*** reclaiming bank charges

Kurt_Hamster

AndrewLivingston wrote: »

I simply cannot hold my tongue any longer.

I've read countless tales of people who simply CANNOT run their accounts according to the terms and conditions of their contract with their bank.

I do hope you haven't had an apoplectic stroke in the time it took you to write this ill-considered prose.

Terms & Conditions are only enforceable when they are lawful. The bank's T&C aren't lawful, simple as that. If they were do you really think the banks would hand over a single penny if they didn't have to?

Then people complain that some banks are closing their account directly after challenging the "illegal" (note: NO BANK HAS RULED THAT THESE CHARGES ARE ILLEGAL - in fact, the Lloyds TSB judgement is IN FACT a precursor to the courts finding them in fact legal).

Perhaps you didn't know that there's a distinct difference between "illegal" and "unlawful"?

You really should do more research if you wish anyone to take your rants seriously. Lloyds did not "win", the defendant simply didn't prove his case enough for the Judge to give him a judgement in his favour. There was no law involved in the decision.

My God people! If you run your account in such a way that cheques and DDs bounce, then you are in fact committing a crime: fraud. I am extremely surprised that none of the banks have cottoned on to this. Most of the cases in the press make this abundantly clear. If I write a cheque, knowing it is going to bounce, I have committed a crime. There can be no argument there.

Once again you show your lack of knowledge of the law.

Yes bouncing cheques and DDs is against the law and is fraud... in every country in the world except the UK.

What irks me the most is that I now have the prospect of having to automatically pay an account fee (regardless of the account I have), or cheque/ATM fees, because there are countless idiots out there who are jumping the bandwagon and following a few greedy and misguided fools who thought they were clever enough to bring the cases in the first place.

So you are one of those people who fool themselves into thinking you currently get free banking? You never had had free banking. You will be paying out, but just in a different more overt way.

Martin's thread (http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/cgi-bin/viewnews.cgi?newsid1141050760,24632) misses the mark completely, and sets him up for all kinds of problems should the banks fight back (and in this case, I agree with them). Bank charges are charges for servicing an account that has gone into arrears, not a penalty.

Given you have displayed a total lack of knowledge of the law it's pretty much likeley that no-one will take what you say seriously as you don't seem to have a clue about what you are talking about.

But what if they are penalties: there is a much quoted figure of between £2 and £3 to deal with a bounced cheque. Hmmm... I guess if you consider the actual time the accounting system spends on dealing with the charge, perhaps. But what about the system development? What about the necessary quality assurance checks? What about the debit exposure the bank now has that it didn't before you bounced that cheque? What about the call centre staff that have to handle your senseless complaints? More than £2 to £3 methinks. This makes the charges high, but not illegal.

"Unlawful", please get it right.

Well when your beloved banks come forward with their costing analysis we will see if you are right. Now I wonder why they won't come forward? Could it be that they are charging far too much? Strange that!

I have had several charges against my account in the past 10 years. But I never complained, because at the end of the day IT WAS MY FAULT. No one else's. Mine. Whether I have gone over .03p or whatever, this is not the point. There is a post by someone who states that no matter how much money he put in his account, it was never enough for all of the charges. PUT MORE MONEY IN THEN. You are living beyond your means. Or, did you think about speaking with the bank about how to make it right? Or did you just sit back and !!!!! about how unfair it is that you can't get your finances right, and then shift the responsibility elsewhere.

What was it you were saying earlier about "people who CANNOT run their account", strange you seem to have suddenly fallen into your own pilloried category. What a silly man.

I guess the point of my post is that there are plenty of things to get het up about. Bank charges are not one of them. Learn how to run your account, or pay the price. It's pretty simple.

So why, exactly, are YOU getting "het" up about it?

Think on this: if the charge for going overdrawn or bouncing a DD were £2 to £3, how many people would say this: "Oh, I can't afford those (shoes, CDs, clothes, whatever) because I'll be overdrawn. Oh well, it only costs £2/£3 what the hell". It's not sustainable and you know it. But I guess you simply don't care. You're all in it for yourselves and you don't care what the ramifications are.

Thank you

And you are in it for the common good I suppose?

Strange how your complaint is based on how much YOU will end up paying. In it for your own good are you?

Stephen_Leak

natweststaffmember wrote: »

If it is fair then i am (a) flying snail!!!!!!!

Off topic, but click here.

natweststaffmember

Oops!! I am off to sit in the corner now:(

BEAUCHAMP_3

Go on, you tell him Hamster!!!!!!!!!!!!!:T