URGENT Need a financial journalist/ editor asap

[Starmummy]

I urgently need to find someone who can write in a national newspaper just what a high street bank have done to my 13 yo.
In the current climate it is completely appalling, well appalling at anytime really but espcially so given how the vast majority of us are trying to make ends meet/rein in spending etc.

TIA

Bump, trying to find someone who can assist with the fact that Lloyds TSB want my DS (age 13) to go to the branch and change his account, discuss a loan and no he doesnt need his parents. He told them how old he is and when he asked them why they might think he migth want a loan, they said there must be something you want. He said new bike and an Xbox, they said no prob. Now I know he has a fairly reasonable sum in there 6.2K GBP but I really think they are taking the micky.

Can you reset your personal settings to allow people to CAT you?

As minors can't enter into contracts for loans without parental/guardian's agreement, this must be an error. At that age, the bank might want to change his account from a child's account to a young person's account and give him a debit card such as an Electron card but not a credit card until you are 18. the bank might also suggest that some of the money should go into a deposit account rather than an instant access current account.

Will try dollius.

Lilymaid, DH & DS went together to open this account as a young persons account on the basis it has a debit card. The money was specifically added to that account on the basis of the interest rate offered, which is why its not in a different account. I also realise that minors cannot enter into a contract for a loan. thats what worries me, that there appears to be no checks at the banks end on who they are contacting and what they are offering.

Have you already contacted their head office and gone through their complaints procedure?

Why do you want to put yourself, your son and your family into a national newspaper?

I have and I dont.

What I want is for someone to follow through why such a ridiculous mistake was made and persued when DS, who is short and young looking and sounding,is quite obviously not an adult.

The personal finance problem pages of the nationals will help - and they don't give away personal details, you don't have to worry about being splashed all over the centre spread! Try Tony Levene in Guardian Money (Saturday's edition). The Mail and other papers have similar sections.

Or you could try Which? - they have a personal finance campaign. Not sure if you'd have to take out membership, however.

May I suggest you contact the finance desk at the Independent - they are very helpful folk.

But have you undersigned for his account, if so you may well have permitted this in the small print so before you start going off on one, I'd check if I were you, Lloyds has a very robust legal team.

Sorry, forgot Tony Levene has gone but column is still there under a new guy who is a trading standards officer.

Good point whomovedmychocolate. Will check with DH as he went with DS.

Presumably the account is held as an expat/non-resident one since you live out in Middle East? Or does your son have UK resident status? I'm not remotely knowledgeable in tax affairs but I was working in banking when all non-res bank accounts had to be moved to/dealt with by certain designated branches as opposed to being held by the usual high street branches.

And would this make any difference to the T&C of his account?

You need to look at the T&Cs of the account online -they do change from time to time and they generally write to you but the onus is on you to check .

I do recall that there is a clause in junior accounts that says you can allow them to offer him products IIRC without asking you first.

Obviously it sounds a bit off but just be careful.

"You need to look at the T&Cs of the account online -they do change from time to time and they generally write to you but the onus is on you to check ."

Indeed, at the

Barclays bounced a cheque on us earlier this year in spite of our having regular income into the account, having banked with them for over 20 years, and being premier customers. Two enormous bills hit the account on the same day as well as a tiny cheque to a friend, and although there was the money in a connected account, I hadn't transferred it.

I asked why they hadn't just made a courtesy call or transferred money from one account to the other to cover (as would have been normal not so long ago) and they said they altered T&C last year and advised me of that. I got nowhere with my 'Prove I received it' protestations.

All our other accounts inc DH business, etc are with them, my previous work for them counts for a lot and we have a good relationship with the in-branch staff otherwise I'd move. But where to? A relative suffered the same fate last year with Natwest, when she issued a cheque from the wrong cheque book and again the money was in an associated/linked account but they bounced it and charged her £35-ish for the privilege (later refunded). She'd banked with them for over 50 years!!

Sometimes I wish technology would grind to a halt and we could go back to old-fashioned society where banks really knew their customers, GPs their patients, etc. [dons rose-coloured spectacles]

I suspect if you've banked with them for years they think they've got you by the short and curlies and you won't ever move.

The whole financial industry is run by spivs with spivvy attitudes - bank staff might be fine but the bosses have been encouraging a cut-throat approach where customer loyalty is scorned. Hence only offering good rates to new customers, and letting interest on existing savings accounts dwindle to nothing - even before the current low BoE interest rates.

SueW - it's got bog all to do with the amount of money in your accounts. We are private banking customers - you have to have a lot of money with the bank to get this service - we even have a man who comes out once a year to talk to us. However they did something similar to us - we have £700k in one account and £5K in another and an automated sweep between the two to ensure there is always £5K there in the current account. One day two payments coincided and they paid £5003 and the computers automatically cancelled our cards . At the time I was in a restaurant attempting to pay for lunch .

And it took days to sort it out!

Dear Starmummy, My name is Susan Wallace and I am a journalist. I'd be very interested in talking to you about this for a possible journalistic article in whatever way you may like to approach it. Please contact me straight away via my website www.storieswanted.com with a phone number, so I can give you a call to discuss it. Thanks, Susan

Hi Starmummy, my name is Ali Steed and I am a personal finance journalist - I was at The Daily Telegraph for 6.5 years, the last 2.5 as Deputy Personal Finance Editor. I am now freelance though, but have set up a personal finance website for women www.mymoneydiva.com.
I would be happy to try and help if I can. The best thing initially would be to have a chat about what has happened, and I can outline the pros and cons to you of going to the papers. There are also a number of other avenues you may want to explore, such as the Financial Ombudsman Service, if the bank has not handled your complaint to your satisfaction.
Of course, if this is not of help, then no worries at all, but happy to try to help if I can. Please just send me a message through the 'contact poster' on the site if you would like to get in touch.
Take care. Ali