Bank Charges £30

worcester1

Hi everyone,

1st time user after many months on the sideline what a great site.

All my dd and standing order comes out of my Halifax current account on the 1st of each month;

Halifax Mortgage = £690
Halifax loan = £170
Halifax regular saver = £250
AA car loan = £160


I also have an overdraft of £1000

This month all my DD and SO out on the 1st of this month apart from my car loan beacuse there was only £134 left and was therefore insufficient.

Now the bank has written to me that they will be charging me £30 for not having enough money in my account to meet the £160 car loan payment.

The thing is that I had £300 cash I wanted to pay into my current account but couldn't because of the chritmas/new year holidays. When I logged on my internet account on 2nd January (day after after my payments had gone out of my account) I saw that my car loan DD didn't go out. So I went straight to the bank on the 3rd (1.30pm) and paid the £300 cash I had with me through out the holidays. When I logged on my online banking (3pm), I saw that the car loan dd had been taken, I felt reliefed. This was until I saw the paper free letter demanding that they will be taking £30 from my account (24th February) because I didn't have sufficient fund to meet the car loan DD.

My question is, Since the car loan dd has gone through, am I still going to pay the £30 charge. Can I dispute this charge? Technically I was only a day late and surely couldn't make the cash payment on the 1st due to the bank holiday.

Also When they took out all the DD and SO on the 1st, why didn't they just not take ignore my regular saver payment of £250. It looks to me that they decided to take all what's due to the bank 1st and then refuse to honour my car loan DD.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

raq

I was in a very similar situation two weeks ago. They informed me you MUST always have the funds into the account the day before . Unfortunately they charged me £30.00 going over my overdarft limit. I did try my best to get this refunded as I couldn't afford this amount but it was like talking to a brick wall.

raq

Basically you should have had the money into your account last saturday morning before they shut up for the holiday weekend.

Rex_Mundi

Seeing as you only have one £30 charge to reclaim. It would be worth speaking to your local branch. Tell them you are aware that the amount of these charges is unlawful, and you would like this refunded to your account. Quite a few people have had one charge refunded straight away after speaking to their own branch.

worcester1

This wouldn't be the only charge I incurred with Halifax over the last 10years. To my knowledge there has been at least > 30 different charges - simply by going over my overdraft, not having enough money in my meet cheque, DD and SO payments.

I was think of writing to them and claim these charges. What's the best way of doing so and what are the chances of them paying me back?

Will I upset them that they will close my accounts with them? Currently I have the following accounts with them;

Mortgage - £690 p/mrepayment, owing about £120K - 20 years left.
Secures Loan - £160pm - left pay £9K - 7 years left
Current account - minus£400 - overdraft facility
1 year fixed 10% Regular safer - £1750 - 5months left
mini ISA - £1200
cash card account - £2.50

Basically I have all my financial dealings with them and for the last 9 months I have buckled up my finances and haven't one incurred a charge.

So, should I decide claim back my charges, will the close my accounts and demand full payments for my loan and overdraft. What about the Mortgage? I am due to remortgage with them end of June this year

Thanks a lot

raq

worcester1 wrote:

This wouldn't be the only charge I incurred with Halifax over the last 10years. To my knowledge there has been at least > 30 different charges - simply by going over my overdraft, not having enough money in my meet cheque, DD and SO payments.

I was think of writing to them and claim these charges. What's the best way of doing so and what are the chances of them paying me back?

Will I upset them that they will close my accounts with them? Currently I have the following accounts with them;

Mortgage - £690 p/mrepayment, owing about £120K - 20 years left.
Secures Loan - £160pm - left pay £9K - 7 years left
Current account - minus£400 - overdraft facility
1 year fixed 10% Regular safer - £1750 - 5months left
mini ISA - £1200
cash card account - £2.50

Basically I have all my financial dealings with them and for the last 9 months I have buckled up my finances and haven't one incurred a charge.

So, should I decide claim back my charges, will the close my accounts and demand full payments for my loan and overdraft. What about the Mortgage? I am due to remortgage with them end of June this year

Thanks a lot

If you have a good read at many of the threads regarding back charges, people in similar situation as yourself have taken the plunge. Even if they just have the one account or plenty of accounts like yourself.

I sent of my 1st letter on tuesday to reclaim 4 1/2 years worth.

Good luck.

Edinburghlass_2

Step-by-step Guides: Bank Charges: Reclaim Your Cash | Top New Bank Account Calculator: Charge them interest Template Letters: (right click and save) Ask for charge details |Initial letter | Second letter | Small claims note Get Updates On Important Changes: Free Weekly Money Tip

Martin's article and the templates for the letters are in the above links.

regularsaver1

Halifax branches were open on between Wednesday 27th and Saturday 30th december so you could have paid your cash in then. Funds should be in the account a good few days before direct debits are taken.

If you had paid been able to pay the cash in on the 1st you would have still been charged, because the funds should have been there before(cash could have been paid in on the Saturday , even that is late though). If you'd used your card over the new year week end to pay for things, this money would have been taken.


Internal standing orders tend to be done before direct debits - so your loan, mortgage and regular saver were internal. AA was external direct debit. If they hadn;t taken the payment to the regular saver instead, you would have still been charged and the regular saver would have closed if not received that way in month as you can't pay into it over the counter.

As already stated if first time, they may agree to waiver. Otherwise your best to follow guide

worcester1

just an update,

I popped into my local halifax bank today and to complain about the £30 charge and then followed it up by asking for my 6years bank statements and it was a pleasure to see the look on the staff's face.

He panicked and took my card off me quickly and insisted on taking it upstairs to his branch manager and see if they he can waive the charge.

He then came down few minutes later and said "my manager is in a very good mood today, so has decided that he will apply common sense this time and waive the charge"

He then said "I take it that you wouldn't be needing your six years bank statement now that the charge has been reversed?"

I just said "sure, thanks a lot" and left. If only they think that they have heard the last of me, they got to be joking - r u aving a laugh:rotfl: :rotfl: are you?:rotfl: :rotfl: haha!

Come Monday lunch time I am going straight to a halifax bank near my workplace, pay my £5 and order my six months statements. About a year ago I decided to get on top of my finances and have never incurred a charge until this time. Before then, i must have had >30 of these charges.

Now, Can you nice gents/ladies tell me is there any possiblity they will fight back and ask for my overdraft (£800), Secured loan (£160) and more important refuse to renew my mortgage when my current deals expires in June this year. That's if I decide to ask for a refund on all those illegal charges.


Thanks a lot