Hi Lucid/Mindzai I am struggling over the interest colums on the right hand side. The interest I am charged is displayed on my statements at the end of every month (ie 30th or 31st). The amount of interest charged for exceeding the overdraft limit is calculated on the total amount of the overdraft (not just the overdrawn amount) and £100 is interest free if you don't exceed limit. How can I calculate the portion of the interest that is due enirely to the penalty charges alone? Breezy Breezy v Halifax Bank Accounts Breezy v Halifax Card Servicesl

Hi Lucid/Mindzai I am struggling over the interest colums on the right hand side. The interest I am charged is displayed on my statements at the end of every month (ie 30th or 31st). The amount of interest charged for exceeding the overdraft limit is calculated on the total amount of the overdraft (not just the overdrawn amount) and £100 is interest free if you don't exceed limit. How can I calculate the portion of the interest that is due enirely to the penalty charges alone?

Unfortunately, if you are close to your limit, I think it is pretty standard anyway not to renew and if you get the charges back, you could put it towards the outstanding balance. I know it takes a long time to reduce, but the options are applying for a card elsewhere (and possibly build up more debt) or sticking with it and at least you still retain the account even if your card isn't renewed at this moment in time. Let me know how you get on with this. Regarding my Visa card, I received a letter today quoting all the usual garbage about their charging policy etc and then making a minute offer (1/6 of the total I am claiming) which I am going to decline. As they have made an offer of some sort, I have decided not to go ahead with court yet and give them one more chance accepting it as part payment only. Breezy Breezy v Halifax Bank Accounts Breezy v Halifax Card Servicesl

Thanks Texel. Yes I have already sent LBA and the deadline expired at Easter - see post above replying to Michael. I will definitely require your help so don't go on holiday!!!!

Thanks Michael. The prelim and LBA letters I sent weren't from the CAG site. At the time I was writing them I felt the CAG ones were too indepth for initial letters therefore adapted ones on the MSE site which are fairly succinct. Now I've been converted to CAG (do I need to be baptised ) I'm wondering whether I should have included more in my letters such as referring to terms of the contract, Consumer Credit Acts etc and more importantly asking them to provide breakdown of their charges etc I'm wondering whether to include some of this information into Letter No 4 of Rejecting Offers templates and it can be one final attempt at settlement before commencing court proceedings. What do you think?

Progress to date: March 07 - sent Prelim and LBA letters to Halifax, Fife in relation to late payment fees for credit card for a total of just over £600 (excluding interest). Only received one acknowledgment letter saying we will respond in 4 weeks etc. April 07 Today received letter from Complaints team outlining charging policy and all the costs they incur for 'administering your account' (oh dear). Makes reference to T&Cs etc ...and OFT report saying they have already reduced its card default fees to £12 but they don't support all of OFT's findings and in view of this you are not entitled to a refund of the charges. Then, they go on to say, I am prepared to make you an offer of .... wait for it .....£100 "which represents 12 months total charges applied to your account" In effect this 'offer' only actually seems to represent either: a) the last four late payment charges of £25 each ie before £12 fee came into effect (and ignores the next four charges of £12) or b) Has decided £12 fee is fair so has only made an offer to refund any charge above that amount. My last 12 months total charges add up to £248 and if you deduct 12 x payments of £12 (£144) from £248 they should have refunded £104. :confused: Either way their 'sums' do not appear to add up Obviously I am not happy and will be rejecting the offer but will accept as part payment but need to consider what to put in my response letter.

Shelly, how have you got on with Halifax Card Services - any further development? Breezy Breezy v Halifax

Hi Wilkins Were you claiming late payment fees on your card and if so, did you also claim for interest at the statutory rate? Breezy Breezy v Halifax

Hi Tanz, I nipped over to have a read through your threads but noticed you have quite a few!!! Which claim is the one you refer to above? Breezy Breezy v Halifax

Trevor, can I ask how you arrive at the 100 x - in your case, 0.32p. I thought you could only claim back what you actually paid? Breezy Breezy v Halifax

No problem, just relieved you don't think I was prying into your own life - which I wouldn't even contemplate. Regarding barrister, I may wake up tomorrow morning and have a totally different view. I am a woman and change like the weather!!! I may post tomorrow and thereagain I may not, who knows....

[quote=calvi36;716664 I know it is usually written in CAPs but it was the tone Calvi, I wasn't referring to your particular circumstances, I wouldn't even go there. I was referring to the topic of the thread ie the barrister in question. I think there is more to his case than has been revealed. I'm sorry if you read it to mean i was referring to you - I guess I didn't make it clear in my post. Breezy Breezy v Halifax

Firstly, you appear to be 'shouting' at us in anger and that doesn't bode well for a debate. Secondly, from what you have just written, I have just discovered your background (regarding your wife/children) that I didn't know before and was shocked by what you wrote and cannot begin to imagine what it must have been like and probably still is. Thirdly, you must accept different people hold different views. Just because we don't hold the same view as yourself, doesn't mean yours or mine/ours is any less worthy. I think we all have an opinion concerning our own particular bank and the banks in general, regarding bank charges, and would say that for the majority they happen when your circumstances are at their most dire (financial or emotional or both) and it snowballs etc etc I can't imagine anyone on this forum wanting the banks to win in any way as we are all here for a common purpose and been affected by them ruining us financially and emotionally, though not to the extent you have suffered. That said, I still think, until proven otherwise (as I would be more than happy to be) that there is more to this case than has been revealed.

Thanks Bong (was hoping you would reply ) Crikey, when I complete the spreadsheet tomorrow (too tired now to stare at figures and columns) I dread to think what the interest is going to come to (new kitchen extension, sports car???) Back to reality, if you do manage to find answer to Q2 it would really help as once I've completed this task tomorrow and amalgamated all the charges (6 years + pre-6 years) into one spreadsheet, it's obviously going to determine what my next move is. I guess I may have to forget about contractual interest if it's not going to be a viable option but we'll see. Breezy Breezy v Halifax

Doesn't seem right to me either, especially after reading Advot8's posts on the other thread that is going on this particular topic. It is difficult not to be sceptical about a newly qualified barrister saying that "It's the principal of it .....I think about all the other people in this situation .....". Why????? Breezy Breezy v Halifax

Would someone be able to have a look at my thread (#3) and answer my query in relation to CI please. Many thanks __________________ Breezy Breezy v Halifax

Re: Contractual Interest I am currently completing Mindzai's spreadsheet to calculate contractual Interest of 28.8% at the unauthorised rate, for charges between 1995-2000. I am only halfway through adding in the interest columns/balance on the right hand side and the total of the interest is already over £6,500 for charges total of just under £1,000!!! For example: June 1995 - £2.50 charge - £46.83 Com Int = £49.33 total May 1997 - £20.00 charge - £222.73 Com Int = £242.73 total As I am going to be adding this period of charges ie pre 6 years (in an amended letter) to my present claim of £1900 making the total of the charges less than £3,000, I have a couple of questions: 1. Have I gone horribly wrong somewhere in the spreadsheet to get such a figure for interest or am I interpreting it incorrectly (probably)? 2. The interest is going to be phenomenal and added to the total of my charges will obviously exceed the £5,000 for small claims. Do we have a definitive answer on whether contractual interest is/isn't included as part of the claim and therefore a factor in deciding whether it is small claims or not? Appreciate any help.

We can assume that if we post a 'normal' 1st class letter that it will be received within 2/3 days but if we opt for the premier delivery service of SD, then we should expect to receive confirmation of date, time and be able to view the signature - as they market on their website. Unfortunately our experiences of SD have proven that they have not given us anything more than if we had sent by 1st class post for 32p.

I am going through exactly the same thing. Yes it is very annoying when it says you can now view your epod and when you click on it, another message tells you, sorry an epod is not available for this item!!! Like you say what have we paid £4.10 for exactly? I did ring them up and the guy managed to give an exact time rather than 'it was delivered before the guaranteed time' as it says on the trackntrace but didn't have view of the signature and told me it will take 5+ days to investigate. Perhaps we should send a complaint letter to the Royal Mail via Special Delivery to demonstrate our point.

Or maybe as he said in the radio interview, he is pursuing it for the principle (and for other people in this situation) and in rejecting the offer and arguing exemplary damages, he will attempt to force the bank to disclose their charges.

Hi Bong, There doesn't seem to be any mention of the total amount he is trying to claim unless anyone can enlighten us. Even though he rejected the £4,000, I read it to be he was more interested in the principle of forcing the bank to declare the charges rather than the amount. In the BBC article it refers to 'substantial level of damages' in relation to 'exemplary damages' so I'm wondering what 'substantial' would be in monetary terms. Also, as he is going to CC this Friday, if the judge grants permission, would it be the cost element or the tack he is using that would determine which court it goes to next?

Well this is a quick update. Just received post this morning and another letter from Halifax Leeds saying they are still investigating complaint but will reply asap. They had sent this letter to my previous address despite their first acknowledgment letter coming to my current address :idea: Also noticed the letter is not on actual letterheaded paper but a black and white photocopied sheet of very thin paper, so checked my first letter and that too is printed onto a photocopy of a letterhead. Surely all these claims can't have resulted in them having run out of paper

Hi all I've been reading this forum for a few weeks now and thought it's about time I started my own thread. I am attempting to reclaim charges for two accounts with the Halifax and have so far just received the standard acknowledment letters stating they have 8 weeks etc etc. I have sent off my LBA letters for both and the deadline is nearly up. Guess it gets very scary from now! Will keep you all posted.

Enaid, judging from the interview with Paul Lewis, I think Friday's court appearance is just to apply to the judge for permission to sue the bank for damages and if the judge gives permission for that, the bank will have to come back to court for another hearing where they will have to jusify their charges. I wouldn't imagine it would be a higher court as the County Courts are for small claims and his claim is under £5,000.

As the case is being heard in the County Court, no precedents can be set anyway as I understand so whatever this particular judge decides, does not necessarily mean another judge in another court will take the same view on what is a 'fair' charge. However, the publicity, especially if he wins, will be unprecedented I imagine. I hope Friday 13th (court date) will be lucky for the barrister!