Bank charges limit - advice on how to claim

SkintStudent999

Hello, I'll try to be as clear as possible! I have researched on this site, but I am still unsure if I am eligible etc. Looking for guidance really!

In 2011, I was made redundant. At the time, I had already amassed student debt on my Halifax account, which I was paying off monthly. I was on JSA for the next couple of years until starting my Masters in 2013 and I also began working part-time on a minimum wage. I should hopefully graduate this year.

So for those two years, I was not earning, but I was still just about able to make my monthly payment. However, I have been really struggling this past year. My overdraft limit is £3800 and my monthly payments are around £90. At present, I'm only earning about £230 a month so I end up with very little to live off.

I did initially enquire about changing to a student account, but the Halifax changed the criteria a day before my appointment (the assistant didn't even know this herself until during the appointment, the computer said no!). I also enquired at a couple of other banks, but they told me I wasn't eligible.

So, my main question is, can I reclaim these monthly charges of £80/90 that I've been paying since my redundancy? When I've looked at the information on here, it seems to talk only about claiming up to £15 charges, not a higher amount. It's really stressing me out. Help please!

dunstonh

can I reclaim these monthly charges of £80/90 that I've been paying since my redundancy?

In principle no. However, you can put your case to Halifax about you being in financial hardship with you giving examples of hardship. They will consider your situation and spending habits and if they agree, they will offer a solution. This can include a refund of recent charges but is not the only thing open to them.

When I've looked at the information on here, it seems to talk only about claiming up to £15 charges,

Are you talking about bank charges or credit card charges? (there is nothing about £15 that applies to bank charges)

SkintStudent999

Thanks Dunstonh for your reply. Sorry, I cannot post the link as I'm a new user, but I saw the £15 limit on this MSE website, under the 'Reclaim £1000's' section, then click onto 'Bank charges reclaiming'.

The charges I am enquiring about are the monthly overdraft fees I pay for having an unauthorised overdraft. It's something like £1 per day charge for anything over £1999 (authorised), and £2 per day for a bigger (unauthorised) overdraft. So I can pay anything from £60 to £90 in monthly overdraft fees. I don't get charged 'late fees' or anything like that, just this monthly fee. Do I make sense? All the information goes over my head sometimes.

When I was working, obviously my salary was steadily reducing the overdraft as I maintained a budget. I did try to talk to the Halifax again on a couple of occasions to see if they would help, but they basically just referred me to a debt agency.

I have drafted a letter from the template here, to go down the 'reclaim charges' path - do you think I should send it and go down this route, or do you think I should just send a letter explaining my situation and asking for help instead? I have done this verbally in the past, but with no success (granted, it was just by speaking to the in-branch help-desk).

Any advice you can give is appreciated as I feel totally defeated and depressed by it all.

Kate_Cunningham

I'm not sure I'm posting this in the right place but can I ask if anyone who has tried to claim back package bank account monthly fees knows if you complain to the bank regarding miselling it to you and they wrote back saying that because I had used one of the products in the package, i.e. bank breakdown cover I can't claim fees back. I didn't/dont have an income of £1000, I told them that at the time and can't afford £15 pm. I complained and they said no. What should I do?