Am I in the wrong?

Tigerlily_2

Unsure if this is the right place to post...
But last year I opened up a gold account with Natwest for the free travel insurance and intended to close it down within the free first three months. So I received all the papers and a bank card, with which I had to sign and return with proof of I.D. However having recently moved house I had no legit I.D so I just left the papers assuming the account would never be opened.

Several months on and I'm in arrears by 400 pound (only just found out as all mail went to previous address). I was 100% sure I never returned the papers as I knew I had no i.d to send off with it. having spoken to the debt collection agency they claim no i.d was needed and that I must have signed the papers otherwise it wouldn't have been opened.

At the start of all of this I was 110% I never signed anything but now I'm starting to doubt. Either way what is my position in all of this? Do I have any right to appeal or fight this? Considering I never received a pin number which would suggest the account wasn't fully opened? I'm only 19 and unfortunately I opened up this account in haste, without understanding the T's and C's,

so any help or advice would be most appreciated,

Many thanks in advance

Tigerlily

~Beanie~

Didn't NatWest send you any letters advising of charges, threatening to send your account to a DCA etc? Didn't you get any bank statements?

Paparika

Obviously the bank would of sent you paperwork but looks like it went to your old address..

But, I've noticed how sly natwest can be, they won't open my current account plus because they want more id even tho i am a customer of theirs.

The offered me the advantaged gold i told em no as i wasn't going to pay them for a bank account that gives me discount on white goods when the internet will find me cheaper.

If your not sure what you sent them and what you signed, ask natwest to send you copies of all this information.

funny how 2 bank accounts one she didn't give id to and they open it, and mine they won't?

~Beanie~

Doh! Sorry, I completely missed the part where you said that all letters had been sent to your old address... ignore my 1st post

olly300

@Tigerlily
Under the Money Laundering Regulations the bank would need to verify your ID before you could actually operate the account.

I would write a complain letter to the bank demanding to see.
1. a copy of the documents you signed to open the account
2. a copy of the ID they have or a verfication of the ID you used to open and operate the account.

State that you will like a refund of the charges as you dispute providing ID and a signature that allowed you to operate the account without the bank falling foul of the Money Laundering Regulations. End the letter by stating if they don't provide you with the information you request and do not refund the charges you will take them to the financial ombudsman.

I've found with Halifax they were happy to open an ISA for me and allow me to add money to it without me providing ID, put when I came to take them money out they turned around and said I didn't provide ID to open the account I could not as it would fall foul of the Money Laundering Regulations. They did not ask me for this at the time, which I could have provided with ease. I also know people who have paid in bank/building society cheques to their own bank account from their savings account, and where told they could not do this as it would fall foul of the Money Laundering Regulations.(The amount of the cheques varied but where a few thousand pounds.)

Chunkykitkat_2

You need to get copies of anything you sent back to them. I don't believe you would have sent back ID without remembering, and if so, it sounds like they tricked you into opening this account. Definately write them a letter, and keep a copy of it, and ask for proof of the ID you supposedly sent them.

If you have signed stuff and sent ID, then you're probably just going to have to treat this as a hard lesson learnt! Things like this can be confusing the first time you do them, so make sure you seek advice first!

Oh and make sure you divert all your mail to your new address if you move again! x

jonesMUFCforever

They might have been able to ID OP electronically.

It is also not clear from first posting whether OP had an existing a/c with NW therefore new ID would not have been required.

timbim_2

Don't forget to send your letter recorded delivery. If you don't, then they'll just shred it and pretend that it never arrived!

jonesMUFCforever

timbim wrote: »

Don't forget to send your letter recorded delivery. If you don't, then they'll just shred it and pretend that it never arrived!

Now you are being silly.

DGJsaver

jonesMUFCforever wrote: »

Now you are being silly.

Its not beyond the realms of possibility is it

I wrote to A&L and it WAS recorded delivery , i have yet to receive a reply 3 months later , so perhaps they arent fussy what they shred:rolleyes: