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Original poster

Ongoing PPI Claim with Lloyds TSB since last August...

30 replies

mummytippy · 10/04/2020 23:15

With most call centres closed and people working from home etc at the moment, does anyone know where ongoing claims are up to?
I submitted a claim before the deadline last August which was acknowledged by them by letter in November 2019.
I then received a letter saying my complaint had been closed in December 2019 as they said they didn't have enough evidence.
I wrote and supplied further evidence in early January and obtained proof of postage but heard nothing.
I subsequently sent a follow up letter asking for and update (signed for) on 21/3 and when I check online with Royal Mail, all it says is my letter was received at the post office I sent it from, but not signed for at its destination?
I just wondered if anyone has any information on where such matters are at, or an alternative way of contacting them.
Thank you in advance.

OP posts:
Original poster
mummytippy · 11/04/2020 21:54

Bump

OP posts:
JoyceDivision · 11/04/2020 22:03

Contact them to day you were unhappy with their original response and you haven't had a reply to your further correspondence. As they have given you a final response you can go the financial ombudsman service to progress the complaint. Although you don't have to give notice to your bank you are doing this, if you liked you could contact them and say if you do not hear by X date you will go to the ombudsman.

The bank get charged appx £500 for the financial ombudsman if they look into a case irrelevant what the outcome is so it may help sway a decision if it wasn't a large amount of ppu to shut down your complaint.

MerryGrinchmas1 · 11/04/2020 22:13

I work for a bank and at the moment all PPI colleagues have been deployed to front line parts of the business where customers are needing to deal with their current agreements, losing income etc. PPI has been but on a back burner until current volumes decrease so I wouldn't be surprised if other banks have done the same thing.
Lines are extremely busy at the moment so I would probably hold off a few weeks before chasing it up.

Original poster
mummytippy · 11/04/2020 22:32

Thanks for your replies.

I've been trying to get it sorted as I've now had to claim Universal Credit due to being furloughed so any money due to me would be very helpful right now.

The amount of PPI paid was around 30.00 per month and this was paid over approximately 6 years.

I'm worried as my last letter was sent signed for and it's like it hasn't even been received.

OP posts:
HollowTalk · 11/04/2020 22:39

Can you re-send the letter?

Original poster
mummytippy · 11/04/2020 23:04

Yes I can re-send it.

I'm thinking probably best not to send signed for because of what's happened with the last letter?

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HollowTalk · 11/04/2020 23:58

I would phone their call centre and ask who to send it to. I sent a similar letter once and it didn't get read as it was sent to a building that wasn't used by the bank any more (even though that address was online.) Speak to someone and ask where's the best place to send it.

ADayAlwaysHasToEnd · 12/04/2020 00:08

The bank I work for is much like @MerryGrinchmas1. You could send a letter but no one will currently read it as all staff have been redeployed into more needed customer areas

JoyceDivision · 12/04/2020 08:32

It doesn't matter if staff have been redeployed - if you remain unhappy the comaint should have been reopened when letter received, or rather when it made its way to the correct team who would reopen and note the reopening was from the date they signed for your letter.

Redeployment of staff is their choice, but they still are obliged to honour complaint timescales as per financial ombudsman.

To be honest op, as you have proof they have signed for letter it stands in your favour so I would now contact the financial ombudsman service and hand your complaint on to them to deal.

All banks should have a solid complaints team still in place because due to them having ping hold times, credit card payments for holidays being disputed etc more people are complaining as they are not always getting the decision they wanted!

MerryGrinchmas1 · 12/04/2020 08:57

It does matter if staff have been deployed. No one is working PPI complaints at all as other work has taken priority due to the current climate.
If you send a letter, it's likely that it will be put in a pile until PPI work is picked back up.

Wait times for phonecalls have gone up to unimaginable times. Some days people are waiting 3 hours to be answered.
I know that it is important that your complaint gets looked at but please consider the immense amount of pressure on bank workers at this moment in time. Timescales are likely to be extended as none of us expected this situation to happen.

ADayAlwaysHasToEnd · 12/04/2020 15:29

@JoyceDivision the op said that the letter was never signed for, and was saying about sending a new letter. That's why I said any new letter sent in this current climate would not be opened for the foreseeable until this does down and the PPI department are back at their normal roles

Original poster
mummytippy · 12/04/2020 15:59

Thanks for your further replies...

I'm really undecided on what to do... Is the Financial Ombudsman
likely to make a decision that is less generous than Lloyds TSB themselves, as I'm also assuming their decision is final.

My last letter did not contain a deadline but asked for them to look at my claim as soon as possible.

My letter has still not being acknowledged as received (21.3.20) so I don't see putting a deadline on it would have made any difference.

I know that the address it was sent to is correct as it's the address my initial complaint went too (via Resolver) and where the acknowledgement letter came from .

Basically I was sold PPI over the telephone a short time after taking out the credit card. I asked if I was covered for redundancy and was told yes... then when I claimed years later I was told they would not pay me out as I was put on Income Support as opposed to Job Seekers allowance. This was because my son was around a year old so I was not expected to actively seek employment. This was not explained to me... My son is now 13!

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Livelovebehappy · 12/04/2020 16:48

I work for Lloyds and can tell you that the entire PPI team are not working PPI cases at the moment. They’re not classed as key workers or essential staff so PPI has been paused. The correspondence coming in is being uploaded to the file, but nothing being done with it until Covid is done.

Original poster
mummytippy · 12/04/2020 18:11

@Livelovebehappy thanks for adding your comment.

So would you have a rough idea of where my claim might be at in the 'system' based on me replying to a letter I received in December 2019 saying they didn't have enough evidence and me writing and suppling further evidence in early January and obtained proof of postage but heard nothing.

It's my 'chaser' letter sent in March which I'm not sure they've had.
Also they gave me 6 months from December to go to Financial Ombudsman but I wanted them to look at it again ideally.

Now I know that's not happening, I don't know what to do as Financial Ombudsman is no doubt thin on the ground with staff too.

I'd have hoped Martin Lewis may have had some news on this.

Anything you can advise much appreciated as obviously no-one knows how long we're in this situation for and I don't want the 6 months to expire

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dontdoxmeeither · 12/04/2020 19:06

Can you elaborate on the letter they sent?

What did it advise you to do? As in, did it say "Claim closed, lack of evidence"

Or

"Claim closed, lack of evidence but if you supply further evidence we'll reopen it"

If it's the first one then Ombudsman would be next step.

If second one then it's a waiting game till they've got the resources. I'd give them a ring but be prepared to be put off ref Coronavirus. I'd also resend letter.

Livelovebehappy · 12/04/2020 19:51

Tbh you would have nothing to lose by referring it to the FOS. You would need to send the FOS a copy of the response you've received from Lloyd's. I'm currently working from home and am a complaint manager and the FOS are working but with reduced staffing. There were big back loads of Ppi cases at the bank prior to covid so it will be horrendous once they go back with the amount of work waiting for them. If you have sent correspondence in in March, chances are it's waiting to be scanned to your case. I feel your pain, I have a Ppi case with another bank for my own account taken out years ago, which I submitted in August last year. Received a response declining in December and have referred to the FOS but still waiting for a reply.

Original poster
mummytippy · 12/04/2020 19:53

@dontdoxmeeither

It was close to the second statement... send more evidence as soon as possible and we'll re-open it.

It's at that point I wish I'd sent that letter signed for but just got proof of postage.

Do you have any idea how much I could hope to get if my claim is successful? 6 years of paying around £30-£35 per month in PPI insurance

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Original poster
mummytippy · 12/04/2020 19:57

@Livelovebehappy you sound to be in a similar position to me...
I submitted more evidence in January not March, March was the 'chaser' letter. I'm really annoyed too as they had my account number etc and to me it just seemed like a staling tactic!
If you sent your to the FOS did you have it acknowledged and do you know if they're still working on cases? Sorry so many questions

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Livelovebehappy · 12/04/2020 20:09

Yes they acknowledge. I submitted mine by email as you can just complete the form online and they acknowledge receipt via email so you know they have it. Staff are working on ppi cases at the FOS but they have so many referrals they have said it might take months rather than weeks to look at. I contacted the bank in February to see if they had received contact from FOS but they said not but that they had lots of letters from FOS re ppi which hadn't yet been scanned on. It's just a waiting game unfortunately but I know how the system works and how easy it is for docs to go missing so I intend emailing the FOS monthly to make sure everything's progressing.

Original poster
mummytippy · 13/04/2020 11:59

Thanks @Livelovebehappy

I'm tempted to go to the FOS but if they need to contact my bank and they're currently not working on PPI cases, I feel I'm going to remain in the same boat as I'm in now.

I initially used 'Resolver' via Martin Lewis's website to log my claim and there is a form I can use for the FOS via Resolver too I think.

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ADayAlwaysHasToEnd · 13/04/2020 14:25

I would probably go to the FOB even though it won't really speed anything up greatly, at least they probably have staff still logging PPI complaints

quertyuiop100 · 13/04/2020 14:41

I submitted a claim with NatWest just before the August deadline. To be honest, I'd forgotten all about it but then I had a text message last week to say they'd written to me and I should receive the letter in around 10 days. Nothing has arrived yet - it might be good news or bad, I have no idea. I think theses things are taking ages now with a combination of lots of last minute claims and now covid-19.

JoyceDivision · 13/04/2020 17:45

Banks have to respond to complaints,whether they are ppi or not!

If you go to the FOS the bank are obliged to reply, there is no get out clauses for banks regarding any complaints due to CoVid19.

If F anything, banks are risking breaching 8 weeks limit to reply to complaints meaning customers can go to the ombudsman at that point without a response from the bank. But that iß their problem, it's not a get out clause for banks!

Original poster
mummytippy · 17/04/2020 10:59

Thanks for all the further comments.
It's interesting to know that @quertyuiop100 that you have heard from Natwest. Is that the first correspondence you've had from them? Because if it is, you've waited over 8 months for your reply.

As to my further evidence sent in January... I waited 10 weeks before sending my chaser letter!

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quertyuiop100 · 17/04/2020 15:30

No @mummytippy I have had an acknowledgment and a few holding letters since August. I think this will be the outcome letter, but it's still not arrived yet. They said 10 working days from 3rd April so we're not quite there yet. Hopefully should be early next week.

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