Reclaiming bank charges - previous financial hardship

tain

Sorry if this has been asked before. Did a quick search and couldn't find anything specific.


Does the 'financial hardship' clause when reclaiming bank charges back apply to my situation now, or the situation I was in when receiving the charges?

Many a moon ago I was up bank charges creek without a paddle and racked up thousands in various charges, but didn't realise I could still claim these charges back (sent my reclaim letter about 2 days before the test case went through so they put it on hold, and my bank never told me I could still claim under financial hardship or that I could go to the ombudsman so I left it).

Roll on to today... I went through various debt charities, set up repayment plans at reduced rates, etc. and now I'm totally debt free, therefore not in financial hardship at all. Other than having my credit rating dragged through the hedges backwards.

Reckon the ombudsman would listen to this kind of thing? Or is it fairly explicit that it wouldn't?

[Deleted User]

tain wrote: »

Does the 'financial hardship' clause when reclaiming bank charges back apply to my situation now, or the situation I was in when receiving the charges?

You have to be in current financial hardship and historical bank charges are not refunded. Even if you were still in hardship, a refund of charges from years ago would not be forthcoming. It's important to realise that the Bank is not obliged to refund anything and typically refund only the last six months of charges dependant upon the severity of the circumstances of the customer being deemed in hardship.

tain wrote: »

my bank never told me I could still claim under financial hardship

The Bank are under no obligation to tell you this. You have to approach them and they then examine your CURRENTfinancial situation only at your behest.

tain wrote: »

Reckon the ombudsman would listen to this kind of thing?

Bluntly, the answer is no. You only have six months from the date of any complaint to refer it to the Ombudsman, but FOS can't entertain unfair bank charge complaints anyhow since the Banks won their court case.

tain

Boo. But thanks for taking the time to clarify that for me, appreciated.