I have sent the preliminary letter to the relevant party and have had the standard response. I then sent the LBA giving them the standard 14 days.
End of the 14 days was on Monday 19 June 2006. I have only just had a response from member relations manager Helen Savage which reads:
"Your complaint has been sent to me by Tina Hiscocks, Team Manager, Member Account Servicing. I've only just received the papers and will be reviewing them as soon as possible. Once I haved finished, I'll write to you with my findings.
The Financial Services Authority allows us 8 weeks to investigate before you have the right to ask the Financial Ombudsman to review your case. This ends on the 19 July 2006. If for any reason we can't send a full response by then, we'll write and explain why."
Do I plough ahead and issue the court summons anyway? 14 days is most definately up and I have carried out everything suggested, to the letter.
Following telephone conversations, when I could get through, it appears that most of the employees are sympathetic and against the charges!
I was completely stuffed when an unscrupulous employer failed to pay me on time. Charges were applied and my £1000 overdraft very quickly became a £2400 reducing overdraft, which now stands at £1930, going in the right direction!! What really annoys me is that despite having explained every movement in and out of my account and probably having spent well in excess of £100 in telephone calls, "The computer says NO!" The human face of banking has disappeared completely.
I have activately a parachute account and am having my salary paid into that one now. If it weren't for the charges, I would be in credit now and staying there, having changed employer and payment method. But I suppose we all would!!
Good luck everyone, may the Force be with you!!!!!