Hsbc

mark84_2

This isn’t strictly about reclaiming bank charges, rather charges I am extremely unhappy about having to pay. My partner recently finished University in York and I had been living with her and 2 friends who were also students. We opened a shared account for bills with HSBC about a year ago and it worked well for all of us. However, as my partner finished her course we moved back to our home town and the 2 other housemates are at home for the summer – returning in mid September. While everyone was away a bill was taken out of the account that we were not aware of. As no-one was living in the house at the time, no letters were picked up and of course no phone calls were made. Eventually, someone rang the ‘chair person’ of the account to tell her that we owed them money.

HSBC had been charging us £8 per day we were overdrawn and then an automatic £100 penalty after a certain length of time had elapsed (unfortunately I haven’t got the details exactly clear because they will only speak to the chair person or secretary) so we now owe them to the tune of £320 for being overdrawn for 2-3 weeks. It turns out that they had given us a ‘business account’ (again, apologies for lack of clarity) and we hadn’t been aware until this problem cropped up. So now we are expected to cough up these charges when I am currently out of work, 2 of the others are students and my partner has a part-time job. The chairperson has been arguing with them for 2 weeks to no avail and we’re at our wits end.

If anyone could offer any advice on where we stand, I would be very grateful. As is generally the case I fully anticipate the bank will hold all the cards and we’ll have to pay but worth a shot. Suffice to say I will never use them for banking again, I’ve never known charges like it.

TG82

Either pay it and then try to claim back later, which as far as I'm aware should be possible.

Or, don't pay it, send a letter off now to reclaim, and use hardship as your plea because there's an argument that all four of you, or at least 3 of you, are in hardship. That's the one I would choose.

But I wouldn't sound so defeatist if I were you. The reason banks take these liberties is because they can convince us that they hold all the cards. Since 2006, the public have realised they don't.

First thing's first, get all your statements and ring around all your charges. Keep the statements and don't lose them. Don't mention reclaiming until you have all your statements, because they can be strangely 'unhelpful' and selective in their information if they know you're requesting your statements to reclaim.