Hardship claim rejected. Please help.

[labman]

Re: Hardship claim rejected. Please help.

Di,

I hope you don't mind, but I've had a crack at slightly rejigging your letter!


Dear Sir,

Account Ref:

Complaint Ref:

I am writing to you with regards to the above account, and would be grateful if you could spare a few moments to review my issue with your bank as a matter of some urgency.

As a long standing, and thus far happy customer of your bank, I believe your complaints’ department has overlooked serious elements of my complaint regarding my severe financial hardship. I am therefore requesting you review the complaint in the hope of avoiding further action.

I suffer serious health issues which mean I am unable to return to work in any capacity at present. In the past eight years I have suffered two strokes which have left me severely incapacitated. This has left me in the unenviable position of being totally reliant on benefits for my income. In order to help you review the complaint I have enclosed an up to date copy of my Income and Expenditure, along with the letter of rejection I received from your complaints’ team. As you can see, I am in severe financial hardship and struggling to make ends meet. Given my underlying health condition and my financial hardship I hope you will see fit to overturn the decision made previously, particularly if you look at the history of my account.

At the time of my first stroke I wrote to your bank asking for all Direct Debits and Standing Orders to be cancelled. You will still have a copy of this letter. Despite this request, they were not cancelled and charges and interest continued to be applied to the account. As you will know this was in direct contravention of what was then the Banking Code, now the Lending Code to which your bank subscribes.

I see no good reason why, when my requests at the time are taken into account, alongside my severe financial hardship, long term inability to earn any substantial income and major health issues the decision made previously should remain.

I look forward to your reply within fourteen days of the date of this letter. If, after this time period has elapsed, I have had no response from either yourself or one of your team stating the decision has been overturned, I shall be left with little choice but to take this to the Financial Ombudsman Service to adjudicate on the matter.

Yours sincerely,

[JibTeenuc]

Re: Hardship claim rejected. Please help.

Thanks again to each of you for the kind attention you've afforded me.

I'm sure that, through cherry-picking between those suggested letters and including my own personalisations and relevant details, I can now draft a suitable appeal to put before the bank's CEO, for his consideration (it's always "his", never "her", isn't it?....Had our financial institutions and other chiefs of industry - as well as global governances - a female, rather than a male, majority I am convinced there would be less financially mercenary acts and even military conflicts sanctioned.........just a thought:rant.

Thanks again and I promise to keep you chaps (AND chapesses.....:doh informed of my progress (or otherwise).

[PlanB]

Re: Hardship claim rejected. Please help.

the bank's CEO, for his consideration (it's always "his", never "her", isn't it?....Had our financial institutions and other chiefs of industry - as well as global governances - a female, rather than a male, majority I am convinced there would be less financially mercenary acts and even military conflicts sanctioned.........just a thought:rant.

^^^^ :amen: to that.

Ms Plan B x

[di30]

Re: Hardship claim rejected. Please help.

Di,

I hope you don't mind, but I've had a crack at slightly rejigging your letter!


Dear Sir,

Account Ref:

Complaint Ref:

I am writing to you with regards to the above account, and would be grateful if you could spare a few moments to review my issue with your bank as a matter of some urgency.

As a long standing, and thus far happy customer of your bank, I believe your complaints’ department has overlooked serious elements of my complaint regarding my severe financial hardship. I am therefore requesting you review the complaint in the hope of avoiding further action.

I suffer serious health issues which mean I am unable to return to work in any capacity at present. In the past eight years I have suffered two strokes which have left me severely incapacitated. This has left me in the unenviable position of being totally reliant on benefits for my income. In order to help you review the complaint I have enclosed an up to date copy of my Income and Expenditure, along with the letter of rejection I received from your complaints’ team. As you can see, I am in severe financial hardship and struggling to make ends meet. Given my underlying health condition and my financial hardship I hope you will see fit to overturn the decision made previously, particularly if you look at the history of my account.

At the time of my first stroke I wrote to your bank asking for all Direct Debits and Standing Orders to be cancelled. You will still have a copy of this letter. Despite this request, they were not cancelled and charges and interest continued to be applied to the account. As you will know this was in direct contravention of what was then the Banking Code, now the Lending Code to which your bank subscribes.

I see no good reason why, when my requests at the time are taken into account, alongside my severe financial hardship, long term inability to earn any substantial income and major health issues the decision made previously should remain.

I look forward to your reply within fourteen days of the date of this letter. If, after this time period has elapsed, I have had no response from either yourself or one of your team stating the decision has been overturned, I shall be left with little choice but to take this to the Financial Ombudsman Service to adjudicate on the matter.

Yours sincerely,

Of course I don't mind!! I'm always happy for any additions that I have missed and it looks much better now, good one, Excellent stuff and the best of luck JibTeenuc.

[JibTeenuc]

Re: Hardship claim rejected. Please help.

I complained at the time and even wrote and asked them to cancel existing Standing Orders and Direct Debits on the account, as I was out of work and receiving no income.

I received no aknowledgement and the bank continued to process and then reverse SO and DD payments and apply bank charges, accordingly.

I also asked for a temporary overdraft but this was denied.

I put in my hardship claim which was rejected and they continued applying interest charges, albeit relatively low (between £0.60 and £1.50) until a few months later, they closed the account without informing me of their intention and no letter of explanation, simply a final bank statement with the words "Account Closed" printed on it.

Hope that helps and thanks for your response.

Regarding the above scenario, I've been advised (albeit by a layman in these matters, such as myself) that a bank is not allowed to close your/my account whilst a claim for refund of charges is ongoing.

I am just drafting my proposed letter/email to the CEO, so could someone confirm or deny this for me, please (citing source, if possible) and if it is true, should I mention that in my letter to the CEO and/or the FOS?

TIA.

Jib T

[labman]

Re: Hardship claim rejected. Please help.

I think the T&C's of your account will state they can close it. I'd go to your friend (remember we're laymen too, or most of us), and ask them for their source of the information.

[JibTeenuc]

Re: Hardship claim rejected. Please help.

Email to Lloyds CEO here, also ask for a confirmation email. Good luck........

antonio.osorio@lloydsbanking.com

So, I emailed my appeal to the above (requesting a "Read Receipt" and politely asking for an aknowledgement that the email/documentation had been received).

Neither "Read Receipt" request was clicked nor have I received the requested aknowledgement.

We are approaching the "14 days to reply" period, now.

Should I have also sent the claim by Recorded Delivery, do you think?

Many thanks.

Jib T.

[JibTeenuc]

Re: Hardship claim rejected. Please help.

Sorry to be a nuisance but, as I have received neither a reply nor even an acknowledgement, to my emailed appeal, I am at something of a loss as to what I should do now.

Obviously, I wish to progress matters further and submit a complaint to the FOS (nothing left to lose, I figure) but, equally obviously, I don't want to queer my pitch by going off half-cocked when I do not even have any evidence that the appeal I sent was received by the bank.

Any advice/experience/suggestions would be very gratefully received.:tinysmile_grin_t:

So, I emailed my appeal to the above (requesting a "Read Receipt" and politely asking for an aknowledgement that the email/documentation had been received).

Neither "Read Receipt" request was clicked nor have I received the requested aknowledgement.

We are approaching the "14 days to reply" period, now.

Should I have also sent the claim by Recorded Delivery, do you think?

Many thanks.

Jib T.

[ostell]

Re: Hardship claim rejected. Please help.

Please remember that delivery of an email is NOT guaranteed. The Read Receipt request may have been disallowed by the company mail server.

Far better a signed for letter, should be a better chance of confirming delivery.

[JibTeenuc]

Re: Hardship claim rejected. Please help.

Please remember that delivery of an email is NOT guaranteed. The Read Receipt request may have been disallowed by the company mail server.

Far better a signed for letter, should be a better chance of confirming delivery.

Much appreciated, ostell.

As I suspected and feared.

Should I send a hard copy via Recorded Delivery, tomorrow, and re-date my appeal accordingly, do you think?

Thanks, again.

Jib T.

[labman]

Re: Hardship claim rejected. Please help.

Apparently this is good for emails. There's other similar things as well:

http://www.spypig.com/

:beagle:

[JibTeenuc]

Re: Hardship claim rejected. Please help.

Apparently this is good for emails. There's other similar things as well:

http://www.spypig.com/

:beagle:

That looks absolutely hysterical. :laugh::lol:msl:

"I know you read my email!"....LOL

What a blinkin' shame we sometimes have to resort to such with these people, though. Why can't they just acknowledge the blessed thing, as requested????:rant:

Thanks for the brilliant link. :clap2:

[JibTeenuc]

Re: Hardship claim rejected. Please help.

Fun and frivolities over....back to business.

I still don't know whether or not I need to resend my appeal to the CEO, via Recorded Delivery (and if so, to what address) or whether I should simply bypass that route, now, and go straight to the FOS, following the CEO's failure to respond to my emailed appeal (albeit that I cannot prove delivery......but we all know his department got it, don't we?).

I could really use some advice on this, please.

Many thanks.

Jib T.

[labman]

Re: Hardship claim rejected. Please help.

I would play safe and send it recorded delivery. I'm pretty sure the email would have been received, but you can't prove it. Me being me, I always err on the side of caution with these things. Get all your evidence - you'll have an email AND the recorded delivery ignored then. :beagle:

[JibTeenuc]

Re: Hardship claim rejected. Please help.

I would play safe and send it recorded delivery. I'm pretty sure the email would have been received, but you can't prove it. Me being me, I always err on the side of caution with these things. Get all your evidence - you'll have an email AND the recorded delivery ignored then. :beagle:

We think alike Labman.

But I don't trust my own judgement entirely so thanks for your opinion which, happily, concurs with mine (but I'm open to persuasion, if wrong).

I think I'll send a newly dated recorded delivery appeal and refer to the non-responded to email, therein.

Thanks again.

Jib T.