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Well, over two days we've left no less than five messages for Gavin Theobald, who once was on another call, once at lunch, once in a meeting, and twice has gone home for the day. All with a contact number, all with account details, and not a single call back. It strikes me that either Gavin Theobald is the hardest-working man in the company, or anyone asking for him is automatically marked out as a PITA and directed straight to the fob-off department. Prelim with additional ranting going out in the morning - let's see how fast they reply when they see we're going for the charges plus contractual interest... Lucy.

I got back from the cinema with our daughter earlier this year to find a letter from Drakes hanging out the letterbox demanding £609 for an unpaid parking fine and a handwritten bit on the bottom saying that a locksmith has been contacted & was en route. My bloke is on a DMP with CCCS now but wasn't at the time, and went through a long period of head-in-sand regarding debts, so I had a complete fit and rang up and paid it in full on my bank card, as I didn't think it was beyond the realms of possibility that he had 'forgotten' about it & I was absolutely horrified at the thought of someone cracking into our house and helping themselves. Now I'm a little bit more savvy, I realise that Drakes couldn't possibly have contacted a locksmith, and that they deliberately misrepresented how much power they have - not to mention the whole thing hanging out of the front door where anyone could have seen it - and the fact that the amount clearly bears no relation to the original amount of the fine...don't know what the real figure is yet but feel £600 is optimistic in anyone's book. Sorry - this has turned into a bit of a long one! Basically I wanted to know if anyone has whacked Drakes with a SAR after completely settling with them - what the outcome was, and if anyone has gone after them for seemingly inflated fees levied - as if I've got a leg to stand on, I'd love to give them a run for their money. They scared the pants off me at a time when I was feeling incredibly vulnerable & it'd be nice to have a crack at evening the score. Thanks for reading this far, Lucy.

SAR went off on this one on the 17th Oct and was acknowledged on the 24th - this morning we've received statements, the return of the SAR cheque and a goodwill offer of £295 - woo! Nice to see they're taking it seriously (and nice to get the SAR cheque back at this stage - bless!) - full charges total is £575, and I'm biting the bullet and going after contractual interest on this one. Have fully instructed the bloke (another of his accounts) and he'll be giving Gavin Theobald a ring to try and jolly this along - it'd be lovely to not have to take one of these to the wire! The only sticking point at the moment seems to be that MBNA want to pay the refund directly to the DCA managing the debt, whereas we need it back directly so it can be divided equally among creditors by CCCS. Will be attempting to point this out later & stressing that we're sure DLC would appreciate the same courtesy when it comes to the application of further bank charge repayments - they didn't seem to mind when the Halifax refund money arrived! I know there's been some discussion on this already (payment method), so will update how we get on - and if all else fails the Prelim plus contractual is ready to roll and will be hitting the post later this afternoon. Lucy.

LBA went off on the 25th Oct & was very promptly delivered on the 26th - as they're still opting for the 'if we ignore her, perhaps she'll go away' strategy and I haven't heard a peep back, I've finally filed with MCOL today for £1438 plus £392.49 in interest at 8% plus the £120 court fee. Total claim amount £1950.49. Will drop a mod a line with the claim details in due course. Lucy.

LBA dispatched on the 8th and was v. promptly delivered to Cap One on the 9th Nov., and a desultory - oops, I meant 'goodwill' - offer of £136 received this morning. As with other threads I've read, they've offered the difference between the original charges of £20 and the £12 default fees 'the OFT believes are likely to be fair'. Bless. So, will be sending the 'thanks but I'll still be going after the rest' letter off this afternoon (not that I expect anything back before in the meantime, but must think positive!), and then it looks rather like I'll be off chez MCOL again... Lucy.

Hey up there! Capital One gets the S.A.R. - once they've paid up, it's up to you to approach the DCA with a settlement - or not... Lucy.

Drop a PM to a Mod and they'll move you into the smug club! Lucy.

Prelim sent for £340 on 25th - I chickened out on the CI in the end, but am spending all my spare time reading up on it for the next one (look out MBNA - heh!) Lucy.

Yes indeed Koko - and thanks everso Zoot! Ian - well done to you, v. useful thread - let's hope the process is as swift for the rest of us! Lucy.

Hi Koko, Found you at last! I've had to put letter-writing on hold this week (ah, the joys of half-term!), but will be cracking on this week. Off to find a mod now and see if they can move my Lloyds thread into this forum! All the best, Lucy.

Received a letter yesterday thanking me for my request for a list of transactions and charges and confirming they had been ordered and would be sent out under separate cover...a mere month and a day after they cashed the cheque for same! They're really going to have to pull their fingers out now to get it to me before the 40 day deadline - already have a Data Protection Act non-compliance letter printed out and ready to roll! Lucy.

Give MCOL a ring to advise it's been settled - if the case was in your son's name, they'll want to speak to him to confirm, took all of a minute in our case! Well done on getting the cash back - it's a great feeling, isn't it? Lucy.

Excellent news, well done Tina - turned out nice again, eh? Lucy.

I just received my statements with 10 days left to run before the compliance deadline of the 31st Oct - if your deadline is the 2nd Nov, I'd maybe give them another couple of days yet. Lucy.