charges have left me with no food on the table

lauradora

Bloody hell i'm in a right panic. I know by now i should know the answer to this sort of question but I can't think straight. A & L have taken 75 quid out of my accoun this morning saying that I should have transferred my bill money a day early.

This is my statement.

01 MAY 2009 DIRECT DEBIT BT DIRECT DEBITS £11.00 £-1564.23
01 MAY 2009 DIRECT DEBIT YORKSHIRE WATER £36.10 £-1553.23
01 MAY 2009 DIRECT DEBIT TV LICENCE MBP £12.01 £-1517.13
01 MAY 2009 PAYMENT REVIEW FEE - ITEM PAID £25.00 £-1505.12
01 MAY 2009 PAYMENT REVIEW FEE - ITEM PAID £25.00 £-1480.12
01 MAY 2009 PAYMENT REVIEW FEE - ITEM PAID £25.00 £-1455.12
01 MAY 2009 TRANSFER ON 01MAY £60.00 £-1430.12
01 MAY 2009 CARD PMNT 30APR ASDA SUPERSTOR £13.20 £-1490.12


thay have said thateven though it looks like the money was in before it wasn't really and its my fault for not paying the money in early. The Od on this acc is 1500 quid and as you can see this will leave me 64.23 over my limit. Which of course they will charge me for even more.

HELP PLEASE!!! Can they do this to me????

This will take another week to pay back if I wait for my benefots to come in and then i'll still be left with nothing to put food on the table with

dunstonh

thay have said thateven though it looks like the money was in before it wasn't really and its my fault for not paying the money in early.

They are correct. The direct debits would have been showing on the account around 4am on 1st May. This is why the banks tell you that you should pay the money in by at least the day before. For example, the bank could have already taken action to bounce those direct debits by 10am. If you then pay in at 2pm its too late.

Can they do this to me????

Until the claims court case is finalised, yes they can. If the court case rules against the banks then they wont be able to and you can claim the charges back (nothing stops you starting the process now).

Squire_Fulwood

Well you have certainly stolen my thunder. I spoke to Alliance and Leicester this morning to ask why I had been charged £25 since I had a standing order to pay £600 into this account from another on the 1st. of every month.

It was patiently explained to me that whereas the statement acknowledges this, the available balance is not updated until another day has passed and this is my fault. I understand now of course. The bank loses my money for 24 hrs and if this causes me difficulty then they charge me £25 for the inconvenience.

This is a bit revealing since I have two accounts, one of which I call the teapot and the standing order is from my main account and into this one in the same bank. A computer runs overnight and makes the money go away for a days holiday. It's getting clearer all the time.

I am told that they may pay the money back to me since I have not been naughty before but this could take up to 28 days.

borgbaiter

hi

not all banks do this.

it may be worth moving banks if possible. You should also be aware that A&L will charge you daily (£5 per day i believe) until your account is back in credit. if you cant resolve this quickly it will certainly get worse.

in my experience A&L was the worst bank i have been with.




Borgbaiter

lauradora

thanks for that guys...things have progressively got worse this week aswell as another DD has conveniently been paid by them for which they have charged me another 25 quid. I'm off to look for another current account!.......

natweststaffmember

lauradora wrote: »

thanks for that guys...things have progressively got worse this week aswell as another DD has conveniently been paid by them for which they have charged me another 25 quid. I'm off to look for another current account!.......

Laura, get your SAR to the bank and total up the charges. If you have priority debt arrears(mortgage/rent, council tax, utilities), then put a claim in for financial hardship which the banks' deal with prior to the OFT test case issues being resolved.

Intergalactic_Floozie

Alliance & Leicester are flipping awful to owe money to. They charge you £5 per day without telling you, and you get hit with a big bill one month, pay it, get your next statement and there's more charges on there. I was charged £90 for going £3 overdrawn. I hate them