Abbey and their unfair overcharging

Hi guys. I really need some advice. My bank in this case ‘Abbey’ has made several charges for may for being over my approved overdraft with totals to £160 for last month. I was laid of from work in April and so there had been a cash flow problem which unfortunately led me to go overdrawn.

My main gripe is this. Fair enough I suppose I am entitled to be fined for being overdrawn but I cannot see how they can justify taking £80 on two occasions in May.

Subsequently as they took the next £80 at the end of May it has made me overdrawn for a DD that I had taken out on 2 June which now I am told by Abbey that I will incur a further £35 for going overdrawn yet again.

I read the post: http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=115112 and I really need some good advice from dchurch24 or any one else how can offer some good advice on how to try and recover some of the money back from these robbing crooks.

I got charged £20 for ‘Charge for an overdraft that has not been authorised’ on the 1st May.

Then again on the same day a £30 charge for clearing a DD/SO while overdrawn & a further £30 clearing a Visa payment while overdrawn.

They did the same thing to me on the 31st May. A £20 charge for a non authorised overdraft and 2 x £30 for clearing a DD/SO while being overdrawn. For basically a further £80.

I agree with dchurch24 I would have rather them not pay the DD and just refuse it rather than making me incur a further £35 this month for taking out that £80 in my account and now making me go over my overdraft yet again. I would have been quite happy to have my DD refused and paid it late next week when the funds were in my account.

The thing that made me laugh when I spoke to the woman on the telephone banking is she said that Abbey were ‘doing me a favour’ by letting me off £10 and only charging me £80 instead of the £90. Arrrh, how nice of them.

I told the lady that I will be seeking legal advice for this unfair and in my opinion illegal charge. This a form of legal robbery. How do I go about taking them to court?

Thanks in advance for any help given.