Further lies from HSBC

HSBC said this in an email dated 17 July 2013. (They have always stated that the solicitors did not add the charges – although I worked for the solicitors and we did add the charges):

“The collection charge was not one made by HFCs solicitors, but by the bank itself. HFC was contractually entitled to do so to reflect its costs (not the solicitors costs) in recovering the debt. We have always disputed the allegation that it was illegal to apply a contractual collection charge.”

However HFC (HSBC) wrote this to me when I was trying to recover the charge on behalf of a customer:

Who is telling the truth?