Bank Smart and LFC

[EXC]

Hi JamesLFC

Please give us a brief history of your issue with them and tell us where things currently stand.

[JamesLFC]

Hi,

Two years ago I engaged a small company the go ahead to claim back PPI for me. The company called EDC were as good as their word and I paid them the 12% as required. I then started receiving post from Bank Smart telling me they were handling further claims. Three weeks ago I received another letter from MIL Collections saying I was in breach of contract. I have nether asked Bank Smart to carry out any PPI search on my behalf.

Later today I will be posting further correspondence from Bank Smart.


James

[EXC]

Hi James

Thanks, I'll look forwards to seeing the correspondence and helping you with this.

Have you had any response from them to your email of 28 May?

[JamesLFC]

Bank-Smart Support Team
First Floor
Building A Green Court
Truro Business Park
TR4 9LF
28^th May 2021
Your Client ID ref: BC01/@@@@/@@@@
Dear Sirs
I am writing in response to your letter dated 7th May 2021 in which you allege that I have ''breached'' a contract with yourselves and for which I, you assert, am liable for ''damages''. I have never entered into any agreement with BankSmart or Symmetric Systems and dispute that any breach of contract has occurred. As far as I am aware I have never instructed anyone to make any claim on my behalf for 'packaged bank account charges'. In your letter you state that the 'Claim assigned from Francis Hughes' at a cost to me of £168.44. I have absolutely no idea who 'Francis Hughes' is. I am therefore somewhat at a loss as to why you feel I am indebted to you at all.
In consideration of this demand I would be grateful if you could provide me with the following:
1) A signed copy of any contractual agreement with you.
2) All copies of Letters of Authority signed by myself.
3) A copy of any documentation/agreement/contract you have been assigned by 'Francis Hughes'.
Can you also confirm how, if you were assigned the agreement by 'Francis Hughes' in 2019, you state that in 2019 that you "have issued [me] with a reminder for documents/information which is causing a delay to [my] claim. [My] claim may be lost and [I] may be in breach of [my]agreement with us if [I] fail to respond". Please tell me when the first request to provide you with documents was sent and the deadline by which I was required to respond by.
On receipt of the above documents I anticipate that I will be making a formal complaint to you.
Yours

James

On the 28th May 2021, I had a reply from Bank Smart, but nothing else.

Thank you for your email.

This is an automated acknowledgement. Please do not respond to this email.

We have support staff covering emails 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to ensure that you receive a reply as soon as possible. We ask that you do not send multiple emails, or email multiple departments, in the meantime to avoid delays. Please ensure that this email address is added to your safe-senders list.

*** Given the current circumstances around the coronavirus outbreak it may take us longer than usual to get back to you however we are currently responding to 99% of emails within 3 working days ***

Kind regards,

Bank-Smart Support Team


COVID-19 UPDATE: Almost all lenders have stated they have now sent all final responses. If you have not forwarded us any final responses you should send them to FREEPOST BANK-SMART without delay. If there are any claims you have not received a final decision to and forwarded to us, please call the lender now and request a further copy to be sent to us/you and forward to FREEPOST BANK-SMART. Please continue to login to your Bank-Smart online claims account to keep up to date with the situation.

[EXC]

Ok keep us posted on any substantive response.

[JamesLFC]

Nothing back from Bank Smart as yet.

regards

James

[JamesLFC]

Hi Nick,

I heard back from Bank Smart today by email. They also sent me copies of three pages with a signature that bears no resemblance to mine.

Quote 'BS'

"Dear James,

Apologies for the confusion. Your agreement and authorities were all signed direct with us. Please see attached.

To access your Bank-Smart Secure Online Claim Account which allows you to check the status and latest information regarding all of your Bank-Smart claims 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, please visit the website at http://www.bank-smart.co.uk and click the ‘Client Login’ link at the top right of the homepage. Alternatively, type the URL: http://www.bank-smart.co.uk/client_login.aspx into your browsers address bar. Your login details for the secure client area are: Client ID: 6@@@@ and Password: B$$$$$$$ (Four Letters followed by four numbers). If you have any difficulty in logging into your account please do not hesitate to contact a member of the support team by emailing support@bank-smart.co.uk.

Kind Regards,

SS1001 | Senior Management Team
Bank-Smart Head Office | www.bank-smart.co.uk
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information contained in this message may
be CONFIDENTIAL and is intended for the addressee only. Any unauthorised use, dissemination of the information, or copying of this message is prohibited. If you are not the addressee, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail and delete this message. Although this e-mail and any attachments are believed to be free of any virus, or other defect which might affect any computer or system into which they are received and opened, it is the responsibility of the recipient to ensure that they are virus free and no responsibility is accepted by BankSmart for any loss or damage from receipt or use thereof. Please note that all e-mail messages are subject to interception for lawful business purposes. Any views expressed by the sender of this message are not necessarily those of Bank-Smart. BankSmart is a trading name of Symmetric Systems Limited and registered in England and Wales under registered number 3822846."

[JamesLFC]

Quote "BS"

Dear James,

If you believe someone has fraudulently signed the documents please provide us with the crime reference number so we can forward any original documents to the police for finger printing.


Kind Regards,

SS1001 | Senior Management Team
Bank-Smart Head Office | www.bank-smart.co.uk
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information contained in this message may
be CONFIDENTIAL and is intended for the addressee only. Any unauthorised use, dissemination of the information, or copying of this message is prohibited. If you are not the addressee, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail and delete this message. Although this e-mail and any attachments are believed to be free of any virus, or other defect which might affect any computer or system into which they are received and opened, it is the responsibility of the recipient to ensure that they are virus free and no responsibility is accepted by BankSmart for any loss or damage from receipt or use thereof. Please note that all e-mail messages are subject to interception for lawful business purposes. Any views expressed by the sender of this message are not necessarily those of Bank-Smart. BankSmart is a trading name of Symmetric Systems Limited and registered in England and Wales under registered number 3822846"

What should be my next move?

regards

James

[EXC]

Can you send me the email with the attachments please.

[JamesLFC]

Hi Nick,

I just have; this moment.

regards

James

[EXC]

Ok but in your previous post you quoted them saying this:

Dear James,

If you believe someone has fraudulently signed the documents please provide us with the crime reference number so we can forward any original documents to the police for finger printing.

But that's not in the email you sent me?

Also you said they sent you 3 pages but you only sent me one?

[JamesLFC]

Can you send me the email with the attachments please.

Dear Nick,

I have also sent my actual signature as it is in my 2019 passport. The signatures on the Bank Smart documents are not mine.

regards

James

[EXC]

Ok I'll take a look and get back to you tomorrow.

[JamesLFC]

Ok I'll take a look and get back to you tomorrow.

Many thanks.

regards

James

[EXC]

A few questions as I know nothing about the background of your dealings with them:


1) When was the first time you heard from Bank Smart and what was it about?

2) Did you ever have any dealings with Francis Hughes? They're also known as Ascend Finance.

3) Can you send me their letter to you of 7 May (to which you responded on 28 May) and any attachments that came with it?

4) As I asked you before, please send me the email where they said ''If you believe someone has fraudulently signed the documents please provide us with the crime reference number so we can forward any original documents to the police for finger printing''.

5) Have you ever accessed you BS online account before?


Thanks.