Bank Charges sent to old address

Unite_2

Hi folks

I'm after a bit of advise, in November I moved address and told my bank (Intelligent Finance, part of Halifax)about it, twice, the first time they said they'd could not change it because I did not know my customer ID security. They said they'd send this security in the post, I told them that I was moving in a week so it would have to arrive in this time. It never came, so I rang back after I had moved and they said they would change it over the phone as they text me a code that I could enter into the online account.

That was it, or so I thought. For a bit of background this account is used purely for bills, I know what goes in and what goes out, anything else left over is used to slowly pay off an overdraft on the account. So it requires little administration on my behalf. The log in for the online banking regularly fails and is locked out "for security" so I never check it as it should run fine, I know more money gets paid in than is paid out.

Recently I've had a letter from the water board and Sky for bounced direct debit payments so I decided to log in (after getting it unlocked for the umteenth time) to see what was happening. To my horror there is bank charges pretty much every month since January which is putting me over the limit which eventually was making the outgoings more than the incomings. Hence the failed direct debits. Even worse that I checked the address and it is still showing my old address. So all the bank charge letters have been going to my old address as well.

I'm about to write a letter or email the bank asking for these charges back as firstly I was unaware of them, and secondly they were sent to my old address, which is a possible fraud risk in itself. The advise I'm after is what to put in the email/letter. Do I explain the situation and simply ask the bank charges back or is there anything else I should be saying? Is it even worth asking for them back at all?

noh

Were any letters sent to your old address?
As IF is an online only account I would have thought all statements were issued online and it is your responsibility to log in and check them.
Reading their charges leaflet their is no indication that letters would be sent.
http://www.if.com/pdf/IFFeesAndCharges.pdf

If internet acccess was difficult you could have used telephone banking or obtained a mini statement at a ATM.

Unite_2

Fair enough, I have no way of checking if anything was actually sent to my old address. Surely an email, text message or at least a phone call or some kind of notification would have been sent, if they just add it to a statement thats an underhanded way of going about business, and something the FSA would like to know about I'm sure. Not to mention their lack of ability to change my address in the first place.

I'm not here to argue who is to blame, I'm after advise for what to put into a letter which I will be writing regardless of anything else.

noh

Notifying you of the charges on your statement is not an underhand way of doing business, it is normal.
All you can do is contact them explain the situation and request they refund the charges.
They may refund some as a gesture of goodwill.