Alan Melville from Kirkcaldy got back £1,569 from Halifax

Alan received a lump sum after being made redundant in 2008 and soon after the money was put into Halifax he was encouraged to speak with a financial adviser. Alan thought this was a sensible thing to do and arranged an appointment at his local Halifax branch.

He was advised to invest a significant amount of £20,000 into an ISA and a Collective Investment Plan and agreed. After 2 years he decided to close his investment and after taking into account withdrawals he had previously made and some income he received he had lost over £700 from his original lump sum.

We wrote a report and sent the claim to Halifax arguing that it was wrong to recommend Alan to invest in the UK Equity Fund as it contained too much risk for someone who had never invested before. We also added that Alan was talked into making the investment without giving him enough time to consider what he really wanted to do with his money.

Halifax looked into the advice they had given to Alan over 10 years earlier and agreed that it was not suitable for him at that time. We requested that Halifax refund any money Alan had lost and also pay him what he could have earned had he left his money where it was with interest on top. This resulted in Alan receiving a payment of £1,569.