MSE News: Anger over new Halifax overdraft fees

anna42hmr

wishface wrote: »

Lloyds TSB for instance wouldn't touch me because I didn't have a drivers license or passport, and they will ONLY consider both.

.

are you sure, as their website lists the following as acceptable

You can use the following documents as proof of identity:

• UK/EEA/EU passport
• UK/EEA/EU photo driving license. Driving licenses that do not have a photo are not acceptable
• EU/EEA National Identity Card
• Northern Ireland Voters Card
• Young Scot Card (under 18s only) - this can be accepted at all branches
• Firearms or shotgun license

Customers from the following countries can use their passport with a valid Visa as an acceptable form of identity:

• Australia
• Canada
• Hong Kong
• Japan
• New Zealand
• Singapore
• South Africa
• USA

If you cannot provide one of the above, you will need to produce one document as proof of your identity and an additional document as proof of your address as follows:

Proof of Identity

• State pension notification letter
• Current UK non photo driving license
• Blue disabled drivers pass
• All other current signed passports with valid UK Visa not listed above

Proof of address

• Non-Lloyds TSB bank, credit card or building society statement (we do not accept statements printed off the internet)
• Current UK driving licence (only if it is not being used as your proof of identification)
• Utility bill dated within the last 3 months
• Local authority tax bill for current year
• Benefits or pensions notification letter confirming the right to benefit (only if it has not been used as your proof of identification)

Sharon87

I'll hopefully be saying bye to Halifax OD soon. I applied for an interest free credit card (Virgin), but my credit rating wasn't that good do I didn't get it.

I'm going into Natwest tomorrow to ask about an overdraft - I'll be explaining that I'll be shifting my overdraft from Halifax to them. Hopefully I should get it. My OD is at £900 at the moment, I've reduced it from £1000 - I also have another Halifax Od of £1000 that I'm not using. I tried reducing it online tonight, but it won't even tell me my guaranteed OD limit like it usually does. It says to phone!

I can't remember how many credit searches it takes to affect your rating - is it 3 searches in 3 months? I need to know If I don't get the Natwest OD, so I don't mess up my credit rating even more! (doesn't matter how big the overdraft is at the moment - anything will help so I'm not in my Halifax OD all month!)

wishface

anna42hmr wrote: »

are you sure, as their website lists the following as acceptable

You can use the following documents as proof of identity:

• UK/EEA/EU passport
• UK/EEA/EU photo driving license. Driving licenses that do not have a photo are not acceptable
• EU/EEA National Identity Card
• Northern Ireland Voters Card
• Young Scot Card (under 18s only) - this can be accepted at all branches
• Firearms or shotgun license

Customers from the following countries can use their passport with a valid Visa as an acceptable form of identity:

• Australia
• Canada
• Hong Kong
• Japan
• New Zealand
• Singapore
• South Africa
• USA

If you cannot provide one of the above, you will need to produce one document as proof of your identity and an additional document as proof of your address as follows:

Proof of Identity

• State pension notification letter
• Current UK non photo driving license
• Blue disabled drivers pass
• All other current signed passports with valid UK Visa not listed above

Proof of address

• Non-Lloyds TSB bank, credit card or building society statement (we do not accept statements printed off the internet)
• Current UK driving licence (only if it is not being used as your proof of identification)
• Utility bill dated within the last 3 months
• Local authority tax bill for current year
• Benefits or pensions notification letter confirming the right to benefit (only if it has not been used as your proof of identification)

Unless they've changed since I went in and asked, I'm very sure.

irrelevant

I was running an overdraft in my main Halifax "spending money" account of up to a few hundred quid for up to a couple of weeks each month. Only because I always kept forgetting to transfer extra money across into it.. The new changes would have hit me hardest out of all the groups affected. Hx obviously liked me doing it, as they kept increasing my limit (up to £1900, not that I ever got anywhere near that.)

So .. I made sure the account was in credit, and cancelled the overdraft facility, making sure they knew why. I now do all my spending on a previously little used credit card and the standing order with the money that used to go into my current account now goes into a new savings account. As and when the credit card bills come in, they are being paid off in full out of the savings account. So, not only have I avoided the new charges, I'm no longer incurring the few quid interest I was paying each month, and I'll be earning some pitiful amount on the savings account. And it's actually easier to manage as I only really have to worry about the balance once a month when the credit card bill comes in. Paying it off in full avoids any interest on that. I'd cancel the current account completely, but I do occasionally need to withdraw cash, and some stores only like debit cards, so I'm keeping it open with a few quid in there just for that very occasional use.

ryanred5

Hi

We were usually overdrawn by about £40- £50 per month, we paid about £1.50 a month interest but with the new charges we will get charged £30 a month (£1 a day for 30 days).

Luckily my mum lent us the money to pay our overdraft off so we won't get charged. ((((Mum))))

We did try for a Reward account but we were declined unfortunately.

I think if Halifax capped the charges to a certain amount per month that would help a lot of people. Fingers crossed that if enough people complain about the charges, the Haifax might cap them.

Catherine xx

amjack

I am tearing my hair out over this.

I was OD-free until the summer, when I chose to use it to pay for an Open University cost (nb - a course I had been charged for eight years ago, but had never started. When I reapplied this year I was told I'd need to pay what I owed before I could start, despite me qualifying for a fee waiver for the current course). Add some money issues since then and the £600 OD increased to the £1k limit, of which I'm into by about £920 at the moment.

I met with an adviser at BoS who told me that the Reward a/c only had the £12ish per month charge on it for ODs of under £300, and that OD's over £300 would be charged at the old rate, not the £1 a day. (He repeated this, making it clear). I signed up, then when the paperwork came through of course I found out this was untrue. I've complained to BoS (and had my a/c changed back to normal) but have heard nothing back from BoS.

I'm now trying to change my account from BoS to RBS/Natwest on the proviso that they can match my £1k OD. I know it isn't ideal, but I'm a full-time mum with little income other than tax credits and some money from my partner each month. I know using my OD was silly, but I wanted to get back into studying so that in the future I would have better work prospects. Now it just seems I've hindered myself and got into debt.

sylrog99

As you're on the subject of the Halifax, I thought I'd add the ongoing dispute I have with them to see what you think.
I recently made an £8 purchase online in the States for goods received. I then noticed another £55 had been taken out from a subsidiary of that company, putting me £42 overdrawn. I immediately stopped that account(as I thought) & promptly cut up my card. I then received another card for the same account albeit a slightly different number. I then had a further £16.50 taken by the same company!!! Why on earth did they let this happen?? The Halifax are now going to charge me £28 overdraft fee in December! I have now paid this all off but they won't let me close the account properly.Apart from this, they say if the company in the states put another transaction through, they are obliged to pay it even if they have to take it from my saving account!!! Surely this is wrong?I have now written to headquarters & awaiting a reply.

lauriann

I'm glad to say i have been able to ditch the halifax.
I had a £900 OD & used it every month, so i sold some gold through Lois Jewellery, made £550 & paid off £500 of the OD & i am now transfering to the Alliance & Lesicester which is giving new customers a 12mth interest free OD so i will be able to clear the rest of my OD over the next year.
I have been a customer of the Halifax for over 11yrs but i do not think customer loyalty counts for anything with banks today.
People need to make a stand & switch to other banks. They are banking on people not being bothered with the hassle of switching. I think it is a disgrace they are trying to make even more money out of people in these hards times we are in, especially in the month of December when money is tight enough for people with Christmas.

rb10

sylrog99 wrote: »

As you're on the subject of the Halifax, I thought I'd add the ongoing dispute I have with them to see what you think.
I recently made an £8 purchase online in the States for goods received. I then noticed another £55 had been taken out from a subsidiary of that company, putting me £42 overdrawn. I immediately stopped that account(as I thought) & promptly cut up my card. I then received another card for the same account albeit a slightly different number. I then had a further £16.50 taken by the same company!!! Why on earth did they let this happen?? The Halifax are now going to charge me £28 overdraft fee in December! I have now paid this all off but they won't let me close the account properly.Apart from this, they say if the company in the states put another transaction through, they are obliged to pay it even if they have to take it from my saving account!!! Surely this is wrong?I have now written to headquarters & awaiting a reply.

It sounds like a Continuous Payment Authority / Recurring Payment has been set up. This gives a company permission to debit your account whenever they like.

Halifax were correct in telling you that they are unable to stop this transaction, even if you get a new card (or even close the account).

The only way of stopping these types of transactions from taking place is for the company that's taking the money to stop it from their end. You need to be talking to them, not Halifax, if you want this to stop.

sylrog99

After several attempts to contact the said company I did finally get them to agree not to take any more money, although I didn't give them permission to do so in the first instance.We shall see if they stick to their word. This still doesn't explain why the Halifax won't close my account & not honour any more transactions as I requested. It appears that one cannot do as you wish with your own account!