Halifax 'harassed Cancer Patient Over Debt'
A terminally ill cancer patient is suing the Halifax bank for harassment after allegedly being telephoned by its staff more than 750 times in just 10 months over debts of less than £10,000
David Lloyd, 61, claims the repeated calls to his home - 762 in all - meant he was unable to return to his telesales job when he entered remission, and that he developed a stammer and a phobia of telephones.
The calls came "day after day after day, four or five times a day," he said.
His solicitor, Neil Mercer, said the bank had brought Mr Lloyd and his wife Annette Edwards, 57, "to the depths of despair".
"My clients have been psychologically damaged by the course of conduct adopted by the Halifax," he said.
The couple, from Manchester, are seeking an injunction to stop the Halifax contacting them directly, plus damages for stress, anxiety and psychological harm.
Mr Lloyd owed the bank money from a loan, and had an overdraft.
But he claims that when he was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer he told the Halifax he had given up his job and needed time to sort out the couple's finances.
"We never denied we owed them money," Mr Lloyd said.
Mr Mercer said his client was also in dispute over an insurance policy with the bank.
"The amount the bank was pursuing was never clear because my client had insurances with the Halifax," he said. "He believes he would never have fallen into arrears in the first place if these had been activated on time."
The couple said the sheer number of calls forced them to change their telephone number.
They also claim the Halifax even began telephoning Mrs Edwards's daughter, who allegedly received between 60 and 100 calls on her mobile phone in four months.
The effect of the alleged harassment of them was recorded by the couple's GP and a nurse.
Mr Mercer, a Plymouth-based solicitor, said: "If this harassment action forces the Halifax to stop contacting my clients and makes the Halifax change their procedures, and behave more sympathetically and sensitively with customers at difficult points in their lives, then my clients will have achieved their objective."
Last month, Mr Mercer obtained a county court order in Exeter, forcing the bank to agree that the couple could only be contacted through their solicitor.
Mr Lloyd's claim, under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, follows a similar case earlier this year, in which a mother sued the same bank for allegedly harassing her over charges incurred in connection with her overdraft. The case was settled out of court but the details were not disclosed.
Alison Turner, who was also represented by Mr Mercer, claimed she suffered anxiety and stress because the Halifax contacted her 33 times after it had allegedly agreed not to pursue her.
The Halifax said yesterday of Mr Lloyd's case: "It is very important to stress that these are purely allegations brought by the customers and no court ruling has actually been made against us.
"It is also important to stress that we have stopped all contact with the customers, except through their solicitors, until the matter is resolved."