Shock of bank charges

Burlesque_Babe

I was doing so well this month .

I'd got some money in my paypal account for the groceries, the Council Tax and water rates don't get taken from this month's salary and so I was able to chuck a bit extra atthe debts and know i'd be about £150 below my o/d limit this month - something to give me a little 'springboard' to start clearing my debts as you can see in my sig.

I was shocked on Thursday when I looked at my onnline current account (the Abbey). There was £150 worth of charges and I can honestly say I haven't the foggiest idea where they came from. Each was for paying a DD whilst over my o/d limit. Now, for the last 3 or 4 months,I've gone about £4 or so over my o/d limit and have been duly slapped on the wrist each month with a £20 or £30 charge for doing this. I managed to get a £35 returned DD fee refunded as it was bounced for going less than £1 over my limit and i'd also paid in plenty of cash on the same day - over my limit for 8 hours for less than £1 cost wouldhave cost me £35! :eek:

However, I really couldn't see where they had been incurred, so I've written a letter asking for the details of exactly what they are for . I've added a paragraph from one of the set letters (the one about the OFT saying they can't charge them if they don't represent the timespent etc etc)

I'll wait and see what happens. Only problem is, I'm a bit scared that writing to them will make them say they are going to withdraw my £1200 o/d limit. I wanted to go in all guns blazing with the template letter, but didn't dare. I need that account for my DD's etc .

I really don't know what they are for, i've had no letters , nothing

klare_2

i think all you have to do is stick without predjudice at the top of the letter from what ive read on the action against banks web site,, sure someone will be able to clarify that. But dont worry about challenging these chages!!! they are rogues!!

crawley_girl

Hiya

Have a look at https://www.bankchargeshell.co.uk and https://www.bankactiongroup.co.uk for some more advice. Both of those sites have given me the confidence to approach my bank & credit cards and ask for the charges back.

With regards to your bank withdrawing the o/d, I think it is unlikely, but perhaps you want to think about switching banks... remember to choose one that gives you cashback via Quidco or one of the others or gives you an initial bonus for opening a new account.

Good luck and I hope you get your money back.

:heartpuls CG :heartpuls

inmypocketnottheirs

Write the letter as per the sites in crwley_girls post and get your money back. I had £1300 refunded by the co-op in January. I made a silly miscalulation last week and exceeded my £100 limit by £1.77 and got stung for £35. I just wrote the letter below, and the £35 was back in my account within 48 hours.


Dear Sirs

I am a little surprised to see when checking my account this morning a commission charge of £35 for an item that would, if paid, taken my account over the £100 overdraft by the amount of £1.77.

Naturally, as you will understand, I feel that this fee is excessive. Furthermore, as per our previous correspondence, this commission charge is disproportionate and does not represent liquidated losses and it is not a forecast of the cost or loss to the bank. It is therefore a punitive fine, and has been levied on an ‘ad terorem’ basis.

Under these circumstances, this charge is unenforceable. It is unenforceable because it has been applied due to a breach in the terms and conditions of the account; and as you are now aware punitive fines are unenforceable for breach of contract. I cite again three cases where this view has been upheld:

Murray v Leisureplay (2004)

Dunlop Tyre Company v New Garage and Motor Co. (1915)

Bridge v. Campbell Discount Co. Ltd. (1962)

Please therefore refund this charge to my account, within the next seven days, or I shall be forced to commence legal action. Cost and interest will be added.


Yours sincerely


Hope this helps

lynzpower

I tell you what the more and more I see of the bank charges group and others, the more convinced I am that trying to claim back these charges is definatley a good idea.

Last payment a DD was returned from barclaycard not enough for the DD. £70 all in all :eek: A quick phone call had them refunded immiediately, saying "Its not my fault that I couldnt pay it" ( employers made a major mess up with my wages this month) and " i simply cannot pay these charges" tiny bit of sweet talking " Oh thank you SO much for your help you have really made a massive difference to my life". Just asking costs nothing at the time.

It got me thinking of the hundreds Ive paid in charges over the years and Im setting off on my mission today to get an idea ( although not comprehensive record - Ill get the bank to give me that ) of exacly how much Ive paid to Lloyds over the years ( most months up till v recently Ive got £35 for going over my overdraft, sometimes by pence only) and Ive had that account since 2000! Bet theres plenty of money I can claim back with the support from here, the template letters and some steely determination! Heres hoping :T

Burlesque_Babe

An update.....had a letter today from the Abbey along with their complaints leaflet - sorry you felt you must complain (!)....investigating.......want to do thorough investigation.....will write to you within four weeks.......don't know what the outcome will be, do hope we'll be able to find a solution that you're happy with (!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Trouble is, I'd budgeted well, to just fall under my o/d limit......but whilst this has been going on (the charges took me just over my o/d imit) my car insurance dd was taken on Friday - and they've bounced it........so that's another charge for next month, which I will definitely contest as they are taking so long to sort this out.

EDIT

I've got a bit brave....I had two other charges this year, and i've written a letter to ask for those back as well. I've also asked for some old bank statements (with the help of info found here!!) for a period about 5 years ago. I became very ill and my finances fell apart and I paid a fortune for about a year or more in charges from the Abbey - they actually withdrew my o/d altogether for going about £200 over it each month and made me pay it back by £100 a month. I had to go into the bank each month on pay day, withdraw cash to pay the bills as they cancelled all my DD's, go to the Nat West, pay all the bills over the counter (I have a Nat West basic account and you can't pay bills over the counter with the Abbey) and repeat that each month until the £1200 o/d was paid off. i've asked for them under the Data Protection Act and quoted the relevant case.

It was a very difficult time - I spent many months off my face on morphine and had to undo a real financial mess. I think that is why I'm scared of going in all guns blazing, in case they do it again (I pay all the bills/mortage on my own now, so would need to have an account with aDD facility)

anyway, i've written the letter - will send it tomorrow. It's a mixture of bits from other posters - thankou to anyone I've pinched bits from!

Burlesque_Babe

Why do I need to add 'without prejudice' to the top of the letter? I'll need to remember to do it when I print it off

Kesca

Hi

I am very new to this and have been reading through the threads about bank charges. I don’t get any my self however my mum has received about £2000 worth of charges over the last 6 years.

I would just like to say that it wasn’t her fault to start with, she was in her overdraft (which would have been fine) and then used her card in a shop so they charged her £20 for this transaction and then another £35 for going over her overdraft. The thing that makes me annoyed is that she wouldn’t have been over her overdraft if they hadn’t of charged her for the visa payment.

Not knowing this my mum continued to use her card every month meaning she got at least £100 worth of charges for the visa payments, taking her over her overdraft causing her to be charged again. It has turned into a never ending circle of debt now for her

I have looked through her statements for the last 6 years but have found that she is missing a lot of them. My question is, is there any way I could get copies of these statements without being charged for them? For information purposes the bank is Abbey national and they charge £5 per statement and my mum needs about 11 of them 

Please help my mum!

Thank you in advance

lynzpower

My understanding is that if you write "without prejudice at the top of the letter it means it CANNOT ever be read out or noted in court, so DONT write that.

bank charges group have quite a lot of discussion about this!

Burlesque_Babe

I requested my old statements from 5 years ago via Abbey online and got a letter on Saturday from the same guy who wrote to me last week saying they had received my electronic request for statements and it had been passed to the archive department.

I didn't send the second letter in the end, and they didn't mention any charge for the old statements, so I'll see what arrives.

Account still showing all the charges so nothing to expect today (unless it's a bog off!)

jitsuguy

Hi Keren,

Maybe you should just switch banks and start-a-fresh and consider your overdraft another debt and pay it off a bit per month. They may say you need to put a minimum amout in per month. All you have to do to get round this is pay the amount in and take it back out again! There computer system will register it as the minimum amount going in!

Then you can ask for all your charges back!

Jitsuguy