Help, A+L refusing to refund and close account!

[rhonwen]

Hi.

 

I have been trying to sort out a dispute with Alliance and Leicester and would appreciate any help you could all give me as I don't really know what I'm doing!

 

At the end of September I received a letter informing me that I had been charged over £120 in overdrawn fees and that i had failed to responed to previous letters. This was the first letter I had received and I phoned them straight away to find out what was going on. They had apparently tried to pay a direct debit that had been canceled and moved to a different account the month before. I offered to pay the money as long as they then closed the account and I wouldn't have to deal with them anymore. I was then told that I couldn't do that as the amount had gone up to over £250 in fees since I had received the letter that morning. I asked how it had happened and was told that that was just the way it worked and that if I didn't pay the full amount I could open a dispute. I opened the dispute and was assured that my account would be closed, no more fees added and that I wouldn't receive anymore letters until after the un-going court case. They sent a letter acknowledging the dispute on the 1st October.

 

Well since then I have received another letter from them telling me the fees are up to over £350. I have phoned them and was told that my account was still open and that my previous phone call had happened n the 11th of November so I would have fees up until that date. When I informed that I had not phoned on the 11th November but infact nearly a month and a half earlier I was basicly called a liar and told there was nothing they could do.

 

I then wrote to them detailing everything that had happened and requesting the fees be removed and my account closed or I would be seeking legal advice.

 

They have written back today telling me that their fees are fair and that they will refund £25 to my account taking the amount down to £330.

 

They did not address anything else in my letter and so once again I phoned them up and was told that there was nothing they could do.

 

I am at my wits end and have no clue where to go next with sorting this out. Any help will be much appreciated.

 

Many Thanks,

Rhonwen.

[midge61]

Put a complaint into the FOS about the way you have been treated.