Help for my 84 Year old Father

CW78

Hi,


I am new to this so bear with me.


It was brought to our attention that our 84 year old Father was being sent lots of letters and getting phone calls from Lloyds Bank collections regarding an old overdraft. Unbeknown to us (and he isn't always 100% all there after having strokes) he had at some point gone overdrawn we think about 4 years ago. At that point they had given him a £750 overdraft which they later removed. Anyway, it appears that he had been incurring lots of daily charges and monthly charges and interest which last year he agreed to pay off at £40 a month. This really he could not afford but he has managed it. For some reason Lloyds now decided to pass to collections and he was recieving letters stating £10 per day charge plus interest and monthly fee. I went in with Dad to the branch and spoke with the Manager who was quite rude to Dad, didn't look him in the eye once and basically treated him with no respect whatsoever. He agreed to waive daily charges if the balance was paid. Myself and my siblings have paid this off £300 plus and he closed the account on Monday. However I mentioned making a complaint to see if we could get any of his charges refunded as he is after all in his 80's surviving on a pension and disability. He has worked all his life, 3 jobs at one point and I feel shocked that a) It is ethical to treat him like this, it is not responsible lending and he is a vunerable person and b)he has paid so much in interest and charges over the last 4 years. Can anyone give me any idea what, if anything I can do please? Thanks in advance

tomtontom

Why is it irresponsible lending? Assuming he is receiving his full benefit entitlement he should have a healthy income.

CW78

I don't think he fully understood the implications at the time due to his age and health. He has been a customer with this small village based branch for a long, long time and they would have known this. I don't really understand what you mean by full entitlement, he has very little money left per month after paying his rent and bills. Which they also would have been able to see from his account.

tomtontom

CW78 wrote: »

I don't think he fully understood the implications at the time due to his age and health. He has been a customer with this small village based branch for a long, long time and they would have known this. I don't really understand what you mean by full entitlement, he has very little money left per month after paying his rent and bills. Which they also would have been able to see from his account.

Check what income he has and if he is entitled to any further benefits. See if you can help him to budget his money.

Age does not necessarily mean someone should not be given credit, that would be discriminatory.

CW78

I understand that and thanks for your advice it is appreciated, I have worked with money issues for many years and try to help him but he forgets and gets muddled!


However I wondered if it is worth trying to get him back any of the money he has paid in charges?

Placida

CW78 wrote: »

I understand that and thanks for your advice it is appreciated, I have worked with money issues for many years and try to help him but he forgets and gets muddled!


However I wondered if it is worth trying to get him back any of the money he has paid in charges?

Comprehensive guide on this site.

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/bank-charges

See also

http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/faq/bank-charges.html

Aquamania

CW78 wrote: »

I understand that and thanks for your advice it is appreciated, I have worked with money issues for many years and try to help him but he forgets and gets muddled!


However I wondered if it is worth trying to get him back any of the money he has paid in charges?

No .

CW78

Thank you. Having read that I do feel it is worth a go, he is struggling to make ends meet as a result of this and has also withdrawn cash out on a credit card which we have also since found out. Plus he has been in the branch to sort this out 2 years ago and despite trying to pay it off still been incurring charges. Also the branch would have known this when they have spoken to him.

Mojisola

CW78 wrote: »

he is after all in his 80's surviving on a pension and disability.

If he getting just a SP and DLA or AA, he is probably also entitled to Pension Credit and help with his rent.

Ask AgeUK about doing a benefit check for him and helping him to apply for any other benefits he could be getting.

If he ever served in the armed forces (National Service?), it's worth asking SSAFA for help.

CW78

Thanks he did serve in the Armed Forces for a few years from when he was 18 so I will also try that too.

Mojisola

CW78 wrote: »

Thanks he did serve in the Armed Forces for a few years from when he was 18 so I will also try that too.

Obviously, how good they are can vary depending on the people in your area but I found them very helpful when my parents needed assistance.