Bank charges

Pickle29

Hi
I have recently started a DMP and have just opened a basic bank account with Barclays on the advice of my charity who are helping me. However my old account with £4k OD was also with Barclays.

Due to my awful financial hardship, a friend suggested that I may be entitled to claim bank charges historically. I used to get charged £35 a letter and regularly received over £100 charges each month, this changed a few years ago, but I now get charged £22 a letter for going over my OD and £8 for insufficient funds for direct debits and regularly get £50+ charges even now each month.

I was going to write to them asking for a copy of all my transactions (in order to ascertain the value of charges), then ask them for a review of said charges due to my DMP (which they are now aware of). I have changed to a basic bank account already.

Can anyone tell me if they have done this and what was the outcome and is there anything I should be aware of?
Many thanks in anticipation

happy_bunny_2

SAR should get a list of all charges etc.

You can complain as I think if in financial hardship they should consider refunding them.

I think opening another account with Barclays was a mistake, they can use right of offset to take money from your new account. You need to get an account with a bank not linked to any of your creditors.

~Beanie~

I don't know about the bank charges but I definitely wouldn't have opened an account with someone I owed 4K to. I think the usual advice is to open an account with someone you don't owe anything to. Barclays could help themselves to any money in your new account to offset your debt.

Pickle29

Thanks for your comments. I wondered myself and did ask the charity and they said Barclays were very good with basic accounts and as I already banked with them it would be easy - it wasn't but that's another story!

I later asked the charity about claiming for historical charges and they said why not - it will help your debt if successful ..... But I have only just read about this off set. thing, which is why I am asking the question?

Help! Changing accounts was a nightmare


What's the likelihood of them accessing my new account now they have been contacted by the charity and received an offer to pay back the OD out of my DMP???

happy_bunny_2

Which charity?

Coop were also supposed to be good, but they currently have some issues so no idea if they are handing out new basic accounts.

I would keep as little in there as possible until you get another account.

Pickle29

Step change

To be fair, I have only recently been made aware of the possibility of claiming, so didn't mention it to stepchange when they advised me to Change banks, but i have mentioned it to them since! Don't know whether to pursue it now or not! Can't bear changing banks again!

happy_bunny_2

Even if you don't claim charges back, they may take from your basic account.

I still can't believe they said to open an account with the same bank....they must be having an off day.

Sazzie23

I think I did hear - over on the DMP support thread - that Barclays didn't offset from the basic account. It would worry me though, just in case they decided to change the rules.

Nat west did give us fair warning that they were going to off-set. If you do get a letter, take your money out straight away.

Regards reclaim bank charges, I'm sure there must be a thread on here somewhere, if I find it I'll link. Good luck