Report Bank Charges successes and failures

Bigfoot73

Bank: Halifax
Claimed: £979 and rising
Offered: £203
Early in December 09 I sent Halifax a claim for refund due to hardship. I listed the charges,included a financial statement and a description of how my everyday lifestyle was affected.
My case ticks plenty of boxes for considered one of hardship: rent arrears, vicious spiral of charges, default on regular payments, need to ask the DWP for Crisis Loans, trouble feeding the electricity meter and with daily subsistence. Added to which I am on health-related benefits.
Halifax are in the habit of paying out on debits hours before my weekly benefits arrived in my account, thus incurring even more charges. In July last year the charges took all but £98 of my monthly income, before I'd fed the meter.
It took them a month to acknowledge receipt of the claim, followed a fortnight later by a letter saying the case should be resolved no later than 2nd March! Last week I received an offer of £203 - taking further charges since my claim into account that's about one sixth of what I feel they owe me. No explanation and no higher offer even though I wrote informing them I would be complaining to the FOS.
An open and shut case you might think ? Not with Halifax !

natweststaffmember

Bigfoot73 wrote: »

Bank: Halifax
Claimed: £979 and rising
Offered: £203
Early in December 09 I sent Halifax a claim for refund due to hardship. I listed the charges,included a financial statement and a description of how my everyday lifestyle was affected.
My case ticks plenty of boxes for considered one of hardship: rent arrears, vicious spiral of charges, default on regular payments, need to ask the DWP for Crisis Loans, trouble feeding the electricity meter and with daily subsistence. Added to which I am on health-related benefits.
Halifax are in the habit of paying out on debits hours before my weekly benefits arrived in my account, thus incurring even more charges. In July last year the charges took all but £98 of my monthly income, before I'd fed the meter.
It took them a month to acknowledge receipt of the claim, followed a fortnight later by a letter saying the case should be resolved no later than 2nd March! Last week I received an offer of £203 - taking further charges since my claim into account that's about one sixth of what I feel they owe me. No explanation and no higher offer even though I wrote informing them I would be complaining to the FOS.
An open and shut case you might think ? Not with Halifax !

halifax modus operandi is to look only at charges since the account went to collections. Is there anyway to cancel the Direct Debits and pay with another method as that would resolve the DD charges?

Bigfoot73

Thanks natweststaffmember. Halifax have changed the way they charge,so now it's £5 per day for unauthorized overdraft or £1 a day for authorized.This has meant that when it has happened since it's only cost a few quid, whereas one time before the changes it cost me £105 in a single day when some debits wen tout earlier than expected and all went out the same day as funds arrived which would have covered them!

sharon666

Bigfoot73 wrote: »

Bank: Halifax
Claimed: £979 and rising
Offered: £203
Early in December 09 I sent Halifax a claim for refund due to hardship. I listed the charges,included a financial statement and a description of how my everyday lifestyle was affected.
My case ticks plenty of boxes for considered one of hardship: rent arrears, vicious spiral of charges, default on regular payments, need to ask the DWP for Crisis Loans, trouble feeding the electricity meter and with daily subsistence. Added to which I am on health-related benefits.
Halifax are in the habit of paying out on debits hours before my weekly benefits arrived in my account, thus incurring even more charges. In July last year the charges took all but £98 of my monthly income, before I'd fed the meter.
It took them a month to acknowledge receipt of the claim, followed a fortnight later by a letter saying the case should be resolved no later than 2nd March! Last week I received an offer of £203 - taking further charges since my claim into account that's about one sixth of what I feel they owe me. No explanation and no higher offer even though I wrote informing them I would be complaining to the FOS.
An open and shut case you might think ? Not with Halifax !hi there

try changing the dates on your dd, so your benifits go in before the dd goes out, then write to them again, explaining why there was not money in your account to cover the dd because of the charges, some charges are sometimes more than the dd themselves if they have refunded some, try to get the rest, but change the dd some way or another open a new account with another bank, the natwest has a step account, you can open it on line, you can have your benifets put in and use it for dd, no cost at all, you get a debit card, start a fresh, good luck, don't stay with the same bank for 20 years like me, you won't get thanked for it. i have opened this kind of bank account, it is the best thing i have done, put the money in and the dd get paid from the money in there no money in there no dd paid, but no charges, hope this help you, ask them for their final response before you take it to the fos.good luck to you
sharon666

chants1981

:mad: B4 the Supreme court ruling i had sent numerous claims to Lloyds and was put on hold. I then put a calim in for hardship and heard nothing.

I followed Martins new approach. i sent a hardship claim in again 4th feb 2010 for £7858.52 including interest. Low and behold 8th Feb Lloyds sent me a letter saying they would look into my concerns and will let me know the outcome within 4 weeks.

Fingers crossed:wave::wave: I will keep you updated.

emwil14

bank: natwest
amount requested: £900
amount repaid: waiting for the offer


as the last person stated, i am also in shock!!!! i first applied for my charges about 18 months ago. i used the template letters and waited patiently. around a year ago i tried to get the charges back by going down the hardship route and was knocked back even though i have numerous debts and a notice seeking possession.
after the courts decision i recieved a letter saying they would not be refunding charges as they thought the amount charged was fair and the court upheld this. at the bottom of the letter it said i had so long to get back in touch otherwise my case would be dropped??!! i immediatly realised there must be something i could do if it was not dropped already!
i sat down and wrote a letter back. the main point of the letter was that the natwest are saying they think it was fair to charge £35/£38 for unauthorized overdraft usage but have now dropped this fee to £5!!!!!!!!! why lower the charge if its fair?? big mistake! i put in the letter that obviously there needs to be a charge and £5 is quite reasonable, so i will gladly accept a refund of the difference between the £5 and the £35/£38 if they are not willing to pay back the full amount.
i recieved a form to fill in about my financial situation which i completed and sent back. on saturday i recieved another letter saying that a refund of charges has been agreed and they will send me an offer in the next 21 days!!!!
i really can not believe it and had nearly given up hope. thankyou to martin and the team for all your help. fingers crossed its a good offer. x x

Mralantomo

I am claiming DSS benefits and unfortunately they made an error with my payments which caused me to go over my overdraft limit by £94.00. I asked them not to charge me bank charges and they said they would charge me and it would cost me £178.00. After reading the criteria for hardship(Martins tips) I called them back and quoted the that they have a moral obligation to refund my charges as I was "in hardship" and told them I would be contacting the Ombudsman if they didnt give me a refund. Within 2 minutes all charges had been cancelled, so yes, read the information provided and make that call because almost everyone will have a moral right to reclaim charges.

mikeyry

emwil14 wrote: »

bank: natwest
amount requested: £900
amount repaid: waiting for the offer


as the last person stated, i am also in shock!!!! i first applied for my charges about 18 months ago. i used the template letters and waited patiently. around a year ago i tried to get the charges back by going down the hardship route and was knocked back even though i have numerous debts and a notice seeking possession.
after the courts decision i recieved a letter saying they would not be refunding charges as they thought the amount charged was fair and the court upheld this. at the bottom of the letter it said i had so long to get back in touch otherwise my case would be dropped??!! i immediatly realised there must be something i could do if it was not dropped already!
i sat down and wrote a letter back. the main point of the letter was that the natwest are saying they think it was fair to charge £35/£38 for unauthorized overdraft usage but have now dropped this fee to £5!!!!!!!!! why lower the charge if its fair?? big mistake! i put in the letter that obviously there needs to be a charge and £5 is quite reasonable, so i will gladly accept a refund of the difference between the £5 and the £35/£38 if they are not willing to pay back the full amount.
i recieved a form to fill in about my financial situation which i completed and sent back. on saturday i recieved another letter saying that a refund of charges has been agreed and they will send me an offer in the next 21 days!!!!
i really can not believe it and had nearly given up hope. thankyou to martin and the team for all your help. fingers crossed its a good offer. x x

what address did you send you letters to?

jowli

chants1981 wrote: »

:mad: B4 the Supreme court ruling i had sent numerous claims to Lloyds and was put on hold. I then put a calim in for hardship and heard nothing.

I followed Martins new approach. i sent a hardship claim in again 4th feb 2010 for £7858.52 including interest. Low and behold 8th Feb Lloyds sent me a letter saying they would look into my concerns and will let me know the outcome within 4 weeks.

Fingers crossed:wave::wave: I will keep you updated.

Hi, I was wondering what address you sent the letter to and also what exactly did you say?

thanks

sharon666

mikeyry wrote: »

what address did you send you letters to?

that is excellent, good thinking too, pay some but ask for the rest back, i think i will do that, can you put up the address to where you sent your letters to, many thanks, i think this will help lots on here,

thanks sharon666,