Help with Halifax please :(

vicxzy

Hi guys,




Please could I have some advice?
I wrote to Halifax in 2011 as I was in financial difficulty (heavily pregnant and made redundant) and they agreed to refund a few charges.
November last year I went back to them to complain about the rest of the fees they heaped on after me telling them I was in financial difficulty. Halifax agreed in writing that they had been out of order in putting more fees on my account as I had already let them know I was in financial difficulty and so they refunded me for the rest of the short period that I was with them.
In November I also complained about the fact that I was mis sold a packaged current account (I only realised that I had it when I found an old statement recently I had been paperless for most of the time I had the account and in my ignorance never noticed)
Halifax have written to me and said that they are not willing to consider my complaint as the FCA allows them to limit me to 6 years to complain and I took the packaged account in 2007.
They also say that the FCA allows them to limit my time to complain to 3 years after the fact and that I downgraded the account on a date in in 2011.
I know for a fact that I did not downgrade the account on this date as I was in hospital for a period which includes this date.
Halifax say that because I downgraded the account in June 2011 that I should have then been aware that I had a packaged account and so they are limiting me to 3 years to complain and saying that I am too late.
I feel that Halifax downgraded the account themselves after I told them that I was in financial difficulty earlier that month.
Sorry for the essay! My questions basically are that:


1. I cannot find any reference to a time limit on complaints put in place by the FCA that they refer to? (6 & 3 year limits)
2. How can I prove that they downgraded the account? (Obviously I can prove I was in hospital if required)
3.Should I explain this to them in a further letter and give them chance to put it right or go straight to the ombudsman now?




Thanks for reading

eskbanker

vicxzy wrote: »

1. I cannot find any reference to a time limit on complaints put in place by the FCA that they refer to? (6 & 3 year limits)

See links at http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=69278890&postcount=845

GingerFurball_2

Going to the ombudsman is pointless as Halifax won't let them consider the complaint if they're timebarring you.