Lloyds Bank charges reclaim advice please

NikkiH2504

I emailed a complaint letter to Lloyds back in September and apart from confirmation of that email, I have received no further response. I emailed a further 3 times and no reply to those either.
I have just rung them and the lady I spoke to said they don't refund bank charges anymore or look into it as they have stopped applying charges and its been that way for years. 
Is that true? Do I have any other options available? It's for my nanna whose under severe financial hardship and also recently lost her grandson.
Thanks in advance 
Nikki 

SonOf

I have just rung them and the lady I spoke to said they don't refund bank charges anymore or look into it as they have stopped applying charges and its been that way for years. 
The banks won the Supreme court case in 2009.  So, reclaiming of charges ended after that except in two areas
1 - Incorrect application of charges (i.e. charge made in error)
2 - CURRENT financial hardship where they are your current bankers.

Even where they do look into hardship cases, where they agree there is hardship, they would normally look at options like suspending future charges for a period or putting the person on a debt management plan.  Where they do refund, it tends to be no more than those incurred in the last 12 months.   Only in very extreme cases do they go back further nowadays.

NikkiH2504

Thank you for your reply. 

Niyx

Hi,

Bank name: Lloyds TSB

Amount Reclaimed: £2,753

Amount they paid: £2,859

How long did it take: 13 January 2020

The story: Do not give up ! I used the template to reclaim 6 years worth of bank charges. Even though it was time consuming, I scrupulously followed the guidelines and gathered 6 years of bank statements' details. By early January 2020, I sent a letter by registered post explaining financial hardship and asking for a full refund of overdraft fees. I did state at the end of my letter that I would file a complaint to the Ombudsman or Small Claim court if I didn't obtain satisfaction within 2 weeks. I received a call from the bank 10 days later, telling me my claim was successful. The money was credited on my account shortly afterwards.

dunstonh

s. I did state at the end of my letter that I would file a complaint to the Ombudsman or Small Claim court if I didn't obtain satisfaction within 2 weeks. 

It should be noted that the banks won the court case on bank charges in 2009 and since then there have been very few successes in the courts.  So, your threat wouldn't carry any weight.

The FOS cannot force a bank to refund either since the supreme court case.  It can only ensure that the bank have considered your case fairly.  So, again, that carried no weight.

You want the bank clerk on your side and being sympathetic to your situation.  Blustering in with threats can be far more damaging than painting a picture.

Niyx

@dunstonh

I suppose you are right, provided the banks' handling of our accounts and their evaluation of our hardships are always spotless. A thorough reclaim of bank charges allows the customer as well as their bank to look back at all the fees charged over time in detail and can reveal mistakes if any. In Nikki's case, her post suggests that the bank may have overlooked her grandma's situation and hardship. Now, I don't know if an email or phonecall carries the same weight as a polite but strong and detailed letter sent by registered post. You never know until you try.