info needed

AirExpressEwloe

hi all
im dave and im new to the forum.im seeking help with regards to my halifax account.i recently started a new job {private hire driver} if my boss pays me by cheque it takes 8 days for it to clear so then he has tryed money transfer from his bank to mine which takes 5 days. any direct debits i have coming out will not be payed because they say theres no money in the account although there is but it hasnt cleared. so halifax charge me £39 which is rip off biug style cos the money clears next day. i keep getting into debt because of there rules. does any one have any info on what to do for the best please.

many thanks dave.......

grumbler

Some possible solutions:

-try to change dates of DDs;
-apply for an agreed overdraft limint (you will pay some interest, but not fixed fees);
-open account with Cahoot that give £250 fee-free and interest-free overdraft to everyone accepted;

If you are not able to do anything from above just build some cash 'buffer' on your Halifax account and never spend it. 5 days is a very short period after all!

AirExpressEwloe

:T ive tryed cahoot but due to my credit history they wont except me.ive changed the dates of the direct debits also but that doesnt work. my problem is i think with halifax in respect that the checks should clear in 3-4 days but they cos they have been ripped off so many times theve exteneded it to 8 days.if my bos transfers money from his account {telephone} to mine that takes 5 days coz he doesnt have a halifax account.then wen the dd comes out theres no money to pay them even though there is but it needs to clear first.carnt get an over draught coz ive not been in credit long enough coz they keep charging me. swings and round abouts,driving me crazy.

tinalives

Have you considered contesting the charges they are putting on your account on the grounds that the charges are in fact a penalty and they do not represent a true pre-estimate of the banks costs?

AirExpressEwloe

yes i have tryed this before.have told them that they are seriously puting me in debt because of the charges even though the money clears next day.just halifax rules they say.if they droped the rules regarding the amount of time it takes to clear a cheque or money transfer i wouldnt be writing oh here but can banks do this to me and why do they get away with it.

tinalives

But have you specifically put it to them that their charges are not a true pre-estimate of costs and are therefore a penalty - this may make the difference as they are not allowed by law to charge penalties.

Here is a copy of what I sent to Alliance & Leicester:

'Dear Sir/Madam,

Re: Charges on account ## ### ####

You have recently charged us £50.11 for becoming overdrawn, detailed as follows:

£25.00 ‘Paid Item Charge’
£25.00 ‘Unauthorised Overdraft Charge’
£00.11 Interest

It is our belief that such charges represent a penalty and do not represent a true pre-estimate of loss, which is the legal requirement of any charges levied under contract. We do not believe that the penalty charges you have levied represent the cost to yourselves of this incident. We therefore respectfully request that you review the account and remove the unfair penalty charges from it.

We trust that you will agree with our analysis and that the charges will be removed. In the event that you disagree we would like you to send us a copy of your official complaints procedure so that we may pursue this matter further.'

As a result I got £25 of the charges instantly refunded. The only reason I didn't pursue it any further was that I got burgled and so had more important things on my mind.

Hope that helps.

AirExpressEwloe

thanks very much for the usefull information.i will like you write a letter to halifax and hopefully resolve the isue...

irnbru_2

AirExpressEwloe wrote:

if my boss pays me by cheque it takes 8 days for it to clear so then he has tryed money transfer from his bank to mine which takes 5 days. any direct debits i have coming out will not be payed because they say theres no money in the account although there is but it hasnt cleared. so halifax charge me £39 which is rip off biug style cos the money clears next day. i keep getting into debt because of there rules. does any one have any info on what to do for the best please.

Try this site for some info.

catalonia13

Tinalives - thank you so much for sharing your letter with us, I have copied it out (with the relevant bits changed!) and sent by email to the Halifax. They have just charged me £39 for a failed cheque, their costs? an automated letter sent on-line, not even had to pay for postage, paper or printing have they!?
I'll let you know the outcome......... not that I'm very hopefull, the Halifax seem to be in a world of there own when it comes to complaints. I had a mega problem a while ago when some Standing Orders I changed on-line were not complied with, they tried to still pay them out, I had insufficent funds and it left me with no money for the rest of the week and a charge of £29, despite countless phonecalls, different information from every memebr of staff I never got a satisfactory response and in the end I gave up out of sheer frustration, I really think I should have taken that further though!

catalonia13

am now going to start a new post on this one!