Abbey National - what happened to them?

illuminate

I have had enough with Abbey also.

Been with them for several years, have 4 accounts with them and a number of insurance policies and a loan.

In the past they have been very fair in relation to bank charges and seem to take a common sense attitude. Quite often a phone call to CS would result in refunds. Not by recounting a sob story but by explaining the situation.

The best example was when the refunded £30 for a returned DD for £3. (It would have taken me pence over my agreed limit.)

However recently, money has been tight due to a change in my earnings.

Abbey have come down on me like a herd of efelumps. I've gotta find an extra £134 pm to repay my overdraught, they have refused to replace my DD card and will no longer even CONSIDER refunding any bank charges.

This is a short term situation for me and once its sorted I'm off. Like I said I am a fairly large customer of theirs (well as big as one individual can be anyway) and I'm about to exercise my rights as a consumer.

I'm gonna love it if they ring up to ask why

CopperPlate_2

Have to say that Smile (https://www.smile.co.uk) are fantastic. Any time you phone or send them a message via their site, they always manage to sort it out. Very helpful and nothing seems too much trouble. Bit too good to be true!

CP

pin

Bossyboots wrote:

There is a thread relating to this somewhere. I will see if I can find it.

Abbey claim not to have been served with the papers so they could, if they choose, apply to have the judgement set aside.

The issue is whether the charges actually represent the cost to abbey of the "offence", rather than just being a fee levied effectively of random value purely for profit. I am sure the banks are all frantically drawing up costings to show how they can justify the figures they charge and once they do that, this open door will be closed.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=68507

IvanOpinion

Has any bank NOT been complained about on this board yet? I have seen Abbey, Nationwide, Halifax, Barclays, Lloyds, IMG etc. etc.

I agree with Ember999's comments and it is more than likely that if someone is complaining about a bank then either THEY have done something wrong (ie. breached the T&C they agreed to) or the product that they are on is just not suitable any more - alternatively it could just be because CS is getting more and more limited in what they can actually do without getting some legal-eagle involved. Fortunately it is now easy to change bank. Someone does need to address the size of the charges they impose though .. far to high ... but then WE ALL agreed to them. Anyhows that does not help the OP ... what about Nationwide?

I changed to Abbey in 1996 after my previous bank put me in a very embarrassing situation ... so far we have only had one occasion to question Abbey (cash machine took the money out twice) and they sorted that out immediately.


Ivan

jimclark1967

Do restaurants charge too much for wine? £20 for a bottle bears no relation to the costs incurred by the restaurant when you order one. You're quite free to go to the restaurant down the road which only charges £12.

Surely companies can charge whatever they like for ANYTHING - so long as the charges are known to the customer (on a menu or a set of T&Cs) before they order (or go over-overdrawn)

Why should banks be criticised for having high profit margins on fees which are perfectly avoidable - no different to a nice bottle of wine

JC

Pammy

I can appreciate some of the comments about manageing money correctly. I have been with Abby for over 20 years and in the last 10 months went inot turmoil following diagnosis of a tumor. Maybe I should of been more careful but to be honest my bloody bank account was the last thing on my mind whereas surviving was my top priority.

Despite Abbey national being fully aware of my situation they would not and will not budge.

This was a temporary situation for me and all I asked for was a little help. Now you say its fair but is it?

If I owe Orange £600 they have no choice but to agree to take my payment option. Its also clearly outlined what Im paying for ie phonecalls.

Abbey can come in and just snatch my money out, they dont have to agree to a payment method, infact they refuse to. The options they gave me would of sent me further into chaos.

I have been advised to take all my money out of Abbey National and shove it into another Banks basic account and get my wages paid into that. At that point I can tell Abbey Im going to pay you back £2 and month and they have no choice but to accept it.

What would of been nice would of been:

1. My bank taking into consideration my personal circumstances
2. Not being told 20 different things by 20 different people.
3. The ability to pay off over an agreed period of time without it affected my direct debits
4. An outline of exactly what the fees are for. Admin charges?? what is that exactly.

You say its fair but is it really? Like I say BT and other companies have been so understanding of my situation and have fone out of their ways to assist me. Im not looking for charity, I have a wage going in every month, I have a stable job with a well known organisation. All I asked for was a little help. What I have had instead is 80% of the people being totally rude, incorrect information, and at the end of the day no help at all.

Turning_into_scrooge

I remember about 25 years ago possibly a bit longer my father saying that the banks would see to it that they would have everybodys salary paid into the bank, no more weekly cash payments for wages, and when they did they would slam one charge on top of another and turn nasty to the normal everyday working man in the street. He actually reminded me of this statement quite recently but i did remember him saying it. Made me sit down and think.

I'm pleased your health is back on track and yes i agree creditors do accept payment plans, banks do also but only when you have told them to go away and changed banks. In your circumstances you could back this up with medical reports if necessary, I agree they have been unfair.

jimclark1967

Sorry Pammy, my post was more in response to the one before rather than directed at you. Obviously when you're ill the bank is the last thing on your mind and yes, they could be more helpful. Problem is they can't really have a clause in the conditions of the account which depends on the customer's health and ability to monitor their account.

As to what the solution is...

JC

Pammy

Its ok, hope my post didnt sound hostile but they have been so rude and I was on the phone to them again just before I posted.

It seems a shame there is no flexability with the banks, they blame computers and all sorts. I read through the post on the other board and it seems that these charges can't be justified. One newspaper article states that people can refuse to pay the charges but how does one do that if they automatically remove it?

My other question is this. If I wanted to go to another bank, will they accept me? I was told they definately would on a basic account, which can manage my direct debits and give me an ATM card. But would they allow me a new current account with a visa debit?

I am seriously thinking of tomorrow just taking everything out and putting it somewhere else. Im not sure how Abbey will react to this. I understand its in their terms and conditions, I really do. What I dont understand is why they cant either wave some of the charges or allow an authorised overdraft increase. Like I say I have been banking with them years, I have always had a regular job.

It just seems excessive. A computerised letter sent out costing £1 at most. Whats funny is that they dont pull my cheque book or cards and seem more than happy that I exceed the overdraft facility and clock up charges. If they are unahppy about the way I manage the account they could simply remove the methods in which this happens i.e cheque book and debit card.