Ulster bank charges

Dieseldave1983

Hi all,

So we got home today to find a letter from ulster bank relating to an account my wife has with them. Basically, we rarely use this account, and have now been hit with £75 in fees.

We went overdrawn on 18 Jan, by £0.56 It has taken them until today, 25 Feb to contact us regarding this. This means we have incurred 2 x £20 maintenance fees (before they sent the letter) and a £15 irregular banking fee (again before any contact was made). Upon calling them, they have informed us that we will be hit with another £35 in fees this month. So for going 56p overdrawn we are now £75 in the red, which seems a little unfair.

They have said there is nothing they will do about the fees, and I am wondering where we go from here, are we within our rights to make a complaint and how likely are we to win? Really could do without forking out £75.

Any advice would be great, thanks.

dunstonh

So for going 56p overdrawn we are now £75 in the red, which seems a little unfair.

Taking their money without permission seems a little unfair too. Which is why they charge. The problem with modern bank charging is that to make it fairer and more legal, flat charges were brought in. So, you end up with situations where 56p over has the same charges as £56 over.

are we within our rights to make a complaint and how likely are we to win?

You can complain about anything you like. Even the colour of the carpet in the branch if you so wish. Banks tend to be quite fair nowadays on charges. They will usually refund if its your first time error (or long gap since the last "error"). If you are a frequent offender, they will usually not refund.

So, all you can do is ask them and see what happens. Go to the complaints team as often the branch staff you speak to have little scope to refund anything. The complaints staff do.