[curlybenswife]

I've never had a charge, boohoo :(

It looks fun.

LMAO that's because you are the worlds first tight student ;)

[colbtech]

Hi all, just jumped on the bandwagon and sent of my DPA letter requesting statements. My daughter got 1400GBP back last week. Spent that on buying her second house (legal fees etc, not the whole house!).
Couple of other websites Ripped Off Shore - Welcome and Penalty Charges UK - Fighting your Corner for FREE same as MoneySavingExpert: Consumer Revenge - Credit Cards, Shopping, Bank Charges, Cheap Flights and more but certainly time to kick a$$

[Curlyben]

Good on you colbtech, welcome to the club.

How long did it take for your daughter's case to be settled ?

[colbtech]

I think she told me 8 weeks from the initial letter. It was vs HSBC

[Curlyben]

WoW that's excellent.
I assume by that she wasn't forced to take legal action.

Well at least one bank can do things correctly.

I'm still waiting on a complete set of statements, but saying that I am being very cheeky and pushing the Data Protection Act fully.

I have requested ALL the data that they hold on me, so that's 10 years worth.
Should make for an interesting calim when they finally arrive, especially with interest ;)

[colbtech]

Quick update, DPA requesting statements to NatWest went in last week 25/4. I've had a letter back from the bank stating they are examining my account (worrying?) and will respond within 28 days... not much news but the interesting thing is... the letter is from the "Charges Referal Team". So at least they have a department set up to examine these cases.

[Curlyben]

Col, I wouldn't worry as this is a standard letter.
Interesting that they now have a specific dept dealing with these, but I bet you don't get a decent response to your request.

Well I now have all of my statements dating back to March 1997.
Time to get the highlighte pen out me thinks.
Thank god it's a long weekend, there's a ton of paper to get through.

[iAMfromHuntersBar]

Well I still haven't heard a thing from Natwest, they've got one week today until I take them to court! Woohoo!

And still nothing back from RBS after the usual "we're looking into it" letter! That'll be a month on Sunday, so they may be getting a phonecall / letter pretty soon too!

It only took me an afternoon to work out all my charges, why is it taking them so long?
Granted, they've got to sort out one or two more people than I did! Lol!

[Curlyben]

So, spent the weekend getting all my paperwork in order.
I've received statements going back to 1997 and THREE copies of charges applied to my account for the last 6 years.

A couple of hours with highlighter pen, caclulator and coke and I'm done.
Prelim goes off tomorrow for £2,600 including interest, £750 is pre 6 year "limit".

Not as bad as I was thinking, but still too much.

I noticed that back in 1997 I was charged £6 per month for exceeding my overdraft, in 10 years that has risen to £90 for the same "service"!!

Now if it'd stayed at £6 then none of this activity would have started.

[iAMfromHuntersBar]

A couple of hours with highlighter pen, caclulator and coke...

I know it's boring work... but resorting to drugs is not the best way to stay awake mate! Lol!



6 years of statements from 2 accounts! What a waste of paper eh! :p

[chameleonchick]

Hi everyone, don't really know much about claiming back bank charges but I do know I want to take this action. I have an account with lloyds tsb and they take the mick. I get charged anything up £90 a month just for going a fart and cough overdrawn and Ive got money problems as it is! I want to get my money back but what kind of legal stuff do iI need to know before I take action? I reckon I can get about £500 out of them at least. I want my money back : (

[Curlyben]

Chameleonchick, welcome to AMHD Reclaimers.
If you need any help give me a shout, especially as LloydsTSB are the people I'm going for ;)

[chameleonchick]

Thanks curlyben. I couldn't keep track of everyone's stories but I gathered you haven't got your money back yet?? How long have you been waiting?

I went on moneysavingexpert.com and downloaded template letters and had a read of what he had to say... think I get the idea now... sort of...
-get statements and work out how much to claim
-send letter asking for it with time limit
-send another letter threatening legal action
-if legal action required then do it through moneyclaim website

Sounds simple enough so why am I still wary? I read that some banks close your account if they pay out-luckily I have another account but Id prefer them not to do that in the first place. Do you think I should transfer my wages and direct debit etc to the second account before I do anything? How much does ltsb charge for requesting statements? Im very bitter at the moment because I had a perfect credit rating until all this rubbish started happening in the past year or so... Iv had the account since I as 11 and I'm 20 now. Do u think they'll care about my loyalty? Lol goo dluck with oyur claim by the way! : )

[Curlyben]

CC, MSE is OK, but there are better sites out there that give a lot more help.

In a nutshell it really is that easy, but there's a lot of waiting and then having to deal with legalise letters and solicitors and stuff.

First off you send a Data Protection Act Subject Access Request (SAR) to LTSB. There is a maximum that they can change of £10. This covers ALL the info.
This is meant to be complied with in 40 days.
In my case it took nearly 3 MONTHS!
In the end I did get 10 years worth of statements.
Now a SAR is meant to supply ALL the information the Banks hold on you, not just the last 6 years. This is the first place MSE falls over.

Once you have all the statements then it's PreLim time.
This is the first approach for repayment, time limit 14 days.
Once they refuse this then it's Last Before Action (LBA). Again you are asking for ALL the charges to be repaid, time limit 14 days.

Once they have refused both these letters then the fun really starts with court action.
Yes the easiest way to file is MCOL, but it isn't a case of file and you'll get your money.

The banks will try at every turn to have your case throwen out or to buy you off.
Again this is another area MSE lets you down, not enough support and help with dealing with the banks solicitors..

Now if you hold your nerve, and with LTSB you'll need it, the whole process can take up to 10 MONTHS. Yes you read that right.
You would be very lucky indeed to have the whole amount refunded within a few months.
This is NOT a get rich quick scheme and it is far from plain sailing.

Now don't let this put you off, just remember that they have taken your and you want it back ;)

On the whole the banks aren't closing accounts on the back of reclaiming, obviously if you are operating it badly then they may.
You say you already have another account, keep it on the back burner and only move if you absolutely have to.
No need to go through all the hassle if you don't.

I must admit I always thought that the banks where there to help and had our best interests at heart, well not any more.
Generally they are like any other big business, money grabbing!
I've been with LTSB for 15 years yet, when I needed some help with O/D charges that I ended up having after my expenses where late, I was basically lied to.
So I decided to reclaim EVERYTHING that they have taken over the years.

The fun has only just begun.

Feel free to PM me and I'll point you in the right direction.

[chameleonchick]

OMG 10 months, seedy ltsb lawyers, lack of knowledge... I don't think I can do this but I really want my money back! :( can't I just get one of those no win no fee law firms to deal with this of me?

[Curlyben]

If you want to give away 25%+ of YOUR money and let some complete stranger go through your fincial records then go for it, but the whole process is quite straight forward.
Just takes time and a certain amount of balls.

[chameleonchick]

I don't want someone else taking a quarter of my money- u just scared me a little with the lawyer stuff that's all but Im a big girl and I'm going to try and do this myself. Thanks for the support anyway- I'm sure I''llbug you with more questions as I get closer to making a move (waiting to get paid- another week and half to go!) :)

[iAMfromHuntersBar]

Right then, RBS have until the end of this week before I send off my second letter!

But Natwest, oh poor Natwest, they have until the end of this week until I take them to court! Pay up Natwest, you know it makes sense! Lol!

Good luck chameleonchick, do it on your own, it's much more fun!

[Curlyben]

Oh I feel a letter from Corbetts, NastyWest's inhouse solicitors, winging it's way to you very soon.

[iAMfromHuntersBar]

I'm looking forward to standing up in court and telling the judge what I think, I can't wait, I think it's brilliant that we're taking on the big boys!