A&L £5 charge to identify cheque

robertoegg

Hi,

Hoping someone can offer some advice.

I used a number of cheques on my A&L Prem ac recently but failed to identify them in the cheque book (no stubs rather a front page to note details). I called A&L to ask them to identify and they stated they couldn't.....unless I paid £5 per cheque for some process ("copy" or similar, I missed exactly what).

Is this a just charge? Should the identification of my cheques not be available to me under the Data Protection Act?

Thoughts appreciated,
Ta
Rob

chesky369

Can't you identify them from your statement - in which case, you can view it on-line.

robertoegg

I assumed I would have been able to but online they are listed as Cheque 11, Cheque 12 etc.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but I will be filling out their fiddly little front page in future. With standard cheque books I'm pretty good at filling all details on the stubs...

JohalaReewi

It is very unusual for banks to show the cheque payee on a statement. Usually all you get is the cheque number. To find out the payee, the bank would need to get a copy of the cheque and read what was written on it which is why there is usually a charge. Hence the need to make a note when you write the cheque.

money_penny_4

robertoegg wrote: »

Hi,

Hoping someone can offer some advice.

I used a number of cheques on my A&L Prem ac recently but failed to identify them in the cheque book (no stubs rather a front page to note details). I called A&L to ask them to identify and they stated they couldn't.....unless I paid £5 per cheque for some process ("copy" or similar, I missed exactly what).

Is this a just charge? Should the identification of my cheques not be available to me under the Data Protection Act?

Thoughts appreciated,
Ta
Rob

How about the following letter obtained from another forum:

Dear Sir:

You are to be commended for seizing the window of opportunity, for debiting my account £5 by way of penalty for the inconvenience caused to your bank.

My thankfulness springs from the manner in which this incident has caused me to rethink my errant financial ways I noticed that whereas I personally attend to your telephone calls and letters, when I try to contact you, I am confronted by the impersonal, overcharging, pre-recorded, faceless entity which your bank has become.
From now on, I, like you, choose only to deal with a flesh-and-blood
person. My mortgage and loan payments will therefore and hereafter no longer be automatic, but will arrive at your bank by check, addressed personally and confidentially to an employee at your bank whom you must nominate.
Be aware that it is an offence under the Postal Act for any other person to open such an envelope. Please find attached an Application Contact Status which I require your chosen employee to complete.
I am sorry it runs to eight pages, but in order that I know as much about him or her as your bank knows about me, there is no alternative.
Please note that all copies of his or her medical history must be countersigned by a Notary Public, and the mandatory details of his/her financial situation (income, debts, assets and liabilities) must be accompanied by documented proof.
In due course, I will issue your employee with a PIN number which he/she must quote in dealings with me.
I regret that it cannot be shorter than 28 digits but, again, I have modelled it on the number of button presses required of me to access my account balance on your phone bank service. As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Let me level the playing field even further. When you call me, press buttons as follows:
1-- To make an appointment to see me.
2-- To query a missing payment.
3-- To transfer the call to my living room in case I am there.
4-- To transfer the call to my bedroom in case I am sleeping.
5-- To transfer the call to my toilet in case I am attending to nature.
6-- To transfer the call to my mobile phone if I am not at home.
7-- To leave a message on my computer (a password to access my computer is required. A password will be communicated to you at a later date to the Authorised Contact.)
8-- To return to the main menu and to listen to options 1 through 7.
9-- To make a general complaint or inquiry, the contact will then be put on hold, pending the attention of my automated answering service.
While this may, on occasion, involve a lengthy wait, uplifting music will play for the duration of the call.
Regrettably, but again following your example, I must also levy an establishment fee to cover the setting up of this new arrangement.

Your Humble Client

PBA

The DPA doesn't apply in this case. While you can pay £10 for a copy of all the information in your file, it doesn't include information that isn't specifically filed under you. As your cheques are more likely stored on a microfiche with all that particular day's cheques, rather than specifically in your file, then the bank are perfectly within their rights to charge you individually for them. £5 doesn't seem unreasonable given the amount of work involved to order, copy, and send it to you.