Can my bank do this

Gene_Hunt_3

Me and my partner went up to the post office last week to ask for a balance. We had £107 available credit. We took it out as we needed shopping and other stuff. Two days later I look at the balance online for our account and its overdrawn by £33.

Our tax credit went in today which also covers our sons nursery. We asked the bank if they could help us to which they replied no its our fault we was overdrawn so tough. Now it has left us short. By a large amount.

The bank is Natwest.

Any advice please?

Coupon-mad

I don't understand why you would ask for a balance and not take into account that there were obviously other payments due to come out?

If the balance was £107 but you knew that you had written cheques or had a DD due to be paid for £140, then you didn't really have the £107 to draw out did you?

Not meaning to be harsh, sorry, I really hope it's a lesson learned and it won't happen to you again!

Relying on 'asking for a balance' - then blindly getting that sum out of the bank - is a sure way to end up going overdrawn every month. My advice as an ex-Bank employee would be, just write down every transaction, maybe on the back of your chequebook or in a notebook, then you won't need to ask for a balance at all, you will know what you have really got available.

HTH

Gene_Hunt_3

We checked online and at the post office for a balance and both said £107. We have no direct debits on that account or no cheque facility. We dont know why it went overdrawn.

Coupon-mad

Then I would ask the Bank what the £140 was that came out? Or I guess it was actually just £33 that you can't account for because you took out £107 of it? Ask them what the latest debit transactions were?

Maybe a cheque you paid in, for £33, has bounced (no fault of yours but that would come off your balance when it bounced)?

Do you have a cashpoint card, maybe you can get a mini-statement of transactions at the cashpoint (HSBC do this, don't know if NatWest do?).

Richard_P

Out of interest, how much money did you take out for shopping and other stuff?

Did you take any other money out after that date before you discovered the account was overdrawn?

Gene_Hunt_3

We only took £107 as that was all that was available. We never touched the account again until this morning

Benefits_Blagger

you cant do anything and neither can people here help you, unless you find out what it is what took you overdrawn!

krisskross

I don't understand why you would ask for a balance in a post office when you have online banking. My online banking is accurate, down to itemising the £50 I took out an hour ago. Are you sure you didn't pay for something with a debit card as well as taking the money out? Or you could have bank charges from a previous month perhaps that have only just been taken.

Bogof_Babe

If you have online banking, all you have to do is look at it to find out where the overdraft happened. Are we all missing the point or what?

Richard_P

so does your on-line banking show the the withdrawal of £107?

and does it show any other withdrawals after the £107 you took out as cash?

mookie

The answer to your question is yes your bank can do this.

You say you are left short due to going overdrawn so the only help they could give is an overdraft they are not obliged to give you this facility unless you have the credit status for them to give it, this would be irresponsible lending and would not help you in the long run but you did not say if you actually applied for one so I am only going by the fact that most banks would put one on if they could because they make money from the interest they charge for it, they have not offered it to you which leads me to believe an overdraft was not an available option.

Unless it was a bank charge that put you overdrawn then it is not their problem and there is not much they can do, if it was a bank charge then they could of refunded it at their discretion but you dont seem to know what the reason is that you went over so its unlikely it was their fault. If you went overdrawn by £33 and they havent charged you then thank yourself lucky, most banks would have stuck a whopping £30 on which would of made matters worse for you.

As the others have suggested check your online banking entries and see what debits have gone through the account.