Vanquis Bank & Insane Charges (Monthly?)

[adridude]

Hi All,

 

I was just mulling over my "nearly clean" credit profile and it appears to be marred by the mess that Vanquis left me in.

 

Between 2011 and 2012, they bombarded me with monthly charges that outweighed any payments I could make.. So at the time I just gave up even paying.. I've left it for a few years and they've appeared to have stopped adding amounts to the balance.

 

Anyway, the card limit was £250 and now the balance is £661 (including about £100 of payments which I'v made).

 

This is how their charges went:

 

06/2011: 248.00 (last balance before charges started)

07/2011: 288.00

08/2011: 323.00

09/2011: 360.00

10/2011: 311.00

11/2011: 334.00

12/2011: 371.00

01/2012: 409.00

02/2012: 417.00

03/2012: 437.00

04/2012: 457.00

05/2012: 498.00

06/2012: 541.00

07/2012: 584.00

08/2012: 619.00

09/2012: 661.00

 

I haven't listed any of the payments here...

 

And that's where the balance stayed.. If I remember right, looking at their statements back then, because the FCA said that the maximum a charge could be was £13 (or 12?), instead of adding one large charge, they added multiple charges each month of under £13 (in total adding up to larger amounts).

 

Because of this, I'm not quite sure how to approach it... Ideally I'd like these unfair charges cleared and my account back to the £250 minus the mount I've paid etc... but how would this be possible given at how they've broken the charges up?

 

Also, because of the way they've done things, I've left my credit report in an absolute mess. Every other account is squeaky clean, except for theirs... Could I also get (force?) them to remove their markers?

 

Any help would be appreciated!

 

Cheers,

 

Ade

[renegadeimp]

Get reclaiming at their interest rate if you have the statements. They're all unenforceable penalty charges,although you mm ay have to go through scc as vanquished can be stubborn

[Old Cogger]

FCA said they would not look to charges up to £12.00. but never said that they were legal, get claiming at 39.9% they charge you for on spreadsheet.

[adridude]

This is why I'm a little weary about giving them my new address. They utterly bombarded me with calls and letters.... 3 calls a day, daily, 4 or 5 letters a week... I had to start screening all calls, and send "deceased" envelopes back to them just to shut them up!

 

what do you mean by scc?

[adridude]

But if there are multiple charges in one month under £12 are they counted as separate charges?

 

If I remember right, they were listed as something like:

 

Late Payment Fee

Default Fee

 

Or something along those lines.. I'm just worried that it'll be enforceable and I'll be lumbered with a 600 odd bill whereas i could quietly ride this out and let the statute bar kick in in 2 years.

[martin2006]

Small claims court,

 

Get a copy of the CISheet from the library and list all the charges, fill the interest box with the contractual rate (39.9%) if thats what it is, once done send off a preliminary letter, again in the library, along with a copy of the spreadsheet.

 

By the time they refund you plus interest, they will owe you money

 

Finally pls dont reproduce any library stuff on the forum and adapt the letter for your own circumstances

[renegadeimp]

This is why I'm a little weary about giving them my new address. They utterly bombarded me with calls and letters.... 3 calls a day, daily, 4 or 5 letters a week... I had to start screening all calls, and send "deceased" envelopes back to them just to shut them up!

 

what do you mean by scc?

 

That is considered harassment and there's case law to back it up

[adridude]

Small claims court,

 

Get a copy of the CISheet from the library and list all the charges, fill the interest box with the contractual rate (39.9%) if thats what it is, once done send off a preliminary letter, again in the library, along with a copy of the spreadsheet.

 

By the time they refund you plus interest, they will owe you money

 

Finally pls dont reproduce any library stuff on the forum and adapt the letter for your own circumstances

 

Thanks... What about the charges which are under £12? i.e. they apply several "different" ones under different names but in total each month, they collectively add up to £40+

 

 

That is considered harassment and there's case law to back it up

 

Sadly at the time I wasn't recoding all of my calls and letters (diarising), but if they start those antics again I will

[martin2006]

You can reclaim anything that is a penalty charge ie, late payment, overlimit, dd return, you dont reclaim just anything OVER £12, you reclaim ALL of it.

So if you see 15 x £12 charges, you claim 15 x £12 plus interest from the date of the charge at your cards rate.

If it gets as far as issuing a claim you then revert to S69 interest from the date of the claim to settlement.

 

Fill in your spreadsheet and post it up for checking if you prefer, just remove any identifying info first, name, card number, that kind of stuff

Edited March 30, 2016 by martin2006

[adridude]

Ah phew, immense help and relief!... Thanks.. That puts my mind at ease!

 

I'v had a scout around for the Sheet, but can't seem to find it?

 

Am I looking in the right place for starters? --> http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/forumdisplay.php?403-CAG-Library

[martin2006]

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?330996-Latest-Spreadsheets-PPI-Claims-and-Charges-Claims-Dec-2011

 

they are here adridude

[adridude]

Thanks! When I get round to filling it in and start the whole "SAR SAR SAR your boat, gently down the..." I'll pst with updates

[adridude]

Out of interest, just jotting down the prelim values without actual dates from the sar it comes to £250. (ballpark figure).

 

Do I literally disregard the £400 odd of charged the piled on and claim that against the balance I had after previous payments? Or is that off of the balance with their charges in place?

[martin2006]

You claim for all the default charges, late payment, overlimit, dd returned, list them in chronological order on the spreadsheet, add in the vanquis apr(39.9%)

It automatically calculates how much restitutionary interest they have accrued since they charged them to you.

It will no doubt wipe out any debt you owe them plus some money back to you, even if the charges only total £250, you will be surprised what your total ckaim will be.