Barclays - Can They Do This?

peemegee

I recently sent my first claim letter to Barclays after they sent me all my statements, comes to about £500.

Then the other day they sent me back a letter saying that they aim to find a solution to my complaint within four weeks but it could take eight!

can they do this? is it just a stalling technique?

any help appreciated! thanks

goffins

It's a Standard letter for stalling; you'll no doubt find an offer {usually around 40%} sent through the post in about a Month.

This is what happened in my case and a number of other people I know.

peemegee

oh, was hoping for a bit more than that.., but i'll see what happens
thanks!

lchapman

Yeah, this is a major delaying tactic that they tried with me, just write back and say you want an answer in 2 weeks and threaten them with court, they'll move a lot faster then! my offer was only 40% too, so I declined in and am now in the court process, they've just defended my claim but I'm gonna take it all the way!

Twinkly

peemegee wrote: »

oh, was hoping for a bit more than that.., but i'll see what happens
thanks!

To clarify a little. The bank has entered you into their complaints procedure which has strict timescales laid down by the FSA. Procedural Rules state:

4.14 Otherwise, the business must send a written acknowledgement to the complainant within five business days of receipt of a complaint. This acknowledgement must give the name or job title of the employee handling the complaint, together with details of the business’s complaints handling procedure.
4.15 The business must then, within four weeks, send the complainant either a “final response letter” (see the explanation of this at paragraph 3.22) or a holding response indicating when the business will be making further contact. Then, within eight weeks of receipt of the complaint, the business must send the complainant either a final response letter or a response that explains the delay and the next steps and informs the complainant that they can now take the complaint to the ombudsman service. In both instances the business must enclose a copy of the Financial Ombudsman Service’s leaflet.

Source:Procedural Rules

It is not a stalling tactic as such and some do respond well within the timescales and some take it to the brink. However, their timescales only apply to you personally if you were to use the Financial Ombudsman as you would be required to exhaust the banks complaints procedure first.

As 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. The timescales in the template letters are more than sufficient for this purpose and you dont have to allow any more time unless you wish to do so.

Good luck