Dispute of charges- are they frozen?

keasby

Hi there. I could be imagining this but I'm sure I heard that once you dispute your bank charges (i.e. put in a claim for them) the bank cannot apply further charges based on these charges.

My example- I am £180 in excess at Natwest. I have claimed £382 in charges, so I would theoretically be £200 in credit, and I have just been charged £28 for being in excess, after the date they acknowledged receiving my letter.

Should this be allowed or have I got the wrong end of the stick from somewhere?

Any advice is welcome.

Orford

or have I got the wrong end of the stick from somewhere?

Afraid so.Until the final decision of the OFT test case, there is nothing to stop banks adding further charges, but of course you can add these to any claim.

Under the FSA waiver directions for financial hardship claims, a bank may decide to put a hold on charges:

15.
When dealing with complainants in financial difficulty, the firm should consider the following steps in respect of the period during which they are assessed as being in financial difficulty:

(a) the firm might waive future unauthorised overdraft charges; and

(b) the firm might not enforce debts against complainants in financial difficulty to the extent that these debts are made up of unauthorised overdraft charges.

keasby

Curses!

Thanks for the promt reply. I shall persevere, although I had a 'garuntee' that, should the bank decide to repay the charges, they would refund any charges acrued in the mean time...

We shall see

Orford

although I had a 'garuntee' that, should the bank decide to repay the charges, they would refund any charges acrued in the mean time...

We shall see

That's also covered by the FSA waiver:

(15)
to the extent that sums are ultimately to be paid to complainants in respect of relevant charges complaints that have been stayed, the firm must include in these sums an element of compensation in respect of interest charged to or lost by the customer as a result of being out of money during the stay period;