When I was 16 I joint the army. During my first few days we had a visit from Holts (the military branch of RBS). I was sold a package account by them a royalties gold package. In recent years it’s been proven many of these were miss sold or pressure sold. I feel I was a victim of this as I was 16 and just starting out in army basic training and still in the shock of capture. I went through resolver to claim against this RBS turned it down though. I still feel it was pressure sold to me, and I used none of the added benefits on the account. I kept it for many years as the bank would say it’s the best one to have. I have since moved a none fee paying rbs account. But feel I was forced into having it and prying for it.
Any advice on where to go with the matter would be appreciated.
I won’t be able to help, but hopefully someone can. To be honest I didn’t even realise ‘Military Banking’ was a thing. The benefits they advertise seem like pretty standard things 🤷.
I guess log an official complaint directly with the bank, then they have to reply and if then you can go to the ombudsman.
That’s if the resolver wasn’t considered an official complaint, did holts say what you can do if you’re unhappy with the response?
Yeah I think ombundsman is my only option. Holts just said they considered the later closed.
Yeah they are just the military branch of RBS and offer there normal RBS stuff.
Hope you have success at the ombudsman.
I guess your biggest proof is that you didn’t use the benefits.
If you went through resolver then they have a process that will escalate it to ombudsman on your behalf if you want them to
Unrelated but why would you stick with and continue to support a company that has treated you this way? I’d take my business elsewhere
This is my plan I currently have a rather large overdraft with them to clear first though
You need to put an official complaint, in writing, to the bank, laying out why you could never have benefitted from the benefits, or why the claims made to sell you the account were untrue.
It might be that your employer (the British Army) covered you for the same benefits, or a false claim was made, perhaps that you had to have this account if you were a soldier. It’s true that a lot of these accounts were mis–sold in order for sales targets to be hit, but you aren’t automatically entitled to a refund, if the bank can argue that you willingly took the account with knowledge of the paid–for benefits, and you could have used them. You can’t, for example, ask for a refund just because you didn’t make an insurance claim.
If the complaint is rejected, escalate to the ombudsman.