Unplanned overdraft fee issue

Wizguy1990

Hi everyone, sorry if there is something else like this somewhere but I could not find it if there is.

October 2012, switched bank account when moving house, thought I had closed my nationwide after switching, which I had not.

Had a DD returned for £14.99, charged £15 for this. This £15 charge has now since taken me overdrawn, been charged every month for being overdrawn until Nationwide registered a default against me with the final total owed standing at £281.44.

I've had no knowledge of any of this until moving house recently and I have now received a letter from a debt collection agency which is how I've now found out about the situation.

Does anyone have any previous experience in a situation like this? Do I stand any chance of having the default removed from my credit file?

Any help will be gratefully appreciated

InsideInsurance

Did you use an account switching service where the new bank transferred the DDs etc or did you update them all yourself? If you used a service, then had this DD not been used in a very long time or?

Assuming you didnt use the switching service and just did it yourself then unfortunately you've no one to blame but your self for (1) forgetting this dd and (2) forgetting to set up mail redirection so you'd have known of the problem quicker.

If you did use the switching service then you probably have grounds for a complaint that they missed a DD

grumbler

You can possibly get some money refunded, but the default is well deserved IMHO.

Let's face the facts:

You thought that you had closed the account, but in fact abandoned it with some active DD.
Nationwide were unable to contact you because you moved and hadn't informed them.
So, we have the default, and I don't see whose else fault it can be if not yours.

Thrugelmir

So you didn't bother informing the bank of your change of address nor having a postal redirection notice on the property.

A weak starting point to start disputing it now.

101problems

if you used the switching service absolutley you have a case
if you didnt then no you dont

colsten

101problems wrote: »

if you used the switching service absolutley you have a case
if you didnt then no you dont

The switching service was launched in September 2013. The OP said they switched in October 2012, So it is a case of "if you didn't, you don't", and "stand up for yourself".

101problems

not true the gauranteed switcher service was launched in 2013 most banks had their own versions

colsten

101problems wrote: »

not true the gauranteed switcher service was launched in 2013 most banks had their own versions

Que? What is not true? Which bank had a switching guarantee before September 2013? And if they did, what did it say?

101problems

lloyds certainly did as i switched to them using their switcher service which was designed to take the hassle out of switching from memory i believe santader also advertised an switching service.
the Guarantee was brought in in 2013 but if you used the service pre then you would still have grounds to complain if they didnt switch over a direct debit

Carl31

I had something similar with first direct a few years ago when I was young and careless. They offered a no fee no qquibble interest free overdraft. I left a debit balance for ages, no problem there, then they changed the terms and started charging every month like you. It built up to about 500 quid and they registered a default. I didn't realise until I reviewed my credit file while trying to get a mortgage.

I called them and asked them to remove it. Tried and tried, no luck. Then one day it dissapeared. I didn't know how, until one day my mum told me she wrote and letter pleading to them, stating it was preventing me getting a mortgage. Bit embarrassing as I was an adult, but it worked

colsten

Before 16 September 2013, no bank could by themselves have guaranteed that e.g. direct debits would be switched transparently. No bank did offer this in writing, either, before September 16 2003.