Bank Charges - illegal?

May

Hi everyone.

I got a letter back from my bank. They are still refusing to cancel the charges on my account - they blamed it on the high costs of the machinery used to print letters!?!?!

Haven't got the letter with me today but I will post a quote from it later showing you all their feeble excuse for their high charges.

westernpromise

May wrote:

Hi everyone.

I got a letter back from my bank. They are still refusing to cancel the charges on my account - they blamed it on the high costs of the machinery used to print letters!?!?!

Haven't got the letter with me today but I will post a quote from it later showing you all their feeble excuse for their high charges.

They may well have just made a huge tactical error.

If you take them to court, they will have to either stick to and prove that ludicrous story, or change it and admit they lied. If they admit to having lied they destroy their own credibility.

dchurch24

Superb news. The cost of the machinery is quantifiable, and would be called upon to be produced in court - the likelyhood is that they have recouped the initial outlay for the machinery years ago, proving that the charges are now disproportionate and therefore a penalty.

Bonus. Hold on to that letter!

virgin_moneysaver

dchurch24 wrote:

Is that specific to Natwest?

Alienfingers was asking about Natwest statements so it was Natwests fee that I was quoting

May

So everyone, not quite sure how to word my letter to them advising that they would have to provide proof in court of the running costs, maintenance and business rates - as they've also quoted this to me.

any ideas?

dchurch24

I wouldn't worry, just start proceedings against them - they've had more than enough chances to give it back.

Start proceedings against them and let them worry about how/when they've got to counter your proof. Your proof being that they provide cheque books, pay dd's, SO's etc... when the funds are there without a charge - therefore, as banks do nothing for free, it must cost them next to nothing to provide these services - the same as it costs them NOT to provide them.

comicmankev

My bank has refused to list charges on my account, I thought they all did that?

inmypocketnottheirs

comicmankev wrote:

My bank has refused to list charges on my account, I thought they all did that?

comicman, so have mine. I have almost all pages for the last 6 years and there are probably about a dozen out of 300 odd that I don't have. I am unwilling to pay £5 per page, and my bank says they have given me the information on my statements. They say I can commission a 'Subject Access Report' under the Data Protection Act, for a tenner. I already have one of those, and all that shows is all the notes and correspondence on the account.

I am going to give them a second chance 7 day warning to pay the amount that I can prove, about £1300 and forgo any charges that may be on the missing pages.

Somehow or other, I don't think they are going to be too willing to refund, but I am prepared to go the full distance on this one.

Cheers for now! :beer:

comicmankev

It actually made me laugh, because they said they could not send me a list of charges but I could get a copy of ALL of the last 6 years statements for FREE! Of course, I requested but not holding out hope. They said that to get older than 1 year may take up to 6 weeks. Watch this space!

keitho1234

Im a bit unsure if a friend of mine would be entitled to a refund on her "charges" when she has gone over her agreed overdraft. Can i clarify that a penalty charge is for doing something you shouldnt have done ie gone over your agreed overdraft and a normal charge is for things like foreign currency, withdrawing money etc? I have actually told them over the phone that i believe charges for going overdrawn like sending out a letter is not in relation to the loss incurred by them, but all they would say is its "standard charge" even when i asked for a breakdown in the cost to them. Any advice on this would be most appreciated.