Alliance & Leicester Charges!!!

kvm

Hi all
I've just joined and if this has been covered before, apologies. Feel free to direct me to any previous threads about the same problems that I am having.
After using the A&L to keep a mixture of savings and tax money up to the value of £8000, in January I withdrew and transferred the money into a different account for a temp period of time.
My husband then used his card thinking it was his Bank of Scotland one for transactions totalling £100 over the period of 3 days, putting the account £99.81 overdrawn. I wasn't aware of this until I received a letter to which I then put £100 in the account to cover the overdrawn amount.
Then in February I received another letter saying I had £15 charges to which I put money in to cover that plus £20 extra.
Now on Saturday I got another letter charging me £60 charges putting me £39.76 overdrawn. I went down to my local branch to explain everything to be told "we can't help you today, we will call the helpline on Monday and call you at work to advise"
No phonecall to my work came yesterday or today so I called the number myself to be told that another £100 charges will be going on my account on Apr 23rd!!!!!!!
All the adviser could do for me was refund the 'normal' £25 and I have moved £15.76 to put my account £1 into credit.
I am so annoyed that after having all that money in a well run account for the last year or 2 that they will not back down and as a goodwill gesture cancel the charges on an account which at present isn't even being used!
If my husbands card had been declined at the first overdrawn transaction then we would have been alerted straight away and also because I bank online, that is why I didn't get a letter sooner either. All causing a nice little earner for A & L........
I was VERY shocked to learn on top of everything else that I am to be charged £100 charges next month on an account which isn't even being used!!!!
As I said to the call centre adviser, I don't use the account now so wasn't going into the account online to use or check it or have any idea of the amount of forthcoming charges. I had put money into the account twice to cover the charges that were showing. But to now have to pay more charges on top of the previous ones is outrageous and nothing more than daylight robbery!!!!!
I am going to try to get down to the local branch this week before Good Friday but that will mean trying to get time off work which isn't easy.
So bottom line is.................. I need to get that £100 charges written off, its a total con, so what can I say to them to make them see the error of their ways!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you in advance for any advice.

dunstonh

I am so annoyed that after having all that money in a well run account for the last year or 2 that they will not back down and as a goodwill gesture cancel the charges on an account which at present isn't even being used!

Banks normally refund if you have a good history with them and its your first time. Your comments suggest that you only have run the account well for a year or two. That may be why they are not refunding more.

If my husbands card had been declined at the first overdrawn transaction then we would have been alerted straight away and also because I bank online, that is why I didn't get a letter sooner either. All causing a nice little earner for A & L........

It is not A&L's responsibility to run your finances. The transactions may have been declined if it was over the floor limit but if under, it wouldn't have been. A&L cant bounce guaranteed payments.

so what can I say to them to make them see the error of their ways

Be humble, be nice and make them aware it was your husbands fault purely by accident. If you haven't incurred charges before then make them aware of this.

If you go off on one at the staff, you will give them no reason to refund.

Out of interest, why didnt you return the account to credit the minute you found out? That would be a question I would ask if I was in the bank clerk's shoes. That would have reduced your charges. As it stands, it looks like you were using an unauthorised overdraft but trying to get it free of charges (as I would see it in their eyes). Had it been an error, you would have expected it to be corrected the minute you found out.

Premier_2

kvm wrote: »

... in January I withdrew and transferred the money into a different account

...All the adviser could do for me was refund the 'normal' £25 and I have moved £15.76 to put my account £1 into credit.
I am so annoyed that after having all that money in a well run account for the last year or 2 that they will not back down and as a goodwill gesture cancel the charges on an account which at present isn't even being used!...

So have the bank given you £25 as a goodwill gesture?

Perhaps the fact that you appear to have decided to take your custom elsewhere before all this happened may explain why the bank are unwilling to provide much more in the way of goodwill.

natweststaffmember

kvm wrote: »

Hi all
I've just joined and if this has been covered before, apologies. Feel free to direct me to any previous threads about the same problems that I am having.
After using the A&L to keep a mixture of savings and tax money up to the value of £8000, in January I withdrew and transferred the money into a different account for a temp period of time.
My husband then used his card thinking it was his Bank of Scotland one for transactions totalling £100 over the period of 3 days, putting the account £99.81 overdrawn. I wasn't aware of this until I received a letter to which I then put £100 in the account to cover the overdrawn amount.
Then in February I received another letter saying I had £15 charges to which I put money in to cover that plus £20 extra.
Now on Saturday I got another letter charging me £60 charges putting me £39.76 overdrawn. I went down to my local branch to explain everything to be told "we can't help you today, we will call the helpline on Monday and call you at work to advise"
No phonecall to my work came yesterday or today so I called the number myself to be told that another £100 charges will be going on my account on Apr 23rd!!!!!!!
All the adviser could do for me was refund the 'normal' £25 and I have moved £15.76 to put my account £1 into credit.
I am so annoyed that after having all that money in a well run account for the last year or 2 that they will not back down and as a goodwill gesture cancel the charges on an account which at present isn't even being used!
If my husbands card had been declined at the first overdrawn transaction then we would have been alerted straight away and also because I bank online, that is why I didn't get a letter sooner either. All causing a nice little earner for A & L........
I was VERY shocked to learn on top of everything else that I am to be charged £100 charges next month on an account which isn't even being used!!!!
As I said to the call centre adviser, I don't use the account now so wasn't going into the account online to use or check it or have any idea of the amount of forthcoming charges. I had put money into the account twice to cover the charges that were showing. But to now have to pay more charges on top of the previous ones is outrageous and nothing more than daylight robbery!!!!!
I am going to try to get down to the local branch this week before Good Friday but that will mean trying to get time off work which isn't easy.
So bottom line is.................. I need to get that £100 charges written off, its a total con, so what can I say to them to make them see the error of their ways!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you in advance for any advice.

Write this down in a chronological order of what you did, who you spoke to and the fact that it was not explained until you rang them for the third time that the amount of charges was more than the amount you paid.
If you are looking at closing the account tell them that you want the account closed and any charges outstanding refunded prior to doing so. Explain that whilst you accept that your husband made a mistake and you took all available action to resolve the issue, the amount that they have charged for it far outweighs the excess that was occurred.
When you have a response then post it up.