In need of help:

BigBadBen

Hi guys.
I'm posting on behalf of my mum who after 16 years with HSBC has now moved over to Lloyds.

The reason is because she was getting hammered with bank charges, about £10 a day.

She just recently became unemployed after working most of her life as a care worker for the elderly.
The thing about my mum is, she's bad with money and HSBC gave her the ability to go over-drawn at the cash point but if she did they would literally hammer her with the charges, hundreds of pounds.

This is what I don't agree with, why let my mum go overdrawn in the first place if she was having difficulty managing her account?

I feel so sorry for my mother as we only found out when she asked for some money for food as she was starving because HSBC had taken all her money in charges.

When I took her to HSBC to try and sort it out they wouldn't even let her see anyone face to face just some assistant told her to ring the call center where they just gave her the number of a charity for some food. I'm really really mad about it but I'd didn't go steaming in there and shouting, I'm not like that.

Is there anything I can do to get these charges back?

I mean it's about the same as what loan sharks charge.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thank you

dunstonh

This is what I don't agree with, why let my mum go overdrawn in the first place if she was having difficulty managing her account?

It isnt the place of the bank to to control your mums finances. Adults have to have some responsibility for their actions. The balance that the bank shows on the cashpoint may not be the reconciled balance but running balance. The bank wont know what transactions your mum may have made in shops but have yet to come through. So, unless they become mind readers, they cant change it.

Is there anything I can do to get these charges back?

Your mum can contact their customer relations team to explain that she is in financial hardship and finding she cannot get out of a cycle of charges. They will look at your spending habits and see if she is making luxury spending (pay tv, mobile phone etc) or is genuinely on the breadline. if they feel she is, then they will offer a solution.

I mean it's about the same as what loan sharks charge.

No its not. Not even close.

BigBadBen

Do you work for HSBC by any chance?
All you've done is defend them, not even help at all.
You say it's not even close to lone shark behavior, what planet are you on?

The let her borrow money then hammered her with charges they knew she coulden't afford, they took all her money and wouldn't even talk to her face to face and to top it off gave her the number of a food bank witch was just really insulting. she went overdrawn by £3.50 and they charged her £10 a day that's about 300% interest a day.

JuicyJesus

Also, HSBC don't have any daily overdraft charges, charges are capped at either £150 or the most you go overdrawn by (whichever is lower) and don't charge for going overdrawn by less than £10. If she went overdrawn by £3.50 she wouldn't get charged.

Dunston is harsh but correct. She needs to contact HSBC and discuss her hardship with them.

BigBadBen

I don't have a problem with what he said really, it was how he said it. right off the bat he's making judgements about me, I don't work, I don't look after my mum, why do you think I'm here?

He's very wrong about me, who the hell is he to judge me like that when he's never met me.
He's probably never been in real financial hardship,
justanotherarsehole :sigh:
Not a very nice experience posting on the forum, not at all.
Just forget it. I'll go to the cab.

FYI The charges were never capped and THEY DID charge her for going over by £3.50 and we have the bank statements to prove it, so screw you. they was never meant to be an overdraft facility on the account ether.

TheMoney

You asked a question, people have responded and you begin to insult them...don't ask if you can't handle an honest answer.
There are various extras you can have on a current account, such as overdrafts, and then a further buffer. £10 a day is a charge, not interest and would suggest it's not an overdraft she is using.
Instead of getting angry at the responses, why not take the advice and act on it. Get your mother to change to a basic bank account with no facility to be overdrawn. The banks provide you with an account, somewhere to keep your money, assistance when things go wrong etc, but the account holder must accept some responsibility for how they use the account.

JuicyJesus

BigBadBen wrote: »

FYI The charges were never capped and THEY DID charge her for going over by £3.50 and we have the bank statements to prove it, so screw you. they was never meant to be an overdraft facility on the account ether.

"So screw you" is an interesting way to phrase a response to someone who never said anything bad, blunt or nasty. Only factual.

If she really has gone overdrawn by only £3.50 and has been charged she needs to complain to HSBC for not following their own tariff.