Pretty much all the time...
..when I had the energy for it.

Now I simply ignore firms when they inevitably fuck up.
I got so blaze with getting my bank charges back that I was on first name terms with Abbey's in-house solicitor. I once sent this:

-----------------------------------------
|                                       |
| We will return the charges      [  ]  |
| We'll see you in court          [  ]  |
|                                       |
|                                       |
|---------------------------------------|
|                                       |
| Signed: ____________________________  |
|                                       |
| Date: ______________________________  |
|                                       |
|_______________________________________|

Sadly, they just returned the dosh (this was the third time I'd sued them - twice for me, and once for the misses) and neglected to send back the form that I included for their convenience. Pity, I was going to frame it.

I have an extremely common name, and because of this I think I get more trouble than most when it comes to firms and their cock ups.
I used to quote "their reference" and mine. Mine was usually things like "My Ref: INCMPTN/SHTS" or "WSTOFSPCE" or some such.
I moved house a couple of years ago, and phoned the council to tell them that I'd be at such and such address from such and such a date. After a few months in my new house, I hadn't received a council con bill, so I phoned them...and again a few months later. Then I wrote to them. And again a couple of months after that. Eventually I got a bill for the sum of £0.00. That one I paid...by ignoring it. A month later I get a court summons for not paying the entire years worth of tax. I would gladly have gone to court to show the incompetents up for what they were, but the misses was getting quite worried and ill over it, so paid it (luckily, I'd guessed at a monthly amount and put it aside for the day they eventually got it right).
It turns out that they had sent a *final* bill to my previous address, some months after the date I informed that I was moving. Because that bill wasn't paid 6 days!! later, they started proceedings against me.
I found this quite sinister, and clearly some sort of trap. I informed my MP also - although, I got a letter telling me that he'd look into it and get back to me - still waiting 23 months later.
I got them to drop the extra court charges they added, but no apology, no 'sorry we're a bunch of idiots'. Nothing.
Then there was the time that someone bought me a "Rally Day" at Brands Hatch from Red Letter Days. A week before I was due to go up there, I got a letter telling me that it had been moved to Chipping Norton - some 200 miles further north, meaning a 400 mile round trip for about 20 mins in a rally car, instead of the booked up 80 mile round trip. I phoned and said that we'd just have the money back instead. Oh no. Apparently not, in the small print - which I didn't read, as it was a gift - it states that they can pretty much do as they please whenever they want to and you have to lump it.
I said that I'd like to see that stand up in a civil court, and they replied "Tough shit" - although not in so many words.
So I sued. About a fortnight later I got a cheque, I waited until it was cleared (can't trust these fuckers), then stopped the proceedings.
It seems that they too didn't think it would stand up in court.

Anyway, there's hundreds more, but like I say, these days, I simply ignore them - my blood pressure is so much lower these days.

/rant
(dchurch bah, Thu 2 Sep 2010, 19:37, 4 replies)

Sadly a recent decision means bank charges are legal.
It seems that dropping a few quid into the right people's bank accounts can allow you to flaunt UK contract law whenever you see fit.
I'd love to know who was paid off to allow them to continue to use punitive charges in a contract when nobody else is allowed to.
(Me, I'm not... in any way intoxicated, Thu 2 Sep 2010, 19:44, closed)

Not legal at all...
...the case in the high court was simply to see if the OFT had the jurisdiction to take the banks to court over it. Under the law they chose, the answer was 'No' - quite rightly too. Of course, the banks will (and have) spin that as "We won the right to fuck you over" - which they didn't.
However, the court informed them at the time that if they had chosen a different part of the same law then they would have found differently.

It was then that the OFT decided NOT to carry on!!???

You can still take your bank to court on the UTCCRs or, you could try the punitive v liquidated damages angle, although I suspect that this won't hold much water since they changed the wording of the contracts and dropped the charges by half (in most cases) and it seems that contrary to common sense (and common law) that most judges believe what the banks have told them rather than the high court - and will throw out cases of this kind.

The "Punitive v Liquidated damages" argument is a difficult one to prove as we're not privy to the information that the banks are (although I do have evidence that Cheltenham and Gloucester have worked out the *loss* and was tiny, but to prove that the evidence came from them would prove problematic) - and they are hardly likely to offer that evidence up for all to see.

In the case of allowing an overdraft on an account without one, they are legally allowed to charge whatever you agree to - in that instance they actually ARE providing a service and can charge more-or-less what they see fit.

I have issues with when they bounce DDs and SOs and STILL charge for a service - since when has doing nothing been a service?? Sadly, this is not challenged and has been tarred with the same brush as the first example.
(dchurch bah, Thu 2 Sep 2010, 22:40, closed)

Knew you wouldn't let us down this week!
Love the first form, genius!
( Blind Meach Cautiously optimistic, Thu 2 Sep 2010, 19:59, closed)

I
even perforated the letter half way down, so they could tear of the reply slip easily - it all looked very professional ;-)

Well...I was sick of the bastards by then, and there was no way further down with nothing left to lose. I was sending them all manner of patronising crap - just like they do to us, I had quite a bit of fun with it a lot of the time. Just simply wording the letters the same way they do to us.

I even offered Barclays 'time to pay' (at an agreeable rate of interest of course) in case they had trouble paying it all in one hit. I mentioned that their furniture et al would be at risk if they didn't keep up repayments.
It was about 300 quid! Some girl phoned me up the day before that one was due in court and just laughingly gave me the money - I think she had a little giggle at the letter.
(dchurch bah, Thu 2 Sep 2010, 22:48, closed)