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Overdrawn charge

Just had two letters from RBS saying I will be charged £28 and £30 relating to going overdrawn last weekend. It was in a standard interest paying current account - not my main account which had plenty of funds.

Having discussed the incident at length with my branch they are only willing to refund the charge of £28.

Here’s the situation…


On the Saturday 05/07 I made a switch transaction for £43 in a major high street retailer. – I had funds available, the branch have confirmed this and that the system would have verified I had funds. This would also reduce the ‘available funds’ in my account, which is displayed in digital banking.

On Tuesday 08/07 I login to digital banking around 1130am and move £45.00 of available funds from my account into another RBS account. At this time the switch transaction had still not debited from my account. If I never had available funds I wouldn’t have been able to move the money out of my account.

Staff at the branch have stated the switch payment was not debited during working hours of Tuesday 08/07. – they say it must have been debited after close of business.

On Wednesday 09/07 I login to digital banking and see a credit of £50.00 has settled in my account, leaving a balance of around £12. I also note that the £43 switch transaction was seemingly debited the previous day, thus rendering me as being overdrawn the previous day.


However as pointed out above the branch have confirmed the debit did not hit my account on the Tuesday during working hours.


Can anyone advise were I stand?
If a debit is taken after close of business, surely this is the following day? This has always been the case before?
Never have I seen a cheque or switch debit taken from an account that has not appeared on the account during the working hours the statement says it left, ie on Tuesday 08/07 I would have expected to have seen this on digital banking
Is it legal for them to take 2 charges relating to the one incident?

Comments

  • RedBern
    RedBern Posts: 1,237 Forumite
    youre not very clear - are you saying you bought something on Saturday - the payment for which wasn't taken until Tuesday - by which time you'd moved the funds you thought were available to pay for that into another account - and in the meantime had a credit for £50 which would have covered the money you transferred? The £43 should have shown as 'not available' as it would have been in the system to be taken from you - and I was under the impression that any payments made in/out of accounts after 3.30pm are 'next day' payments....

    It sounds like they are trying to be helpful - by only taking one charge - but I'd still go back and query it further. Were you overdrawn - (take the timing out of the equation - simple question) - in which case they'll make you pay - but I'd still go back to them....
    Bern :j
  • Saturday
    £43 transaction.
    there was sufficient funds and the available balance had decreased accordingly.

    Tuesday
    I logged into account (as I had on Saturday night, Sunday & Monday) and the debit was still not showing. I proceeded to move out all of the available balance, except £10.28.

    Wednesday
    I logged into account. £50 had settled in my account. The debit for £43 had been taken the previous day. The bank have since confirmed this was not taken by close of business on the Tuesday.

    So if it wasnt taken, how can they turn around in retrospect and say it was?

    Also, why two charges? £58 seems a little excessive!!
  • Kavanne
    Kavanne Posts: 5,093 Forumite
    The £30 sounds like the paid referral fee. Scroll down on this page for an explanation: http://www.rbs.co.uk/personal/current-accounts/g2/charges.ashx
    Kavanne
    Nuns! Nuns! Reverse!

    'I do my job, do you do yours?'

  • Kavanne wrote: »
    The £30 sounds like the paid referral fee. Scroll down on this page for an explanation: http://www.rbs.co.uk/personal/current-accounts/g2/charges.ashx

    Indeed it is. So can they take both a Paid Referral Fee and a Maintenance Charge for the same transaction?
  • YorkshireBoy
    YorkshireBoy Posts: 31,541 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    So can they take both a Paid Referral Fee and a Maintenance Charge for the same transaction?
    Yes, because they're not for the same transaction. One has triggered the other.

    The lack of funds created the paid referral fee. This then resulted in an overdrawn balance for which the monthly maintenance fee has been charged.
  • Yes, because they're not for the same transaction. One has triggered the other.

    The lack of funds created the paid referral fee. This then resulted in an overdrawn balance for which the monthly maintenance fee has been charged.


    Hmmm I can see where you (and the bank) are coming from however surely the description of a paid referral fee means on it will be applied as a result of going overdrawn from a switch transaction?

    A Paid Referral Fee will be payable if:
    you informally request an overdraft by issuing instructions for a withdrawal or other payment on your account; and the payment cannot be met from the funds in your account or any unused arranged overdraft facility; and we decide in our discretion to make the payment, so that an unarranged overdraft is created or increased.
  • £30 is a paid referral fee and the account being overdrawn seems to suggest that the £28 that is a maintenance charge will be charged at the end of next month(as it looks like the overdrawn account is during the current charging period).
    A switch transaction is "issuing instructions for a withdrawal on your account".
    You should not have transferred the funds out of the account, in hindsight, as there was still a transaction due to go out.
    I have not worked for NatWest Bank since February 2009

    This username is no longer active.
  • chambta
    chambta Posts: 2,770 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    A couple of years ago maybe both charges would have been waived but at the present time branches have very little leeway.
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