Hello all In the Autumn of 2017 I moved into a new property. Both Gas and Electricity were provided by Npower on a PostPay meter. I immediately contacted them to advise them who I was and they set up new accounts for the property in my name. I then went to a comparison website and ended up switching both fuels to Iresa. Npower did not object to the Gas being switched but did initially object to the Electricity being switched. I contacted Npower who said that they no longer objected and Iresa should apply for the transfer. I subsequently received final bills from Npower which I promptly paid and closure of the accounts and commenced paying Iresa by monthly Direct Debit. I continued to receive bills for Electricity from Npower, some were issued and cancelled and they appeared to have some confusion, then re-issued with different amounts. I ignored the lot. However, it got to the point where Npower were threatening action including adverse credit reports. I wrote a letter of complaint and this was duly investigated, if that is the right word. Npower claimed that Iresa had not requested that the electricity be switched over the second time and that I was still liable for it. To complicate matters Iresa has gone bust and the new supplier is busy absorbing the accounts into their own operation. I believe having contracted with Iresa, paid my final bill with Npower and been notified of account closure by Npower that I owe them nothing. This is currently out with Face2Face, their field agents which is likely the last debt collection action before an application for Disconnection (or a prepay meter) is made. Anybody got any advice? Thanks in advance for reading and contributing.

HSBC now owns HFC Bank in Brighton. I wrote to HSBC Coventry PPI claims office giving my name, DOB and precise former address, last week, but they replied to say: no records of my account can be found after 32 years, and that they are not legally obliged to retain documents beyond the statutory period if an account was closed. I also opened a Loan Account in Bournemouth and fully repaid around 1983. -- same answer from HSBC: no records. I myself have retained no records whatsoever, but I am absolutely certain I had those accounts, and 70% sure there was PPI as was standard custom in those days. Is this a dead end? Should I invest in £10 requesting a SAR, if so SAR sent to HSBC Coventry or to HFC Bank in Brighton? Later to complain to FOS if we suspect HSBC does have records? Thanks to all for sharing experience.

Hi I have a joint account with Barclays that I opened with my ex. I split up with my ex more than 18 months ago yet she is still refusing to close this account. Help please! My ex claims that she will not be closing the account as she is struggling financially and seems to think no arressment or freezes can be put on a joint account. Since we split there has been 500 loan applications made according to my credit file!!!!!!! Lost and would appreciate any guidance please. Many thanks F

Hello. My account has been under review since 2/1/2019. Everything is blocked. Something has come to light as to why this is. I sold my e-cig vape collection on new years eve over Facebook, the person that bought this off me bank transferred the money which totalled £60. It was a faster payment. On the evening of 2/1/2019 this person told me that his wife had called the bank previously that day and said that he been conned. He told me that his wife made the payment from her account but at first he said it was from his account but that doesn't really matter who's account it was paid from. I had posted his item using a reputable company (Parcelforce) on the morning of 3/1/2019. I couldn't post on the 2nd as i was working . I used a tracked postage service which cost me £17.70. I have attached this receipt to this email which includes a tracking number. He wanted it posted originally on new years day which was impossible as it was a bank holiday and no post office was open. The person who i sold this too was called (edited out). It seems like he wants the goods and his money back as well. I have asked him to call his bank immediately to rectify this and he keeps giving me excuses. This is the only reason i can think as to why they have put my account under review. Has anyone been in this situation before? (This is the email i sent to pof@barcalys with photo of the receipt of the parcel)

I found out yesterday that RBS have closed my account with no warning and they have said I can't get any funds out of the account. They say there is a letter on it's way - it leaves me in a bad way just a few days before Christmas. They told me to contact them in the New Year to see if there is any update. How long can they keep my money for? I had an old debt with Natwest going back 20 years - can they take this from my RBS funds??

Hi, I've received a Notice of Assignment letter from Hoist Finance UK Holdings 1 Limited. It relates to an MBNA credit card debt that I paid off in full October 2017. There were no late payments for the duration of time I had the debt, and the balance they have on the letter looks to be from many years ago. I've seen from other posts here that you can send the holding company a request for more information and what data they hold on you, but since I don't owe any money and they currently have extremely out-of-date information about me (only address is correct), I don't really want this to become a dialogue. My question is: how can I make sure I don't get any more of these letters? Also, if I can, I want to be able to take further action - it is amazing to me that debt buyers can chase old data in the hopes they can get grab money of people that either don't know that it is out-of-date (not everyone is a credit report nerd) or that they no longer are legally required to pay. I found it a little scary to receive the letter, and that's with full knowledge that it is trash. You know when something is legal, but horribly wrong?!

My personal current account was recently suspended pending a 'compliance review' and then about 3 days later immediately closed with no warning. No reason was given so got absolutely no idea why it was closed. They are also saying that the balance (approx £3-4000) will be credited back to the most recent accounts that have paid in, but this won't be done for 6-10 weeks, "possibly longer". They blocked a payment out for my rent (made approx 4 days prior to them suspending the account initially) which they were informed about right away, and which caused the payment to be 10 or so days late - causing a lot of distress as I got grief from my landlord and had to find somewhere to borrow the money from to pay the rent. Can they just do this?

Hi All, Looking for a bit of advice. I am in the process of drafting a complaint to lowell about a 02 refresh bill which I had to default on earlier this year (out of work for a three months). Lowell are claiming £370.10 owed which when I looked at my 02 bills on 02.co.uk seems wrong. I think this relates to unpaid airtime till the end of the contract. I read somewhere that charging till the end of a mobile contract which is defaulted is deemed unfair under consumer regulations. Is this true? and if so can anybody point me to the regulations or relevant case law? Thanks Andrew

I'm doing the cardinal sin and posting this on behalf of a friend who doesn't have access to the Internet from home. My friend has had £200 stolen from their account by debit card and are currently on ESA/PIP due to serious medical issues and mental health conditions. My understanding is the transactions were taken by debit card. The Fraudster attempted a payment of £500 and then £400 and then £200 the formers were declined and the latter was accepted. The card in question has now been cancelled and it was reported as soon as they became aware. Barclays are insisting that an investigation be done before any money is refunded taking at least up to 10 working days. We all know that isn't true per the FCA rules here: https://www.fca.org.uk/consumers/unauthorised-payments-account This is going to cause them serious problems as they need to attend medical appointments and put food on the table etc. They have offered a £35 GOGW payment in the first instance. The question becomes, how does one quote the legislation over the phone to effectively force the bank to behave themselves and issue those 'temporary refunds' until the case is investigated? Whilst I am sure they would be happy to make complaints to the FoS etc.. They need access to their funds and the bank are being deliberately obstructive. They want me to speak to them later today to see if quoting the FCA rules has any effect. But is there anything else you could advise in the second instance. Friend is classed as vulnerable adult with serious mental health issues too.

Hello all, My very first post ever on here. Please can I bend ears, pick brains as I'm confused about the letters I've had today. Letters in my maiden name, I was married in 2003. Debt amount 943.43 I understand the letters are stating they are a statement from year 2012 right through to 2018. Stating they haven't applied interest or sent statements and I do understand this with an apology. Original debt citi financial Then it's saying passed or changed to arrow and now cap quest have got the debt. I do recall cap quest contacting me on my mobile a few weeks ago, I didn't recognise number so did a Google search. Didn't ring them back and thought nothing of it. Today came home with letters with different dates from 12 to 2018. Every single ccj or default has been lifted off my credit file 2 months ago. Following a painful debt paying process I can honestly say this has blown me. I'm worried. I have paid everything and now I've got this. On one of the statements in May 2013, it appears I've paid AND I do not recall me ever paying this, but a 15.00 payment has been made..... This has thrown me and no idea what it means. The start of letter reads, fixed term credit agreement, with ms E Maiden name and citi financial. If you require further info or for me type out what they say, each letter is the same, just different years. However, each year is dated 1st May 2012, then 1st May 2013 etc. Checked out the days unless they work on a Sunday.... The only letter that's different is one printed this week. It's ref is remediation of account. It is from Arrow and makes no ref to cap quest apart from saying if wish to discuss at bottom. Stating under rules cca 1974 stating required by law to write and noticed that we haven't written to you. Further saying that a full review of my account and failed to provide me with statements since May 2011. To remidy this, we have compiled all your statements. On the what does this mean to you. It states, this exercise does not affect your account, repayments or your obligations to repay. If anyone knows what it means and what I need to do. Not sure about this payment In 2013 either. Not sure the action to take on this Not sure the action they can take on me. Thank you

Hi - after some of your valueable advice. Got a letter from Barclays Bank saying they had reviewed their accounts and that some of the charges they had place on my account were unfair and that there was a refund of £434 due to me BUT this had been paid into the overdraft on my account. I closed my Barclays account in 2016 and there was a DRO taken out which covered the overdraft on this account which was still owed. So is that correct that the refund should go towards this, since the O/D was written off with a DRO in 2016 so did not owe them anything. Also they did not specify that charges were directly related to the O/D they were charges placed onto my current account. Sharon

Hello everyone I’m looking to get some help if possible please my partner recently applied to open a new HSBC bank account for the cash incentive via the online system. The account she applied for some reason was declined but then instantly offered a standard basic account instead which she accepted and the card and pin arrived a few days later. The following week another letter arrived in a large envelope again from hsbc this time stating they had now closed the account without warning or notice due to not meeting the banks criteria. Strange but ok fair enough she’s not wanted as a customer until she noticed it was hand signed by someone from the fraud analyst department Becoming very worried she contacted the bank who refused to tell her anything and was then advised to send a SAR request to HSBC bank and also CIFAS. Friday she received a letter from CIFAS with a Single CIFAS FRAUD listing from HSBC BANK under the heading APPLICATION FRAUD that she did not list a previous address with adverse history APPLICATION GRANTED This is absolutely disgusting she’s done nothing wrong currently been living in the same house since June 2014 so we’ll over 4 years now. HSBC application page clearly asks for 3 years address history which she’s obviously listed her current address so nothing makes sense at all. She’s sent the HSBC ceo a email who’s replied today with this ( I can understand your frustration in that we ask for any addresses in the last three years and you moved four years ago, so shouldn't have to supply another address. However, we had information there was adverse credit data accrued in your name at a different address within the last three years. I'm very sorry for any confusion caused but we have correctly followed our process. We also correctly reported the instance to CIFAS, as we have an obligation to do. I'm understand this may not be the outcome you were looking for but I hope this has helped to explain our position. If you feel the information we had was incorrect, you may want to check with the Credit Reference Agencies. We use three agencies, Experian, Equifax and Call Credit. ) We are both extremely upset and worried about this issue as she’s done absolutely nothing wrong and is now obviously petrified that all her other financial dealings with other banks etc will see this and close everything down. What do you suggest we now do and has anyone else had issues like this previously that could advise we would be very grateful

My 82 year old mum hasn't been too well recently and her local Nat West Branch has closed down and the new one is a nightmare for parking and she doesn't walk too well. She also got caught out by a phone holiday spoof to the tune of a few hundred quid and became paranoid about the company knowing her account details so we decided that maybe a change to a new bank was a good option. Barclays is my and my sisters bank as well and as difficult as it is to talk about if something happens to mum before it happens to me we theorised that if we are all at the same bank things would be easier to deal with, but it has all become a bit of a disaster!! We had a meeting with an advisor who looked into it and after doing her bit on computer stated that mum qualified for a basic account which would not include an overdraft or the option to loan. To be fair mum has plenty of money in her account and gets very good pension and investment returns so the need for an overdraft or loan is highly unlikely as her balance stays pretty much the same each month and it's far higher than my balance is!!! The one thing the advisor forgot to mention though was that mum wouldn't get a cheque book and I wouldn't have know that anyway being a Barclays Current Account holder since I was in my teens!! This was only brought to our attention over a week later when I rang Barclays to ask because mum mentioned she hadn't received one, which we obviously thought was the norm, but was told that she couldn't get a cheque book for a basic account. We then went back for a meeting because this was baffling. It then became clear that mum had been declined a current account (hence the basic) but the reason for why she has been declined is unclear and apparently the advisors do not get told the reason so obviously the customer cannot argue against it. The advisor to be fair did apologise profusely for not explaining clearly and for forgetting to mention the cheque book and said the reason could be something to do with a credit score. I've however checked mums credit score on Experian and it was 999. She has no debts, mortgage paid off years ago, no loans taken out for years if ever as far as I know, plenty of cash in the account and has never had an issue getting credit cards, of which she pays off in full...… Could this be the problem?! The annoyance is that mum relies on her cheque book and is in a muddle and is having to either get me to send cheques for her or she has to withdraw large amounts of cash. The bank suggested waiting a couple of months and when they have seen how the account is managed and that Barclaycards have been paid off etc then they can reapply for a current account. If it is still declined then the only option is to go back to Nat West who have already said she can have a current account with cheque book like she did before, but it will obviously be a pain switching once again and I suspect all of the Direct Debit companies will be baffled as to what is happening!! Barclays have also made a mess up with statements as well with mum not receiving one statement in the two months since the account opened so I am chasing up that as well mum called Barclays Head Office last week and the guy on the phone couldn't understand why she hadn't been given a cheque book so we will wait and see if he gets any joy, although I would say probably not!!! So any ideas as to why this happens? Especially as I as an 18 years old got a current account without an issue and with probably no job at the time albeit 35 odd years ago!! It seems bizarre especially as they hide the reason. I am wondering in part if it's because she is a retired widow so upon first check they may not have known what monthly income she would be receiving but they would have seen from the account surely? Help massively appreciated.

Greetings, this is my first post and Im hoping that I may find some help Im divorced from my wife and a while back she randomly rang me to ask if I had received a cheque? I managed to find out that she had employed the use of the claimsguys company and they found a PPI on a joint loan we had years ago, her cheque was for just shy of £20k, she had rung them and they confirmed that this was her 50% and not the entire settlement I rang barclays bank that the loan was with and they went through it with me, explaining that yes indeed the had applied and then been awarded 50% of the total claim, there was a 22K policy applied, and the total sum awarded was £39673.80 the problem Im now running into with them is that they keep telling me different things, 1 call resulted in me being told that they simply had to issue a cheque for my half and to wait for it, then another call I was told that the case was closed latest news is that her claim was upheld and she awarded 50% of the settlement, but I wouldnt be receiving my half?? what do I do to fight this?? its a serious amount of money, more than I earn in a year and as a now single parent it would change my life many thanks edit to add her claims company have rerally tried to get her to tell me to contact them, but I found out that she lost over £7000 in fees OUCH.. if I can sort this without them, I would be far happier

Hi everyone - I'm in a sticky situation. I went to live abroad for some time in 2015 and I'm back now. I was sure before I left that my UK HSBC account was at 0 but it wasn't due to some overdraft that I gone into without knowing which later led to the account being closed. I just received a letter from Cabot today saying that I owe them a balance of £1347.86. I spoke to HSBC earlier in 2017 and they said to me that the account in question was closed and that I owed something in the region of £200 due to overdraft. I can't remember the exact details but I assume they said the debt was written off, otherwise I would've paid the debt right away then. This also makes what Cabot are saying quite confusing because they're saying I still owe this debt and that the fee is larger than I was told by HSBC. I phoned Cabot right after I got the letter and they told me that it was probably Direct Debit that caused the fee to be so high. I had no Direct Debit and I never admitted liability. I asked whether they have the T&C's of the agreement I had with HSBC, to which they said no. I also asked if I could have evidence of the debt but they said they didn't have anything on their side and they'd need to make a dispute with HSBC. For that I said, I'll contact them myself and get the details so they'll put the account on hold. What do you guys think? Someone told me to get this all in writing sent to them either in email or post. Should I do that? Please let me know what to do since I have no idea! Many thanks in advance.

Hi all, I'm hoping someone can please advise as to whether my logic is correct. Essentially I took out a Northern rock together mortgage over 10 years ago just before the recession, this included an unsecured loan of £30k. Shortly after I was out of work for a year and built up mortgage arrears on both the secured element and unsecured element of the loan. Despite 5 attempts of NRAM trying to repossess I managed to fight them off and eventually paid of the secured mortgage arrears however because I was prioritising the secured payments the unsecured loan arrears were not being paid and eventually NRAM applied for a CCJ. However at the time they did not default the unsecured loan account so it is still showing on my credit file with just many late payments. The CCJ dropped of my account about a year ago and during the 6 years prior NRAM didn't take and forceful action to recover the debt. My understanding is that prior to making an application for a CCJ to the courts they should have set my unsecured account to default and hence it should have also dropped of my account when the CCJ did and the unsecured debt should In theory now be written off. I did contact Experian and raised this issue, they replied stating that they contacted NRAM however NRAM stated they would not be making any amendments regarding this unsecured account on my credit file. I would really appreciate any advise on this matter and if my logic is incorrect. Many thanks in advance!!!

Hello, recently my NatWest bank account was unexpectedly closed due to an apparent commercial decision by the bank. So as I've only now got 1 bank account I apply to open a basic bank account with HSBC which was accepted. I received the pin and was waiting for the card to arrive and today I receive this letter. It states that following a review of my application, we regret to advise you thar we no longer wish to provide you with a bank account and that they are closing it. Closing a basic bank account seems extreme, feels like I've been blacklisted or something. It's signed by the fraud operations, financial crime risk operations team. This is really concerning as I know I haven't done anything wrong, but something strange is going on here. Makes me wonder if my main account where my income goes will end up being closed too? Will this kind of thing affect my disability benefits? I have enough to deal with given all my health problems let alone all of this.

Hello all, My daughter has a joint account with her ex that she wishes to have her name removed from but the Bank/Halifax are making it difficult. Her ex left earlier this year and moved back to Scotland and left her with debts and a load of other problems which she has slowly managed to get sorted. She had to give up her courier job to look after the two children(6 and 4 yrs) and so has had to claim IS. However, due to this joint account the IS people are making it difficult to get the benefit and this has been ongoing since March. After many calls to the IS they said she would have to make a new claim which she has now done so has to get around the Joint account problem. Noe the bank says there are only two ways she can get her name off the account and these are, 1] she has to go to Scotland and sign a joint application paper to have her name removed as both parties have to go to the bank and sign the same time. She really really does not want to do that, 2] The other way is to actually get him to close the account and has he is out to cause as many problems for her as he can the chances here are probably a big fat zero. So, is there anyway that she can get this account closed/ name removed other than what the bank has said. She really wants it closed as to protect herself from any debts he may run up. The other question is now she's made this new IS claim will they take it from the date of the claim or will they back date it to the start of the original claim. Any help/advice is appreciated

Mum's partner can no longer use a mobile phone. He has however been paying EE over £40 a month since 2006. EE initially couldn't trace any account in his name despite giving them bank details etc, but then did find it when I said OK, give us the money back then .... They've ignored all requests for documentation so far, have known for 4 months that alleged account holder has a Power of Attorney in place, but have apparently set the debt collectors on him anyway. He's not received any correspondence from EE or the debt collector. EE have provided some numbers associated with the account, none of which match his last number, which he would have last used at least 3 years ago. He does still have the phone and it has a Sim card in it, but heaven only knows where the charger is. One of the numbers EE provided apparently has recent regular usage, data as well as calls and texts. I can just about believe he might have, accidentally or otherwise, made a call, but sent a text or used data? No chance. Other than repeating the request for documentation, any other suggestions?

Hi all. I’m looking for some advice. I recently opened up a noodle account and noticed that a TSB account of some sort had been opened in my name. I think it was a loan as there have been monthly payments and now has a balance of £0. I know I should have checked sooner but in the past we used ones like Experian mainly for our credit score. Here are more details anyhow. The account was opened approx 3 years after we left the address it is registered at in 2014. There have been regular payments into the account/loan and everything other than it being false, seems ok. Payments stopped in April of this year and is marked up to date as of the end of April. Not sure how they managed to get my details as we had a redirect on for the mail and quickly notified people of our change of address etc. but something got through or left behind in the move. I’ve contacted the bank and have been given the number for their fraud department and have also marked the account as disputed on noodle. What I would like to know is what steps should I take to make sure this account is dealt with appropriately. Thanks and any questions that might help let me know. Spoke to their fraud department and it’s a current account, not loan etc. They’ll investigate and send me a letter in 10 days detailing what evidence was used to open the account. They’ve stopped the account and put a note on it.

Following on from this thread https://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?487703-Changing-a-Power-of-Attorney&p=5139451&viewfull=1#post5139451 Helping Mum deal with husband's finances, she has POA. There was a standing order for £15 pm going to Capquest, no reference recorded and no correspondence received for at least 4 years. Capquest can't trace an account or any payments received (I gave the a/c no and sort code of the originating bank). There's no record of any account with Capquest on CRA files. Other than asking the originating bank how far back the SO goes and if there was ever any reference associated with it, any suggestions? If Capquest can't trace an account, I think they should be refunding.

Hello This morning I received a letter titled "Overdue Account" from Lowell chasing a JD williams debt. I am not sure of any dates or information regarding this account. I believe my next step is to SAR JD Williams to get all information. It is possible that this defaulted in October 2011. If someone could someone give me a nudge in the right direction that would be amazing. Thanks DC

Does anyone know of a website that I can use to refund my money from a dormant back account as I had an old TSB bank account now Lloyds which has a small amount of money which has since been closed (tried mylostaccount.org before). I've already been in my local Lloyds branch today and they advised to me to reclaim the money. Thanks

Received letter from Capital One in April 18 RE:A credit card debt. We are writing to inform you we have instruced Fredrickson to act on our behalf to arrange payment of your capital one account, blah blah blah. I DONT HAVE A CAPITAL ONE ACCOUNT. Checked credit file with call credit and already listed on my report as sustained arrears. Steady flow of letters coming from Fredrickson now one stating on 5/6/18 "as there is a default on your credit file this may affect future credit". Checked credit files this morning no default as of yet. Sent SAR to Capital One and received reply back stating "The information you have requested has not been enclosed as we cannot locate a capital one account in your name using the details above". So they have added an account to my credit file in arrears Have sent me letters stating they have passed it onto Fredrickson Received steady flow of letters from Fredrickson But they state they dont have any record of me ?????? As stated above i do not have or had any dealings with Capital One . Whats the next course of action please ?

Hello all, I hope I've chosen the correct sub-forum for this post, but if not would you move it for me? I have encountered an interesting situation this past week and I wonder if I could have some advice on what, if anything, can be done about it. It's probably clearest if I just bullet point the facts: I have a computer graphics card for sale on Ebay Tuesday 12th June I received an email from a potential buyer by the name of Dorothy Baynham telling me they wanted to buy the card for their son's birthday and would I end the auction early and sell to them. Wednesday 13th June I agree to end the auction once a PayPal payment is received. Later on Wednesday PayPal payment for £360 is received along with the shipping name and address. Thursday 14th of June I sent the graphics card away by Royal Mail Special Delivery. Friday 15th of June it is received and signed for by a Mr *** Saturday 16th of June I received an email from a gentleman, completely unrelated to either earlier person, asking me why I have claimed £360 from his bank account. Saturday 16th of June I emailed back making clear that payment was sent from his account in payment for the item sold via Ebay. Friday 22nd of June I have received an email from PayPal telling me they are reversing the payment. Sure enough, my PayPal balance is now -£360. My belief is that the person I was corresponding with has used stolen/hacked credentials for a PayPal account to pay for the Ebay item. Subsequently, the person whose PayPal account was compromised has initiated a charge back. There is a lesson to be learned here, which is to never believe what anyone tells you on Ebay and to stick to their rules and let auctions run their course. I understand that, lesson learned, apparently the hard way. My question is, on the basis that I know the address the item was delivered to and I know who signed for it, is it possible for me to issue a Letter Before Action or similar with the aim of bringing them to account? I should make it clear, I am located in Scotland (west coast), the item was delivered to an address in Dudley. I may very well have to simply suck this up and chalk it up to "I should have known better", but I thought I'd check first. Ideally I'd rather not be out of pocket by £360!