Can someone help me reclaim bank charges from Natwest??desperate

camilla87

Hello there

I'm having problems with my bank account charges from Natwest.
I don't really know how to get my money back but I'm so fustrated cause since few months they are trying to rip me off month by moth by taking £28 from my account.

This is how it started.

I'm with Natwest over a year.At the begining I've opened a golden advatage current account which costed me monthly £12 /wasn't aware of it at the time/ with £0 overdraft.

After I realised that I've change account to the basic one.
/didn't use all the bonuses that they offer/ but that's really not the point.

Couple a months ago I've received a letter from Natwest that's for some reason a went overdraft /less that £5/ and they will charge me for that £12 + this about £5 overdraft.
I was a bit suprised because if I have no overdraft how did they let me go on minus??
To be honest I did ignored this thinking OK once I'll get pay I'll pay them back £17 (!) and Because I'm getting monthly pay I had to wait for that 2 weeks.
And then all the troubles begin.Now because I went overdraft as little as a few pounds I have to pay them another charges upfront which now is £28 for the next few months.
I went to the bank and said I wan't to pay what I owe and no more than that and the lady said even if a pay this amount I still will have to pay the charges of £28 for the next 3,4 months or even more /if I won't have money on that day they claim/

That is rip off! they took from me more than a £100 already and want to take more just beacuse I went as little as few pound overdraft /which I haven't got/

Can someone please help what should I do step by step to stop that and get my money back?!
Thank you

natweststaffmember

Martin has a guide to reclaiming the charges back but the OFT test case is ongoing so the likelyhood is that the case would be put on hold while that process is ongoing. The bank is under no obligation to refund any money as it stand today. That may change once the final resolution of the OFT test case is completed(most predictions are 2009). With regards to the maintenance charges, the maximum on top of anything you would pay in advance of closing the account would be 2 months worth ie £56 not the 3 or 4 months that may have been quoted.

camilla87

the problem is I don't know what to do in MY sytuation
what kind of letter to use or if is better go to branch again .

I just know I won't leave it like this.

I've seen guide but can't see the answer to my problem.
They all seems to be more to credit cards holders and I haven't got one.

still waiting for help...

natweststaffmember

There is a bank charges guide

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If you read Bank Charges Reclaiming News to the right of this post on the sidebar which says "ones not to miss". That is about Bank Charges reclaiming.

aloiseb

Unfortunately banks are very good at letting you have enough rope to hang yourself with, as you've found.......(as I did to my cost with my first bank account.....long story...but yours reminded me....)
they will let you get a tiny overdraft and the charges will be out of all proportion. :eek:

I guess what has happened is that the terms and conditions of your new account say that you'll be charged an amount for their handling your account, which will probably be lots more if it's in overdraft...no matter how small (sounds like it's £28 a month, from what you say). That's obviously how they make their money on accounts which are sold as "free" - in hindsight, unless you were able never to go overdrawn at all, you might have been better off sticking with the £12 a month Golden account if it allowed you to have any overdraft facility (and even then you have to pay the interest on the overdraft...you just won't have to pay to be allowed to overdraw)

Joke isn't it? Still, what're you going to do? Keeping the money under the mattress isn't really an option these days.

Personally I went into the bank, threw a wobbly about how awful they were, and closed my account. I then started an account with another bank (which was equally awful I'm sure, but because of my first experience I haven't gone overdrawn without permission).
You could check your terms and conditions in the leaflets they gave you when you opened your accounts, and if the bank has done anything other than what they said they would do, you might have grounds to complain. Especially if you feel that they didn't check you understood what the bank account might cost, when you were there in the branch opening the account.
re "Reclaiming your bank charges..."on this website......If you have to wait for the government / FSA /whatever they are this week, to decide that ALL our bank charges are unfair, it's my view that you may well have a long wait......especially in the present financial mess the world seems to have gotten itself into.

camilla87

it is a big joke. I don't remember that anyone would explain to me something about the overdrawn, especially when it's been said I've got no overdrawn but can request to have one after at least 2 months or so /once they check if I'm good customer/.So being logical how could I go overdrawn if I signed that I haven't got one and that means I shouldn't even have an option to go minus.
That was they first step to trick me and they just keep on charging intrest on intrest.

So what should I do? still let them charge me mothly from £0/like a basic account should have/ to £28 like nothing happend?
When I will now I can do something about it?

natweststaffmember

Camilla, I advised you to reclaim charges back. I am afraid I would respond to aloiseb but I think it would veer towards being abusive. The Bank will not refund the charges. You can shout and scream in the branch but that will not change the decision. You need to claim the charges back using Martin's Guide. The OFT test case which aloiseb alludes to is currently ongoing and is unlikely to see a resolution until next year at the earliest. I can advise you how the charges work and if you want to close the account, the charges, and any pending will have to be paid. I hope it helps and I can advise further.

camilla87

What I'm thinking is that I should cancel my card and get new one in some other bank.That's the only way to stop the charges.

Is there is any rules in my sytuation that they won't let me cancel that easy even If I just give them back what I owe and then leave?

Will I have any problems with getting a new account after Natwest charges? Does that show on the system and giving me bad credit in a future?

sezmcd

Camilla,
I had to do exactly this, & moved from Halifax to Lloyds. The charges stopped after a few months as I was no longer banking with Halifax. But you must remember to change all your direct debis, standing orders etc to your new bank, otherwise, when the direct debit is "called for", there wont be any money in your old account as your salary will be in your new one.
Hope this makes sense.

aloiseb

I'm sorry you feel abusive towards me, Natweststaffmember. Maybe the training they give staff in how to handle new accounts is superior now, but it does seem strange that the OP doesn't seem to have been aware that it was still possible for her to go overdrawn, even though it wasn't "allowed" by her account. That is what I meant about being given enough rope to hang oneself.

Banks - and credit card companies - seem to be good at this. I've just been watching a heartbreaking TV programme featuring a lot of people about to lose "everything" - homes, cars, the lot - because they have so much debt. The sad part is that they could have managed very well without a lot of the luxuries, if only they hadn't had those tempting credit card cheques, and ever-increasing credit limits, given to them when they were in work and nothing had gone wrong for them.

I know financial institutions aren't Father Christmas, but they do a very good impersonation at times.

I dont' think making a fuss in the branch will get the OP her charges back - not if they were valid - and agree that going through Martin's guide is a good idea. It just seems unlikely - as you say - that any money will appear any time soon.

OP (if you'restill reading!) you need to talk to them at your bank and find out how you can get out of an account which is obviously unsatisfactory for you. I hope you find one which is more straightforward, and this time you will know to ask the right questions.
hth Aloise

NATWESTequalCON

(Sorry to mention names but frankly I'm disgusted)
I have had a similar experience with natwest on opening an account. My story (happily overall) is that I am not short of cash and opened a current account with regards to perhaps shifting my isa & and opening possible further savings accounts. This was done partly online but because this was problematic it was finnished in branch - (PENZANCE). When my first statement came through I was horrified to see advice note on future charges and was on the phone to my branch immediately (Please note I opened accounts with 5 other banks in town at the same time and only had (still having) problems with natwest), It took a week for them to find this out but Apparently I was put on the advantage blue package (ofcourse making me overdrawn as i hadnt yet deposited any money) without my knowledge (alledgedly done by myself online) I was told this could not be cancelled for 4 mths, but they were looking into it, I was reasured not to worry etc and even told charges would be cancelled or refunded later (so ofcourse I didnt bother to deposit any money still). To cut along story short I had to waste what seemed like a deliberately prolonged amount of time by being forced to go into branch (cash in hand) to try and sort this mess out, where a Stewart Boon lied to my face by denying that he said charges would be refunded. A Becky Baker (who opened my account and had been the main one handling my complaint) to'd and frowed between myself and the back room, In the end I had to deposit £100 to stop the roll over of maintenece charges and interest into several future months, also she cancelled the original unwanted advantgage blue account (or did she - more on this in a sec - do they receive commision?). Anyway all seemingly resolved, in the last month I have sent my letter to Natwest received a reply and promptly sent my second letter regarding bank charges. This aside today I was livid to open my natwest statement with advice note on further fee's!! I thought we had capped all this, I am absoloutely livid with natwest. I am awaiting a calll back from my local branch now. MY ADVICE IS AVOID NATWEST LIKE THE PLAGUE!