I have just spent six months
Trying to retrieve payment for a relatively small bill from a very large and very well known British bank for services carried out on their behalf. During this protracted process I made several dozen telephone calls, sent/received numerous emails and faxes and discovered the following:
A bill won't be paid unless it is addressed incorrectly,
Legally binding agreements don't apply to banks,
UK payments must be authorised.by a gentleman in Singapore.,
Should this gentleman leave the firm his replacement will refuse to authorise anything that predates his appointment,
Some banks will explicitly and openly deny that another bank exists in Britain despite being given the sort and IBAN codes,
Threats of legal action are futile.
( number5 has been fighting tramps and losing., Thu 23 Feb 2012, 16:22, 6 replies)

Just sue them mate
I work in the litigation team of a debt recovery company. Banks are fuckers, but they generally cough up if a Judgment order looks likely. Their solicitor will usually contact you and attempt to bully you out of the costs that you pay out to raise the claim, but pointing out that you have given them ample opportunity to pay will generally get that covered, especially where the invoice value is sub £5,000 in value likely to cost the bank more in unrecoverable costs to defend than it is to just pay. (look at the bank charge claims that were brought prior to the test case for a shining example of this.)
( Muns, Thu 23 Feb 2012, 16:32, closed)

Agreed.
Threats of legal action are a waste of time.

Legal action isn't a waste of time.

They work on the (correct) assumption that 9/10 people who threaten to take legal action don't go through with it.

If your claim is good, stick it in.
(username failed moderation, Thu 23 Feb 2012, 16:40, closed)

Thanks for the advice.
They have just paid up. We tend to avoid legal action in these instances as we exist in a different jurisdiction and it always ends up being aright cock up the arse. What annoys me the most is that we were representing them and their interests....wankers.

Mind you at least they aren't an insurance company.
( number5 has been fighting tramps and losing., Thu 23 Feb 2012, 17:59, closed)

Agree
See www.guardian.co.uk/money/2007/jan/20/accounts.saving for an especially satisfying example of the result of a legal action.
( Snappyuk gets BIGGER with free sample., Thu 23 Feb 2012, 17:29, closed)

Agreed
A small company I used to work for once served a certain Royal Bank from north of the border a winding-up order over non-payment of an invoice. It got all the way to the courtroom steps, but the bank finally realised they were set for a hiding and settled out of court.
( evil_andy Stick stick stick stick sticky sticky stick stick, Thu 23 Feb 2012, 18:52, closed)

stat demand
Is your debt for more than £750 and not disputed? Issue them with a statutory demand. It's form you fill out. Send it to the correct address, etc. If they do not pay it within 21 days they are deemed to be insolvent and you could wind them up (or sell your story to a tabloid!). Someone once did it to some huge insurance company for a couple of grand. They argued that of course they were not insolvent. Court said: tough titties - pay up or the minnow can successfully wind you up.
(Gusofnavarone always makes a map of france from sarnies, Thu 23 Feb 2012, 17:57, closed)