Reseach everything yourself
Use the great documentation here on the site
Get your information through a SAR request £10
Go through it with a toothcombe
Don't provide the banks with additional information if requested (they have all the information)
Treat there correspondence as pre printed replies
Keep complaining and emailing the CEO
Send out reply emails or letters AS SOON as you get a correspondence
Ignore any advice unless it agrees with your perspective
If it does agree research the advice you've been given and make your own judgement on whether to use it.

Kind Regards

Chris.

dunstonh

Looking at your posts, only one person said you didnt think you had a case. Even then, they asked more questions in their post which you did not go on to answer. Further clarification and information may have changed their view. If you only give people part of the information then they have very little to go on and you shouldnt expect to get accurate guidance.

Ignore any advice unless it agrees with your perspective

That is just ignorance and not sensible. You frequently see posts with different views but one person offering an opinion is not the same thing as advice.

Don't provide the banks with additional information if requested (they have all the information)

That is bad advice. You could be preventing a complaint from being successful if you do have evidence to support your complaint. Withholding evidence that can help you is illogical.

misschicken

I don't think this forum is intended to offer 'expert advice'. It's an open forum so anyone can post and reply here. It offers advice based on peoples' experience and personal opinion. This includes people with a professional (and often straight talking) opinion such as IFAs and a few people who've worked at the FOS or banks, along with people who've had experiences, good and bad, at getting back their PPI. It also includes people who have seen a CMCs advert and believe they're entitled to money without question and without understanding how it works and some people who got lucky with auto payouts which under closer scrutiny would have failed. Every complaint is different and people only comment on the information they see in the posts, only you know the whole picture. The information I have been given on here has not always been what I wanted to hear but ultimately steered my complaints in the right direction.

I think you have to use this forum as a sounding board and then, like you said, go through your own personal information with a toothcomb (I'm a big fan of an SAR too) and research the opinions you've been given further and make your own judgement on whether you should proceed. Only you know the full details and scope of your complaint and how far you are prepared to take it. Which in your case resulted in a brilliant result!

roonaldo

oh god dont tell me the world is against you too

BC_KT

I'm going to be perfectly blunt here because you've listed quite a few of my pet peeves that PPI complainers do: by refusing to provide any information, yet still arguing every fine point, and repeatedly addressing your correspondences to the CEO you've essentially bullied and blustered your way into a payout, most likely also queue jumping past thousands of others waiting for their complaints to be looked into. Whether or not you are actually entitled to that money no one will ever know, but there's a good chance you were paid out just to get you to stop complaining and tying up agents.

So if your advice is to force your way into money, then fair dos. But for the honest consumer I would certainly recommend against it.

Goldiegirl

I particularly like the one about ignoring any advice unless it's what you want to hear.

Seems to be standard practice on some areas of MSE.

dazza12

So, if somebody has mental health problems then they can't be rational?

A large proportion of people (some say up to 70%) will at some point in their lives suffer some form of mental illness. This can range from a minor emotional issue through to a debilitating condition. Your argument would take out quite a number of contributors to MSE forums.

(Text removed from MSE Forum Team)

-taff

Sew up your bleeding heart.

They posted a message saying they were told untruths, which they weren't, and then to not listen to anyone no matter what they tell you, and that they had mental problems.

Where is the bullying?

Arthur_Sleep

dazza12 wrote: »

Congratulations on taking the bullying on this site to a new low.

Utter nonsense.

dazza12

I'm not a bleeding heart.

The bullying is pointing out that if they've got a mental illness, then they can't be rational.

If the history of the poster's postings had been summarised as you had done, then it could be argued that they're not rational. However, pointing out that they're not rational due to having a mental illness is not on.

Edited to add - Original post I'm referring to has been removed by the MSE admin team.

dazza12

Arthur_Sleep wrote: »

Utter nonsense.

Your opinion.

Yes, the original poster may not be rational in his posts. However pointing out they're not rational because they have a mental illness is bullying.

It's worth pointing out that I'm not saying that the OP is right, just that the particular comment I referred to is not on.

Edited to add - Original post I'm referring to has been removed by the MSE admin team.