Bank Charges Reclaiming Guide discussion

Aushra

hello everyone

i'm trying to get back bank charges from HSBC. I wrote first letter asking for payment with included charges calculation (I used on templates from here). Unfortynately I got letter back saying that all cgrges were fair and I can't get any money back. The charges I'm trying to claim back are the ones that been charged when going over the overdraft - £25 at a transaction. In 5 years it is slightly over £2000. So should I get them back or not? Should I write aonther letter to them or go for Financial Ombudsman Route?
Thank you

Premier_2

Aushra wrote: »

hello everyone

i'm trying to get back bank charges from HSBC. I wrote first letter asking for payment with included charges calculation (I used on templates from here). Unfortynately I got letter back saying that all cgrges were fair and I can't get any money back. The charges I'm trying to claim back are the ones that been charged when going over the overdraft - £25 at a transaction. In 5 years it is slightly over £2000. So should I get them back or not? Should I write aonther letter to them or go for Financial Ombudsman Route?
Thank you

Well the bank has refused your claim. They assert the charges were fair ... and no one has yet proved otherwise.

What was the basis of your claim? Did you claim using both the human argument as well as the legal argument because they don't appear to have responded to any human argument element?
You can only take claims based on the human argument to the FOS.
Even if you prove financial hardship, you are not automatically entitled to any refund.

Otherwise it's off to the court if you wish to pursue it on legal grounds, I'm afraid.

Greenskin

Hi there . I have a case which was stayed in 07 and i'm not sure if i'll see any money back . I paid a court fee of £250 . Can and how can i get this fee back ?

Premier_2

Greenskin wrote: »

Hi there . I have a case which was stayed in 07 and i'm not sure if i'll see any money back . I paid a court fee of £250 . Can and how can i get this fee back ?

You can't. The fee was for filing the claim at the court. That was the service you opted to purchase and that was the service the court provided you with.

The fee will usually be included as part of your claim against the defendant. Unfortunately for you, courts don't operate on a no-win, no-fee basis - they get paid for every claim submitted ... and there will be more fees you'll have to pay if the claim gets to a hearing.

To ensure the courts get their money, they insist on fees being paid up front (else your claim doesn't progress)

JaspaC

I'm trying to fill out a financial statement form from Natwest for the second time but it's very confusing and I'd like some advice about the following sections if anybody can help.

Section 4

• Section 5 (Expenditure Details) - The guidance document states:
• “Utility – Fuel – This relates to domestic costs other than water, gas and electricity and includes items such as oil, coal etc.
• Fares & Motoring – all car costs with the exception of any Hire Purchase/Loan payment should be included. Include fuel, insurance, tax.
• Repairs and Home upkeep – include only costs incurred on a regular basis and not one off exceptional costs.
• Other expenditure – please provide a breakdown of any amount in this section. Documentary evidence will be required if not paid via your NatWest Account.

• Section 7 (Priority Debt Arrears) – The guidance document states:
• “Should you have any arrears within this section please complete. If no arrears on accounts go to Section 8.
• Documentary Evidence will be required for payments of all items not seen through your bank account.”

• Section 8 (Other Debts) – The guidance document states:
• “List all other loans, credit cards and other debts including catalogues in this section ensuring that these debts are not detailed in preceding sections.
• Provide the amount owed and regular monthly payment made to each. Please provide further details on a separate sheet if required.
• Documentary Evidence will be required for payments of all items not seen through your bank account.

Basically I don't know what to detail where.

I am a student so I get loans and grants from the government. The grants come in 3 installments per year, as do the loans.

Where should I detail the loan installments and the grant payments?
I have a part time job which pays every 4 weeks. Presumably this should be detailed under the income section.

I also have various overdrafts and credit cards, where should these be detailed.

Section 4 advises me to detail the households income, I live in a student rented house so does this mean the loan instalments of other students living here too?

Likewise does this mean that in section 5 I should detail the HOUSEHOLD expenditure and not just mine? e.g. the total phone bill and not just 1 third of it?

Why does section 5 not include gas water and electricity? should these be included elsewhere?

What are 'priority debt arrears?' does this mean a monthly figure?

In the other debts section should I include details of the amounts still owed? or the credit limits etc?

Section 2's guidance document (Other assests) states: "Other assets include cars, stocks, shares, bank savings accounts. Please list all assets held"

I have included my car (at the cost I bought it for). I don't have any stocks or shares. Should I include anything else? Surely they dont want a list of everything I own? Clothes? Computer? the contents of my fridge!? Any other significant things I would be expected to note down?
I have detailed all the bank accounts I have (including current accounts) and the sum of the balances I have. Should I include 'available balances' for accounts that have overdafts? e.g. if I have a £1000 overdraft that I am £950 into, should I include another £50 of savings? Likewise should I total the balances on all my accounts to give a sum of savings including taking negative values for accounts that are into their overfradts? Even if this gives a negatove amount for savings?

I'm not an accountant and I'm not very familiar with the above terms etc.. and would therefore really appreciate some help and advice on how to correctly fill in this form.
I think the whole student loan thing could really affect weather I appear to be in hardship or not. So it needs to be put into the right place.

In addition to the above I also have loans for tuituon fees which are paid directly to the university but I will still have to repay, but not until I'm earning over a given amount (13k I think)

natweststaffmember

JaspaC wrote: »

I'm trying to fill out a financial statement form from Natwest for the second time but it's very confusing and I'd like some advice about the following sections if anybody can help.

Section 4

• Section 5 (Expenditure Details) - The guidance document states:
• “Utility – Fuel – This relates to domestic costs other than water, gas and electricity and includes items such as oil, coal etc.
• Fares & Motoring – all car costs with the exception of any Hire Purchase/Loan payment should be included. Include fuel, insurance, tax.
• Repairs and Home upkeep – include only costs incurred on a regular basis and not one off exceptional costs.
• Other expenditure – please provide a breakdown of any amount in this section. Documentary evidence will be required if not paid via your NatWest Account.

• Section 7 (Priority Debt Arrears) – The guidance document states:
• “Should you have any arrears within this section please complete. If no arrears on accounts go to Section 8.
• Documentary Evidence will be required for payments of all items not seen through your bank account.”

• Section 8 (Other Debts) – The guidance document states:
• “List all other loans, credit cards and other debts including catalogues in this section ensuring that these debts are not detailed in preceding sections.
• Provide the amount owed and regular monthly payment made to each. Please provide further details on a separate sheet if required.
• Documentary Evidence will be required for payments of all items not seen through your bank account.

Basically I don't know what to detail where.

I am a student so I get loans and grants from the government. The grants come in 3 installments per year, as do the loans.

Where should I detail the loan installments and the grant payments?
The bits you mention above is expenditure ie what you spend not what you receive which is income.
I have a part time job which pays every 4 weeks. Presumably this should be detailed under the income section.

I also have various overdrafts and credit cards, where should these be detailed.
Read the expenditure bit cos that is where it has to be detailed. According to the above then it is section 8
Section 4 advises me to detail the households income, I live in a student rented house so does this mean the loan instalments of other students living here too?
Financial hardship is about household financial hardship.
Likewise does this mean that in section 5 I should detail the HOUSEHOLD expenditure and not just mine? e.g. the total phone bill and not just 1 third of it?
Yep
Why does section 5 not include gas water and electricity? should these be included elsewhere?
Because they are priority creditors.
What are 'priority debt arrears?' does this mean a monthly figure?
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/moneytaxandbenefits/managingdebt/planyourwayoutofdebt/dg_10013266
The above link explains priority/ non priority debts.
In the other debts section should I include details of the amounts still owed? or the credit limits etc?

Section 2's guidance document (Other assests) states: "Other assets include cars, stocks, shares, bank savings accounts. Please list all assets held"

I have included my car (at the cost I bought it for). I don't have any stocks or shares. Should I include anything else? Surely they dont want a list of everything I own? Clothes? Computer? the contents of my fridge!? Any other significant things I would be expected to note down?
No just assets such as cars stocks shares and bank savings so no not clothes.
I have detailed all the bank accounts I have (including current accounts) and the sum of the balances I have. Should I include 'available balances' for accounts that have overdafts? e.g. if I have a £1000 overdraft that I am £950 into, should I include another £50 of savings? Likewise should I total the balances on all my accounts to give a sum of savings including taking negative values for accounts that are into their overfradts? Even if this gives a negatove amount for savings?

You only include the balance and not the available. Savings is in income and overdrafts is in what is owed.
I'm not an accountant and I'm not very familiar with the above terms etc.. and would therefore really appreciate some help and advice on how to correctly fill in this form.
I think the whole student loan thing could really affect weather I appear to be in hardship or not. So it needs to be put into the right place.

In addition to the above I also have loans for tuituon fees which are paid directly to the university but I will still have to repay, but not until I'm earning over a given amount (13k I think)

Tuition fees should be in income. Hope that is clear.

JaspaC

Ok, so the loand are expenditure, but the grants I don't have to pay back are income? Either way it asks for a monthly figure. I am paid these grants in three installments per year. Should I divide the sum of all payments by 12?

So credit cards and overdrafts are in section 8. What is the monthly repayment though? I pay off whatever I can afford which differs from month to month? The average of the last 3 months? The minimum payment on creit cards? the monthly interest?

If financial hardship is a financial thing does this mean I need to include my housemates assets and debts?

I believe I am in hardship but my housemates arn't, will this ruin my arguement then? It's not as if they will just give me money, but is this the legal veiw of it?

Are 'savings' just whatever you have at that time? even if it's in current accounts and not savings accounts. For example all my direct debits are about to come out later this month so at the moment I have alot of money in my account. But in a weeks time there will be nothing, so the savings figure could be quite misleading.

In the guidance document for section 4 (Income details) one of the bullet points states: "Only regular monthly payments should be detailed. Any amounts paid to repay arrears should not be included in thsi section".

What is meant by this^^^?

Why should tuition fees be an income? They are a cost to me, but they are covered with a loan from the student loans company.

natweststaffmember

The loans I think you need to divide by 12 to give a monthly average.
Savings accounts are First Reserve, ISA's. E-savings etc,etc,
Average out the repayments over 3 months for an average on each one.

If in doubt ring them and ask them the question.

Premier_2

JaspaC wrote: »

... Should I include 'available balances' for accounts that have overdafts? e.g. if I have a £1000 overdraft that I am £950 into, should I include another £50 of savings? ...

No, no, no, no, no!

This is a fundamental misunderstanding ... and one that many, many people make so you are not alone, hence why I have picked up on it.

If you have £1000 overdraft and you are £950 into it, you are £950 in debt. You have no savings (at least as far as that account is concerned)

A similar misunderstanding occurs when people take out credit cards. They get a credit card with say £1000 credit limit on and they falsely believe they have been given £1000 to spend. All they have been given is the ability to borrow £1000 (similar to an overdraft). Spend even 1p of that credit limit and you are in debt .... and will have to repay what you borrowed at some time in the future.

Greenskin

Premier wrote: »

You can't. The fee was for filing the claim at the court. That was the service you opted to purchase and that was the service the court provided you with.

The fee will usually be included as part of your claim against the defendant. Unfortunately for you, courts don't operate on a no-win, no-fee basis - they get paid for every claim submitted ... and there will be more fees you'll have to pay if the claim gets to a hearing.

To ensure the courts get their money, they insist on fees being paid up front (else your claim doesn't progress)

So what should i do ?
Try to stop it getting a hearing ?
How much more would i be facing in court fees ?