Alliance & Leicester query

daisy_jean

I have contacted the bank through secure message, but figured I'd probably get a quicker response here.

I recently transferred my HSBC to A&L - so far so good, all direct debits (bar 1) have transferred, my wages gone in okay etc, and have received the £100 bonus thingy yesterday.

But have just been looking through my statement. My salary went in on the 26th February (last working day, as per usual), and I made several trasactions that day including bill payments and 1 cash machine transaction. When I checked the cash machine, my salary showed up on my available balance.
So why, when I checked my online statement have the transactions appear to have been debited before my salary has gone in, making it appear I went overdrawn (when I didnt) (see quotes below).

Will they attempt to charge me for this?

26 FEB 2010 BANK CREDIT £945.08 £741.69
26 FEB 2010 B-PAYMNT £15.00 £-203.39
26 FEB 2010 B-PAYMNT £115.00 £-188.39
26 FEB 2010 TRANSFER ON 26FEB £50.00 £-73.39
26 FEB 2010 CASH MACHINE 26 FEB £40.00 £-23.39

DeepSporran

You should be OK, assuming that what you're showing us is the full picture of all the transactions on that day. The fact that they list the payments out before the payments in makes you appear to be overdrawn, but by the end of the day, you're back in credit, so that should be Ok, so you won't get charged an overdraft fee.

HOWEVER, you must be very careful with any direct debits, standing orders, or other payments that are set up in advance. There must be enough money in the account to cover such payments on the working day BEFORE the payment is due, or you may be charged a fee, or indeed the payment may not be made. The bank starts the processing of these automated payments the day before they go out, so that's when they check to make sure there is a high enough balance to cover them.

For any payments you initiate yourself to take place immediately (like the ones you have shown us in your posting), this rule doesn't apply - there just needs to be enough money in the account at that moment.

I was caught out by this when I first started using A&L. They charged me a fee which they refunded as a goodwill gesture after I complained.

I have to say that A&Ls online banking doesn't make it very easy to track your balance - as you may have noticed, there are 3 different balances shown - the balance, the available balance and the running balance - and they are frequently all different.

Hope this helps.

daisy_jean

Yeah that was the full picture of transactions for the day - it was just very confusing, and I don't understand it all yet.

I've become aware of the direct debit thing too yes, but luckily because I always get paid on the last working day of the month, and my direct debits don't start until the first, I should always be okay for that. I always leave enough in, each month to cover all direct debits without having to make transfers anyways.

Thanks for your help!

I think what I will do for the future though, is just have that account for my direct debits, and transfer all spare money to my HSBC old account - their internet banking system is by far superior to A&L's, which I'm not impressed with at all.

REDMADCURLS

Cant tell you how long it took me to work out A&L system and I have had so many problems with them and their !!!!!!! balances!

I moved from First Direct and would gladly go back if I could get o/d low enough to do so - rue the day I ever went to A&L

Dave_save

They show the debits before the credits for some reason, but if the transactions go through on the same day you should be ok.

As others have stated, the online banking system for A&L is totally confusing sometimes. It's as if the customers are being used as the guinea pigs for a sytem in development.

daisy_jean

Dave_save wrote: »

They show the debits before the credits for some reason, but if the transactions go through on the same day you should be ok.

As others have stated, the online banking system for A&L is totally confusing sometimes. It's as if the customers are being used as the guinea pigs for a sytem in development.

Yeah I rang the customer services to double check with this, and the girl confirmed that the debits show before the credits, but as long as it's showing as available then it's okay to use the account. She even said herself that she doesn't fully understand why it does this!!

I'm beginning to regret the switch, but really cannot be chewed trying to move all my direct debits again at the moment!

Butterfliesarepretty

I'm with alliance and leicester too and get really annoyed that two of my direct debits go out on the 15th before my wage goes in on the 15th. My gym payment has two choices 1st or 15th for direct debit. I suspect if I change the dd to a standing order they won't accept it. It ends in june thank god and I aim to get rid of it, i had to pay full year before I can cancel it. I think I will cancel the dd and send a cheque instead

the other is the united utilities and I will now try and change this too.

I am thinking of also changing banks to an easier online facility.