Hi Dpick I am now on the case with my Halifax credit card charges (also MBNA and Lloyds TSB credit cards ongoing) Having finally had my Halifax SAR returned, I am looking for a credit card version of the bank prelim letter without success. There is a card version of LBA coutesy of IMPORTED which I used for Lloyds TSB, skipping the prelim. No response yet and I am not too worried if it goes belly up as the amount claimed is quite small - under £100. However, the stakes are considerably higher with both Halifax and MBNA and I want to get it right from a legal perspective. Is it ok to skip the prelim for credit cards, is there a card version of the bank prelim template knocking around anywhere which I hav'nt discovered, or should I do a DIY adaption of the bank prelim? Thanks in advance for yours or anybody else's help

Cornucopia Sorry about the previous reply!!! I somehow managed to post the reply prematurely and I have lost what I originally wrote so here goes again - I hope you're still hanging in there ... Just keep persevering with the Halifax, as I said previously, they are averaging over 300 new claims a day with a current backlog of 1500. It's a different department, but I returned my acceptance form for the full settlement a couple of weeks ago and they have only recently put it on their system to enable them to stump up the goodies and get a cheque winging my way. No news on the MBNA front but I am not expecting anything till the end of the week at the earliest. Better late than never, I have finally received an acknowledgement from Halifax credit card that they have received my SAR - No transacaction details of course, they come later 'under separate cover'. It will be touch and go whether the details arrive within the 40 day limit.

Cornucopia Just

Hi again Cornucopia Halifax caved - see my initial post 'One down, four to go' on 28th February in the Welcome Forum for the details. I already had 6 years paper statements on this one and didn't need an SAR. I wish they were all that easy! At the time I was reasonably optimistic about getting a quick full settlement from MBNA following my son's success at the letter 2 stage. However he had statements and therefore no SAR required. I am beginning to get the impression that being able to bypass the letter 1 SAR stage is a distinct advantage, although my current spat with Lloyds TSB bank is an exception to the rule and currently close to court action.

Hi Dpick I hope you get a better response than mine but don't hold your breath! The latest news in my case is that I sent a non-compliance letter on Friday together with my fee cheque and copy ID (which I did not include the first time). I stated that I authorised them to remove the 'full settlement' credit from my account otherwise I would consider it as part payment towards the full claim. They have ten days left of the original forty to comply before I start court action ... watch this space. Following the recent growth of publicity in the media coupled with a small explosion of companies jumping on the bandwagon to claim expenses for you, I get the feeling that the financial institutions are beginning to struggle with the sheer volume of claims and delays will be inevitable. I am still waiting for a response from my SRA to Halifax credit card, sent at the same time as MBNA, although my third SRA to Lloyds TSB credit card has been received. I was chasing my full settlement cheque at Halifax bank this morning and the beleagured customer relations guy said that they were receiving 300 new claims a day and had a backlog of 1500.

Thanks Cornucopia You have confirmed my suspicions that I am not the only recipient of this annoying treatment! I will push ahead with the non-compliance letter .... Brett48

In response to my letter 1 request for charges info, MBNA have returned my £10 cheque and stated that they have credited my account with an amount as a goodwill gesture in full and final settlement, before I have had a chance to send letter 2! As I have not kept past statements,I have no idea what percentage the settlement amount is in relation to the full charges over the last six years - I suspect less than half. I am committed to reclaiming the charges in full, especially as my son recently received a full settlement from MBNA. My next step would seem to be the DPA Non-Compliance template 1 letter (courtesy of moderator ALANFROMDERBY) as MBNA have replied within the 40 days, with maybe a rider at the end to the effect that I am accepting the credited amount as partial payment. I would welcome any comments from anyone who has had a similar response from MBNA or who can offer alternative next steps. Thanks!

Thanks Jos, I'll bear your offer of help in mind if I hit a sticky patch - so far so good ...

Congratulations to Halifax bank who are first past the post in my reclaim charges sweepstake! At the letter 2 stage, a very nice man from customer relations offered me a partial settlement of £2500 which was met with a swift response of thanks but no thanks from myself. After a quick consultation with higher authorities, he was able to give me a little eXtra and came back with the full settlement of £4200. I have yet to see the colour of their cheque but have been assured that it is in the post. That leaves Halifax credit card, MBNA, Lloyds TSB bank and Lloyds TSB credit card jostling for position to be the next runner home. I am optimistic that Halifax credit card will soon follow with a positive result. This claim is still at the letter 1 stage but I think it is highly likely that the credit card guys will be singing from the same mangled 70s songsheet as their banking brothers. MBNA looks promising too for maybe third place. Again, at letter 1 stage, I am encouraged by the fact that my son recently received a full settlement of £500 in a swift response to letter 2 with no questions asked. So that leaves the dark horse duo of LLoyds TSB bank and Lloyds TSB credit card bringing up the rear at a canter. The former is currently on Letter 3 and looks set to go to the wire, based on the experiences of similar claimants. The upside of course is that I will be able to whack on meaty interest charges to my charges claim of £2800 as the majority of the charges relate to five and six years ago. The latter is still on letter 1 and I have a feeling that it will progress in the same manner as the bank charges with stubborn (and ultimately futile) resistance to the end. Perseverance is the watch word! Some general points : Both Halifax and Lloyds TSB bank accounts are closed. This does not seem to have affected the Halifax claim but Lloyds might take the view that as I am no longer a paid up customer, goodwill gestures may go out the window. On Lloyds TSB bank and all of the credit cards, I am on a goodwill repayment plan arranged through a third party charity. These arrangements have not been affected as yet but it is possible that in the future some of the companies could retaliate by terminating the arrangement and passing my account to a debt collection agency. There has been a good deal of interest in the media recently over the reclaim of bank and credit card charges. My view is that on the positive side, the banks and credit card companies may be more inclined to settle early when they are swamped with new claims without the required infrastructure in place deal with them all. On the negative side, the processing of existing claims could be subject to significant delays. Another negative aspect, I recently noticed the first advertisement by a company offering to do the claim process for you with a lucrative cut of 25% of the settlement figure - let's hope this does not mirror the endowment claims scenario with unscrupulous companies jumping on the bandwagon for a fast buck. And finally, let's hear it for my new bank, NatWest, who despite being given numerous opportunities to bounce direct debits etc and slap on associated charges, have so far resisted the temptation to do so. Whether this reticence stems from the premium grade of my account where they hit me with a monthly fee for a host of dubious benefits I am never likely to take up, or they have wised up to the fact that I could claim the charges straight back, or maybe it is some computer malfunction. Whatever the reason, it is a pleasant change from my previous banking experiences. Watch this space for progress updates ......