This is to whomever made the unfounded comments regarding the FOS. I can assure you categorically that the Financial Ombudsman Service is there to help people with regard to problems relating to financial institutions and their financial commitments with them. Your comments of, "for the best part, don't bother" is disgraceful. In the eighteen years my firm has been trading I have always used the FOS for back-up while in the process of getting a clients financial affairs sorted out. The reason they take time to answer and deal with consumers problems is purely because they are inundated with thousands of complaints on a daily basis from people who are having difficulty in communicating with their creditors. Once a case worker is assigned and then an Adjudicator it's plain sailing all the way. I know for a fact that staff within the FOS work until 11pm nearly every night in their quest to help people with their complaints. Can you say the same????????? I think not. You are probably sat in front of your TV with a can in one hand and a cigarette in the other watching either football or your favourite movie.

Dear dpac123 I am very sorry that you are experiencing problems with MBNA. As I explained previously, I have just been locked in a battle with MBNA for the past seven months on behalf of a client and they tried everything to put the onus on my client. Having sent them a copy of my clients expenditure details FIVE TIMES which they denied, I then sent it by fax THREE TIMES which they again denied. They even had the audacity to state that the fax numbers I had did not exist within MBNA. So, I contacted BT who confirmed that the telephone numbers WERE indeed MBNA's then I photographed the fax transmission details with my camera straight from the fax itself. I then sent all this information to the FOS who forwarded it to MBNA who had no choice but to give in. They ended up having to refund nearly £1,200 in interest and charges plus they also paid my client compensation. A short while ago I posted up details where I recommended to everyone who had a dispute with MBNA to 'club together' and issue a law suit against them. I understand this is now being done. Please do not let them get away with their bullying tactics. You say they phoned you at work? That is tantamount to intimidation and harassment which IS against the law and unless to bring it to the attention of people like the Financial Ombudsman Service or indeed someone within the government itself organisations like MBNA will continue to frighten people into paying them huge amounts of money they don't even owe. Please contact the FOS or go online and download their complaint form. Send it to them with as much information as possible and I promise you they will bring MBNA to task as they did in my clients case. I wish to you all the best and I hope you nail MBNA against the wall because that's exactly what they deserve. Kind regards SENIOR CONSULTANT

Dear angel x A CCJ most definitely has to be obtained by the said company BEFORE they can place any charging order on your property. This kind of tact is usually employed to scare the pants off people so don't be swayed. I cannot recommend the Financial Ombudsmand Services enough. They are fantastic. Contact them now online and download their complaint form, print it off and send - that's it. A short while later you'll receive an acknowledment of receipt and then your complaint will be allocated to a caseworker who in turn, will then pass it to an adjudicator and that's when the fun starts. You may well receive demand after demand but once the FOS are involved the company in question is soon brought to heel. Good luck. SENIOR CONSULTANT

Report These People To The Office Of Fair Trading And Also Contact The Financial Ombudsman Service And Ask If The 'financial' Side Of Marlin Is Covered By Them. Senior Consultant

Dreadful grammar on my part, there 'ARE' (not is) no spaces etc. Sorry about that been working very hard today and only just finished dealing with people like Marlin. Regards SENIOR CONSULTANT

Dear FBR Sorry about that I was getting so excited I hit the wrong key. So, to continue 1. post a note asking everyone involved in a battle with MBNA if they are interested in taking MBNA to the cleaners via a court case. 2. you need at least 50-75 - or more would be much, much better. 3. each person needs to know EXACTLY how much they owe MBNA and I don't mean what MBNA tells them they owe. 4. once you have each figure from each person you then add it all up. This final figure will be the amount that you would be suing MBNA for. 5. you then find a court on neutral ground but convenient enough for EVERYONE. You could of course, take your case to the High Courts in The Strand, central London. 6. contact the court and ask them how much it will cost to issue proceedings against MBNA giving them the figure from No.4 above. 7. once you get the amount, then dependent on how many people are involved you divide the fee required between those people and that's the amount each person will have to pay to make up the amount required by the court. 8. you MUST put together a 'CLAIM' and by that I mean that every person must submit a file of papers pertaining to the actual complaint they have with MBNA. Once that's done then you are ready to commence proceedings It sounds like a lot of work and it most certainly is BUT if you think you can't be bothered with all that then you'll have to either pay MBNA what they're asking for, have your name placed on the Default Register, be bullied by Debt Colectors, receive a Charging Order on your property or have your chattels seized by brutal and ruthless Bailiffs who will be happy to leave you with absolutely nothing. It's your choice. Personally, I would take MBNA to court and wipe the bloody floor with them. If you need any further assistance or help, please let me know. SENIOR CONSULTANT your

Dear FBR Thank goodness someone is listening to me at last. I advised angmarie and everyone else 'out there' to take MBNA to court. What you need do is:- 1.

Dear Angmarie Just one more thing my dear. Dependent on how much you owe MBNA will influence any repayment plan they have/are offering. With regard to your statements? Yes, it IS your responsibility to keep them. However, it depends on how you made your payments. If they were paid by direct debit then contact your bank and get copies of statements from them and then you won't need the statements from MBNA. If you want help in wording the letter of complaint to MBNA please let me know and I'll post it for you here. Finally, did you know that once you've filed a complaint with a governing body such as the Financial Ombudsman Service that if debt collectors visit your premises all you need do is show them the letter from the Ombudsman and they cannot touch a thing or demand any money from you. Not many people know this. The LAW is there to protect you - remember that. SENIOR CONSULTANT

Dear Angmarie Forget what you've heard or been told my dear. As I told you in my last message I have been locked in a six month battle with MBNA and I've just finally won the day with the help of the Financial Ombudsman Service. When you file a claim with the FOS for obvious reasons you send the complaint form by recorded delivery. Wait until you get a confirmation letter from them which will contain a reference number. Then, you send a copy of that letter with an accompanying letter to MBNA AGAIN BY RECORDED DELIVERY, informing them that you have filed a complaint with the FOS who are now dealing with your complaint. Once you have done this, MBNA have to 'hold' all/any further action until your complaint has been dealt with by the Ombudsman. If they fail to do this you contact the FOS and inform them that MBNA will not cease sending you demands for payments etc. The FOS will then contact MBNA and tell them to back-off. With regard to your credit rating? Providing you can show there IS a dispute with MBNA and that you've filed a complaint with the FOS against them then your credit rating will be safe BUT, you absolutely MUST keep copies OF EVERYTHING and I mean EVERYTHING AND SEND ALL/ANY DOCUMENTS BY RECORDED DELIVERY every time. My client was threatened with debt recovery, debt collectors, charging orders on her house and even garnishing her wages but every time a letter was received from MBNA I promptly sent it to the FOS who contacted MBNA until in the end they rolled over and had no choice but to remove all their charges and interest and also pay compensation. I know you're worried - who wouldn't be, but you simply must stand your ground. Getting your name removed from the default register even if it is put there by MBNA will be much easier if you have all documentation showing proof that you and the FOS have been battling to get your complaint sorted out. MBNA bank on people like you giving in and paying whatever they say you owe. They threaten to ruin your credit which obviously frightens the living daylights out of people who then pay MBNA what they want. It's tantamount to extortion, blackmail, intimidation and harrasment and believe me Courts do not take kindly to that kind of thing going on. If everybody experiencing problems with MBNA were to file their complaints with the FOS, taking into account that you must allow MBNA 'eight weeks' first to deal with your complaint, then trust me after receiving so many complaints from consumers they would then have no alternative but to bring it to the attention of the CEO and other top officials at MBNA in order to stamp out their unlawful business practises. I hope this clarifies your position more clearly for you. Kind regards SENIOR CONSULTANT

Dear Angmarie Having just been locked in a battle with MBNA for the past six months regarding one of my clients I can honestly say there is one sure fire way of bringing MBNA to task and that is to file a formal complaint with the Financial Ombudsman Service. As long as you have documented proof of intimidation, bullying and harassment from MBNA then you've won already. By them continuing to send demands for payments, threatening you with court action or debt collectors etc, not to mention the sneaky underhanded telephone calls, then you have them by their proverbials. You have to be prepared to go the whole hog because they are relentless in their quest to get money out of you whether it's the lawful amount or not. Do you have any friends that can set up some kinf of recording device so that you can record calls you get from them? You absolutely MUST keep all records of letters they send you or you send them. If you haven't got a fax machine find a shop or office near where to live who do but each time you send a fax get the transmission report which shows date, telephone number and all other information as proof of your contact with them. You could try to see if you can appeal to their human side although I've not come across it in six months myself. You could try a last ditch attempt before contacting the FOS by writing to:- Gavin Theobald MBNA Chester Business Park Chester CH4 9FD and see if you get any joy from him. Failing that send your full complaint to the FOS they are brilliant and it will ease the stress and worry that MBNA seem to enjoy inflicting on people. Of course, you and all you other poor people out there that have been and still are being fleeced by MBNA could always club together and issue a major law suit against them? It's worth a thought. Regards SENIOR CONSULTANT

Sorry to disappoint you but Shane Flynn is no longer Head of MBNA. SENIOR CONSULTANT