This topic was closed on 10 March 2019. If you have a problem which is similar to the issues raised in this topic, then please start a new thread and you will get help and support there. If you would like to post up some information which is relevant to this particular topic then please flag the issue up to the site team and the thread will be reopened. - Consumer Action Group

This topic was closed on 10 March 2019. If you have a problem which is similar to the issues raised in this topic, then please start a new thread and you will get help and support there. If you would like to post up some information which is relevant to this particular topic then please flag the issue up to the site team and the thread will be reopened. - Consumer Action Group

Without being too specific about this case, I can advise as follows: I sent just one initial letter - as described above, and was happy just to let them process my claim at their own speed (albeit slowly) My original letter was sent to the Woolwich, was passed to Barclays, and I received regular updates as to the status of their investigations, none of which required a further respons from me. I'm guessing that this is a real issue for them at the moment - these departments will be busy with hundreds if not thousands of claims like this, due to the publicity that campaigns like this have enjoyed. Of course, I could have gone in harder - demanded settlement in accordance with the time frame I laid out in my original letter, and threatening imminent action if my demands were not met. However, I feared that an approach like that would have been met with a "quick-fix" offer of £600 or so, which would have required much more effort on my part to get from that position to situation I have today. To clarify, I chose to view their updates as an indication of a full and thorough review of my complaint, rather than a delaying tactic. Patience is a virtue.

see below

Please be advised that I have today accepted full settlement, and will make my donation to this site as soon as funds are a cleared effect in my account. Thank you - for those of you just starting, stick with it.

I have heard nothing since a courtesy letter from Mike Brophy advising me that they are looking into this (10 days ago). I originally asked for my money back on the 6th June - giving the standard 14 days. I then received a letter from the woolwich saying this had been passed to Barclays. advice...

Got this today - what now? 19 June I write urther to our letter of 7 June 2006 (which I have not received) I am writing to advise you that your complaint has been passed to our head office who will contact you shortly. They can be contacted by writing to:- Barclays Head Office Customer Relations Floor 10 1 Churchill Place London E14 5HP If you remain dissatisfied you may ultimately be able to take your complaint to the independent Financial Ombudsman Service. The leaflet sent with our previous letter explains how we deal with complaints and provides details regarding the Financial Ombudsman Service. If I do not hear from you within eight weeks from the date of this letter I will close my complaint in accordance with our usual practice.

OK, I sent my request for a refund on the 6th - should I have heard something by now...?

Would this work with Renault Finance? I have a 3 year Lease rental with them, They charge exhorbitent penalty rates- I have been unfortunate enough to be clobbered with about £600 in charges, for paying late on three occasions.

OK, I got my list of charges on the 17th May, this is for a 3 year period since I have held this account. When I requested a list of charges, I supplied no fee - I thought this may work in my favour if this ever goes to court - as a personal list of fees is definately the result of Manual Intervention, which seems to have cost them nothing - as a bonus it took only 2 days to arrive. Here is the letter I have sent - it is a little different to the library copy. Dear Ms Brittain, Thank you for providing a list of charges, which I received on 17th May 2006, courtesy of your letter ref: LxxxxxxxxxZ I now understand that the regime of "fees" which you have been applying to my account in relation to Direct Debit refusals, exceeding overdraft limits and so forth, are unlawful at Common Law, Statute and recent Consumer regulations. The law states that you may impose a charge to cover your cost. On 5th April 2006, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) concluded that default charges over £12 are automatically presumed to be unfair in terms of the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contract Regulations. Unfair terms are legally unenforceable. I would draw your attention to the terms of the contract, which you agreed to at the time that I opened my account. It is an implied term of that contract that you would conduct yourselves lawfully and in a manner which complies with UK law. Additionally, you subscribe to the Banking Code, which sates that you have a responsibility to aid customers in financial difficulty. I have perceived no "aid" in the fact that you have charged me an average in excess of £175 of taxed money each month for the past year - notwithstanding the amounts you have charged in previous years. The effect of the accumulation of these charges is directly responsible for the conditions that led me to incur subsequent charges. I am frankly shocked that you have operated my account in this way, as I have always reposed confidence in your integrity and expertise as my fiduciary. I calculate that you have taken £3,350 plus £16.61 which you have charged me in interest for the sum which you have taken. Total £3,366.61 I require repayment in full of this money. If you do not comply within 14 days then I shall begin a claim against you for the full amount plus interest at 8% plus my costs and without further notice. Furthermore, i shall submit a consumer Credit Act 1974 complaint to the OFT upon the basis that you have failed to comply with the OFT direction of 5th April 2006 and are therefore not a 'fit and proper person' to hold a consumer credit licence under the 1974 Act. If you do not understand what this means then please seek advice from your legal department. I will keep you posted and pledge to provide 5% of my reclaimed losses to this good site - without which I would not have done what I did today.

OK, earlier this week I sent your standard letter requesting details of their charges (no £10 included) to the woolwich. I got a reply today (2 days later) and I have been charged £3,350 + OD interest of £16.61. I am sending a letter requesting a refund on 18/05. wish me luck - I will keep you posted, if you can give me a timeline of what is to come...

Thank you, Bearing in mind I applied for my statement of charges today, what sort of time-frame is likely before a refund? I note that the statistics indicate that the Woolwich pay out after stage 2. - is that 3 months? more/ less? I appreciate each claim may be treated differently, just wanted to get a ballpark idea of what lies ahead.

Could someone please explain to me what Manual Intervention is? I have seen it referred to a lot on this site, but don't know what it means. I have just sent a request to the Woolwich for details of the last 6 years charges - it's been a shade over £2k in the past 12 months, I expect it will be in the region of £4k in total