Looking at a Halifax acceptance today I noticed the following: "we accept offer of.....from Halifax in full and final settlement of my/our complaint regarding bank charges on my/our Halifax accounts." The word "accounts" is, very obviously, in the plural. My question is this. If you had 2 Halifax accounts and made 2 complaints. If you settled on the first and signed an acceptance containing the above phrase. Have you just shot yourself in the foot?

Good Luck!

It may also have something to do with getting acceptance from both parties so that no second complaint is attempted....?

One party can complain on behalf of a joint account. Some banks will ask for both signatures when accepting offers.

T4FF - there's some info on here about court appointed receivers. http://www.dca.gov.uk/civil/procrules_fin/contents/practice_directions/pd_part69.htm#IDA5B45E

Martin - thanks for your comments. I can certainly see the logic in that.

HSBCrusher - are we talking about the same court? Seeing that I regularly get on my high-horse about poor information I feel obliged to re-qualify my statement. I will post tomorrow. How would I find Hagen? I haven't quite got to grips with how to contact people directly yet, thanks.

DevonShrimper - whilst I like your style I don't know what good it would do. We are mis-led by the press and TV every day of the year. I remember Walter Merricks (the Chief Ombudsman) talking on Watchdog telling people not to seek professional advice when claiming for mis-sold endowments because there was a "perfectly good claims process put in place by the FSA". If you had spoken to half the people I have over the years who had tried and failed you would know he was simply towing the party line. If he can do it on national TV, anyone can.

Yep, I heard it from the horse's mouth. These were cases where no schedules had been attached, instead claimants had attached copy statements. The court is pushed as it is and had no time to process all that paperwork. Clearly these people had not been on the CAG!!!

Save yourself the cost of a stamp (you can still record freepost deliveries). Barclays Bank plc 1 Churchill Place FREEPOST RTLA-CSUE-TCHC London E14 5HP

Mark - ML has a lot to be congratulated for but there has been a considerable amount of hot air over the past few days. We're in an arena where knowledge and fact are king. This is no place for innacurate or mis-leading reporting.

14 full days (from date of receipt) _ I'd file on the 9th March if I were you.

I wouldn't call that 1:1. I'm sure you got more out of Lloyds than your court fee....

John - PPI claims are very different as they depend on your personal circumstances at the time of taking out a policy and the way it was sold to you.Whilst the legal aspect still falls under the heading of "contract law" PPI cases are "mis-selling" cases and the crux is whether or not you were "mis-sold". Have a nose at the PPI threads and shout if you need help. There's always some one out there with an answer to your questions. Good luck.

Yes you can. Go for it.

Forget MSE - CAG is the way forward. And for the record, there are cases being won every day with contractual interest added. In my experience this adds 50-80% to the value of claims but is CONSIDERABLY more complicated to present. In my professional opinion (and it is only that) if you are going to add contractual interest I would not charge the 8% CCA on top. Interest on interest could be seen as taking the pith somewhat. Angel - there are companies out there who can help. I would love to suggest one but this is not the place to do that. If you do choose to go 3rd party. Please ensure that the company you use is registered at the ICO (Information Commissioners Office) as they will be handling some very sensitive information. Also, ensure that you use a company that is regulated by the DCA (Dept of Constitutional Affairs) under The Compensation Act 2006. As of May 2007 it will be a CRIMINAL offence to offer a no win no fee service unless you are regulated. It would appear that a large chunk of the people offering this service are blissfully unaware that regulation is coming and WILL NOT be allowed to maintain clients after the May deadline. There are going to be alot of people let down with a bump.....

Consider yourself bumped!

Please excuse my ignorance but what is a bump?

Phoenix - whilst I love a good gag Martin is in the process of creating a monster (along with all the other so-called consumer campaigns in the broadsheets). I was speaking to a contact at my local county court last thursday and over 100 cases got thrown out on that day alone. With an average fee being £100 that's £10k in lost court fees and I'm sure that story is the same in court houses across the land. His behaviour is the height of irresponsibility and with the lack of support during the claims process him and his cronies are going to cost consumers millions in lost fees in the coming months. Have you actually seen the letters people are suggesting you download and send? They are laughable at best. Any bank seeing them will doubtlessly treat the claimant in a different way. I've seen it happen on endowments. The Mail put a letter on the net to complain about the mis-sale of endowments. 800,000 people downloaded it and got nowhere which, under the circumstances, was dreadfull because you only got one bite at that cherry. I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again. This is not a game. I think we will see this problem escalate in the coming months and I fear that Mr L may soon be getting a rather nasty bite in the arse. You reap what you sow.....

Please excuse my bluntness but Mr L is talking cr*p. He is a journalist, not a lawyer, and we all know that you can't believe everything you read in the press. The only way this train is stopping is if a precedent is set in a court of law which would involve the banks justifying their charges in front of a judge. The only reason I can see for getting your case in early is to be in front of the person who has been incited by Mr L to drop his broom and sue his bank who then ends up in a court of law, and loses. I'll take my advice from the CAG thank you, not some jumped-up psuedo celeb who is lining his pockets from TV appearances.

D v G - how right you are. The ERC (Early Redemption Charge) issue is a very hot topic at the moment. The moderators have suggested that no one continues with their claims for the time being, this is because a couple of members lost in court recently and ended up with some sizeable court costs awarded against them. However, I believe they were lost battles and the war still goes on....Mortgage companies are all too familiar with litigation (considerably more so than banks) so they are much better prepared to fight these cases. Can I suggest you keep an eye on the site in the coming months, there are people out there still fighting and there is still some light at the end of the tunnel.

Davecool - make sure you're accurate in future. Mistakes can be costly in this game. Read all letters thoroughly (they're mostly hot air) and ensure all correspondance from you is accurate & complete. If you follow those simple rules of thumb and the guidance on the site you'll be fine. Good luck.

Nattie - if you need some help with particular banks please PM me. The chances are I will have what you need.

Wez - wise words. The FOS's decision is truly a milestone but you are right in what you say. A position of strength is vital. Do you have a link to this Halifax case? I'd be very interested to learn more...