Get Your Money Back

1. Write to the Data Controller (their DPO email — by law, every company must have one or a contact point)
2. State: "I am exercising my right of access under Article 15 UK GDPR and request all personal data you hold about me"
3. Include: full name, account numbers, date of birth, any reference numbers
4. They have 30 calendar days to comply. If refused or incomplete, complain to ICO immediately
5. For banks: SAR covers call recordings, credit decisions, fraud flags, vulnerability notes, complaints history
6. For NHS: SAR covers clinical notes, section papers, capacity assessments, medication records

Dear Data Protection Officer,

I am writing to exercise my right of access under Article 15 of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR).

Please provide me with all personal data you hold about me, including but not limited to:
- Account history and transaction records
- Communications (letters, emails, call notes, recordings)
- Credit decisions and risk assessments
- Vulnerability or mental health flags
- Fraud or risk markers
- Complaints history and outcomes
- Any third-party disclosures made about me

My details: [Full Name], [Date of Birth], [Account/Reference Numbers], [Address]

Please respond within 30 calendar days as required by UK GDPR.

Yours faithfully,
[Your Name]

1. Complain to the bank first — they have 8 weeks to resolve it
2. If unresolved or you're unhappy: go straight to FOS at financial-ombudsman.org.uk
3. FOS is free, independent, and the bank must abide by the decision
4. Covers: unfair charges, treatment during vulnerability, complaint handling failures, unlawful debt collection
5. Maximum FOS award: £415,000 (increased 2024)
6. For mental-health-linked complaints: specifically cite FCA Consumer Duty and CONC 7.3 forbearance rules

Dear Financial Ombudsman Service,

I wish to refer my complaint against [Bank Name] for your review.

Summary of complaint:
[Bank Name] has failed to treat me fairly during a period of financial difficulty / mental health vulnerability. Specifically:

- [Describe what happened and when]
- [What the bank did wrong]
- [What you asked them to do and their response]
- [Why their response is inadequate]

I believe this constitutes a breach of:
- FCA Consumer Duty (PS22/9): obligation to deliver good outcomes for retail customers
- CONC 7.3: rules on forbearance and treatment of customers in difficulty
- [Any other relevant rules]

I am seeking: [What you want — refund, removal of default, apology, compensation]

I have enclosed: [list documents]

Yours faithfully,
[Your Name]

1. Section 75 (Consumer Credit Act 1974): applies to credit card purchases £100–£30,000. Your card issuer is jointly liable with the seller.
2. Chargeback: applies to debit AND credit cards, any amount. Ask your bank to "raise a chargeback" against the merchant.
3. Grounds: item not received, not as described, company gone bust, subscription cancelled but still charged, fraud
4. Do NOT accept "we can't do that" — if they refuse to process a valid chargeback, escalate to FOS immediately
5. Time limit: 120 days from transaction (Visa/Mastercard rules) — don't delay
6. For credit cards over £100: Section 75 has no time limit tied to chargeback windows

Dear [Bank/Card Issuer],

I am writing to request a chargeback / Section 75 claim against the following transaction:

Merchant: [Name]
Date: [Date]
Amount: £[Amount]
Reference: [Transaction reference if known]

Reason: [Item not received / Service not provided as described / Merchant gone bust / Subscription cancelled but charged / Fraud]

I have already attempted to resolve this with the merchant: [Yes/No — describe outcome]

Under [Visa/Mastercard Chargeback Rules / Section 75 Consumer Credit Act 1974], I request you reverse this transaction immediately.

Please confirm in writing that you are processing this claim.

Yours faithfully,
[Your Name]

1. If a default was registered during a period where you lacked mental capacity (e.g. MHA detention, psychosis), it may be challengeable
2. Write to the lender: request they remove the default on grounds of incapacity / absence of proper consent
3. Cite: Mental Capacity Act 2005, FCA Consumer Duty, and the Debt & Mental Health Evidence Form (DMHEF) standard
4. Get a DMHEF from your GP/psychiatrist — it's the industry-standard evidence form for this
5. If they refuse: SAR to get the full credit decision history, then FOS complaint citing vulnerability failures
6. For CCJs: apply to set aside (N244 form) on grounds you were incapacitated when default judgment was entered

Dear [Lender / Credit Reference Agency],

I am writing to formally dispute the default registered against me on [date] for account [reference].

I have evidence that during the period [date range], I was subject to a mental health episode that significantly impaired my financial decision-making capacity. Specifically: [brief description — e.g. detained under Section 3 MHA, acute psychotic episode, in inpatient care].

I am requesting:
1. Removal of the default on grounds of incapacity and failure to apply appropriate forbearance under FCA CONC 7.3
2. Full SAR for the relevant period to review the credit decisions made
3. Written confirmation of your complaints procedure

I enclose / will provide: a Debt and Mental Health Evidence Form (DMHEF) from my treating clinician.

If this matter is not resolved satisfactorily within 8 weeks, I will refer it to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Yours faithfully,
[Your Name]