Nat West Claim - have decided to try Financial hardship route

Brightness

I have been trying unsuccessfully since 30/07/07 to reclaim my charges from NatWest but after reading on here yesterday the following info.....

Do you repeatedly exceed your credit card or overdraft limit without agreement?

Translation: Self explanatory. It then goes on to say that “where a complainant has incurred over £500 in unauthorised overdraft charges in the previous 12 months, that is to be treated as indicative of financial difficulty”.

(this can be found here http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/bank-charges-hardship )

I decided to take matters a bit further and have written them the following letter .....


Dear Sir or Madam,

Re. Account number: XXXXXXXX. Sort code: XX-XX-XX

I refer to default charges applied to my account amounting to £1835.92 which I have already requested you pay back.
I first wrote to you on 30 June 2007, making the original request for a payment in settlement of my claim. I understand that the issue of bank charges has now been put on hold by the FSA. However, I have today been calculating up to date the bank charges plus interest at 8% to date and note that the FSA’s definition of Financial Hardship states …

“A complainant is considered to be in financial difficulty when his or her income is insufficient to cover reasonable living expenses and meet financial commitments as they become due.”

The FSA also states…

“where a complainant has incurred over £500 in unauthorised overdraft charges in the previous 12 months, that is to be treated as indicative of financial difficulty”.

I think that you will find that your bank charged me a total of £807 between the dates of 02 January 2008 and 02 November 2008.
In addition to this, you will find that my income comes from benefits; it’s highly questionable whether a bank should be effectively reducing my benefit income by charging me. Whilst I understand that it is not illegal for banks to take charges from my benefit income, though it can be illegal to deduct some other charges from benefit income.

Whilst I am still living on benefits and will be for the foreseeable future -Incapacity Benefit & DLA due to the fact that I am now registered disabled after a road accident & Child Tax Credit and Child Benefit due to having a son still in education I would ask that you consider my case now, before the official decision is made.

I also think that the FSA would be interested to hear that Nat West’s answer to my financial difficulties caused by charges was to offer me a loan, which I felt that I had no option but to accept. I have since paid out £709.48 in interest on this loan since 23 June 2008.

I enclose a full print out of charges applied to my account from 01 August 2006 to present date. The latest charge amazed me as I never actually went overdrawn but a cheque paid into my account had not cleared in time and so I was hit with a £38 charge – almost half of my weekly income!

I also include a statement of the loan account to date.

I look forward to a full response to this letter within 14 days; otherwise I will refer my case to the FSA and banking ombudsman to reclaim my money.

Yours faithfully,

****************

I will keep the board informed of any developments but knowing them they will just send another form to fill in. I am wondering if it is worth following it up with a phone call tomorrow as well though?

natweststaffmember

DO you have priority debt arrears(mortgage.rent, council tax utilities)?

Brightness

No, that's the only thing. We've gone without loads of other stuff just to make sure we paid them - maybe I am a bit daft, I don't know!

natweststaffmember

Brightness wrote: »

No, that's the only thing. We've gone without loads of other stuff just to make sure we paid them - maybe I am a bit daft, I don't know!

They may not consider you to be in financial hardship which is why I asked the question so I guess the next thing then is to ask about whether there are credit card charges as well?

Brightness

Usually £12 a month overlimit fee which galls me as I pay it by direct transfer (their so called fast transfer) over a week before it's due, yet they never seem to get the payment on time and of course they then say I am over the limit. In reality, if the payments were credited when they say they should be then I wouldn't have to pay any charges!

It's a NW CC btw so how come it takes 10 days for it to move from my current account to my CC????? *shakes head in despair*

natweststaffmember

Brightness wrote: »

Usually £12 a month overlimit fee which galls me as I pay it by direct transfer (their so called fast transfer) over a week before it's due, yet they never seem to get the payment on time and of course they then say I am over the limit. In reality, if the payments were credited when they say they should be then I wouldn't have to pay any charges!

It's a NW CC btw so how come it takes 10 days for it to move from my current account to my CC????? *shakes head in despair*

It doesn't. I've used online payments from NatWest to NatWest Credit card which has been on faster payments system or same day. However, you can reclaim those charges

Brightness

Thanks, will ask them to send copies of statements I can't find and try reclaiming. The annoying thing is that I pay other things this way and they get there same day. Even the branch manager, whom I have known for over 20 yrs is disgusted at the way the bank has treated me

natweststaffmember

Brightness wrote: »

Thanks, will ask them to send copies of statements I can't find and try reclaiming. The annoying thing is that I pay other things this way and they get there same day. Even the branch manager, whom I have known for over 20 yrs is disgusted at the way the bank has treated me

Is it going natwest to natwest?
can you double check that the details are correct, for example, is the long number across the middle of the card on the narrative when the payment is sent?

natweststaffmember

Double check that the sort code it is going to is : 621970 and that the account number is 00000000 and the narrative/reference is your credit card number which should sort out the issue, I hope.

Brightness

Yes NatWest to NatWest and I just use the pay credit card button on the internet screen as I use internet banking and paperless statements. Sometimes it goes through in a day but other times it takes 10 days. this is why my branch manager is so disgusted that he has even phoned their main centre himself saying that he can see that the money has left my current account so why hasn't it come off my CC immediately.

Thanks for your help anyway :beer: will let you know what, if anything happens

natweststaffmember

Brightness wrote: »

Yes NatWest to NatWest and I just use the pay credit card button on the internet screen as I use internet banking and paperless statements. Sometimes it goes through in a day but other times it takes 10 days. this is why my branch manager is so disgusted that he has even phoned their main centre himself saying that he can see that the money has left my current account so why hasn't it come off my CC immediately.

Thanks for your help anyway :beer: will let you know what, if anything happens

I use the same method at times and other times I use another account. Have you added the credit card to your online accounts so you can view the statement?