Momcat

Momcat_2

used to have a current account with the Co-op but changed to Halifax a few years ago, leaving about 16.00 in the Co-op account. At the end of last year I ran that balance down to £2.71.

At the beginning of March this year my husband needed a cheque but unfortunately he found the old Co-op cheque book and made out a cheque for 28.90. The first I knew about this was when I had a statement from the Co-op around 12th April showing a debit balance of £26.19. Once I realised what had happened I immediately phoned Co-op armchair banking to explain, hoping that I hadn't accrued any charges. I was told that I was going to be charged two amounts of 25.00. The first was for the charge period of 10th March (the day the cheque was presented) to 5th April. The second charge period was from 5th April to 15th May. Because the overdrawn amount had covered two charge periods they slammed £50 of charges onto my account in the space of one month. I spoke to a manager and she took off the first charge but said the second had to stand.

I went straight in to my local branch, paid off the £26.19 that I owed on the cheque that my husband had mistakenly drawn, and closed my account. However, I keep getting statements with the second £25 charge on it, plus interest, and now I have another £25 charge plus interest. I just phoned the bank to ask for the address of the ombudsman, was put onto another manager who said he would half the second charge to 12.50 but I refused on principal. The co-op says it's a 'Customer Led, Ethically Guided' bank. How can it charge me such huge amounts for a £26.19 mistake? My record with them is good (which is why they were prepared to drop the second charge to 12.50)- But the charges seem so out of proportion to the amount I went overdrawn.

He also said that their complaints proceedure required that I write my letter to the ombudsman via their customer care liason team. That seems ridiculous to me - how can I expect independent advice? Is there somewhere I can appeal to directly? Do you think I was daft not to accept the £12.50 reduction on the second charge?

M_Thomson

Momcat wrote:

used to have a current account with the Co-op but changed to Halifax a few years ago, leaving about 16.00 in the Co-op account. At the end of last year I ran that balance down to £2.71.

At the beginning of March this year my husband needed a cheque but unfortunately he found the old Co-op cheque book and made out a cheque for 28.90. The first I knew about this was when I had a statement from the Co-op around 12th April showing a debit balance of £26.19. Once I realised what had happened I immediately phoned Co-op armchair banking to explain, hoping that I hadn't accrued any charges. I was told that I was going to be charged two amounts of 25.00. The first was for the charge period of 10th March (the day the cheque was presented) to 5th April. The second charge period was from 5th April to 15th May. Because the overdrawn amount had covered two charge periods they slammed £50 of charges onto my account in the space of one month. I spoke to a manager and she took off the first charge but said the second had to stand.

I went straight in to my local branch, paid off the £26.19 that I owed on the cheque that my husband had mistakenly drawn, and closed my account. However, I keep getting statements with the second £25 charge on it, plus interest, and now I have another £25 charge plus interest. I just phoned the bank to ask for the address of the ombudsman, was put onto another manager who said he would half the second charge to 12.50 but I refused on principal. The co-op says it's a 'Customer Led, Ethically Guided' bank. How can it charge me such huge amounts for a £26.19 mistake? My record with them is good (which is why they were prepared to drop the second charge to 12.50)- But the charges seem so out of proportion to the amount I went overdrawn.

He also said that their complaints proceedure required that I write my letter to the ombudsman via their customer care liason team. That seems ridiculous to me - how can I expect independent advice? Is there somewhere I can appeal to directly? Do you think I was daft not to accept the £12.50 reduction on the second charge?

Not going to give my views on the charges, but the obudsman will not even look at your complaint until you have exhausted all the Co-Op's complaints procedures.

regularsaver1

I'd charge your husband lol - how could he write a cheque out in your name anyway?

you say you have a good record with them, but you haven't really used their account for a while, so to them you could be seen as just a number.