Alliance & Leicester - I am LIVID!!!!

ea81206

Hi, is anyone else with Alliance & Leicester and use their online banking? Forgive me if i'm missing something obvious with this but to explain better i've put my recent transactions below - note the CHARGES i've incurred when (if my maths is correct!) i had sufficient funds to clear debits?!!?!!??!!??!??!?!?! :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

I have a £50 overdraft facility that is not included in running balance so i've added this in avail bal column

Date Desc. In Out Running Bal Avail
21/05 Chq £35.00 -£83.28 -£33.28
21/05 Chq £25.00 -£48.28
21/05 P'met review (for chqs?!) £25.00 -£23.28
21/05 P'met review (for chq) £25.00 £1.72 £51.72
20/05 Credit £32.13 £26.72 £76.72

In summary i had £76.72 available which was more than sufficient to cover £60 worth of cheques..... i've gone over the limit because of their payment review fees which were added without reason?!!

I know the bank charges thing is still ongoing but omg how on earth can they get away with this?!!

If anyone can offer an explanation why this happened,who maybe understand the way A&L consider payment reviews if you're account is close to low balance it would be helpful.

Another point is my salary goes into my account tomorrow - which the bank is fully aware for 5 days previous to it showing on my account!!!

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

nickmack

ea81206 wrote: »

If anyone can offer an explanation why this happened,who maybe understand the way A&L consider payment reviews if you're account is close to low balance it would be helpful.

Maybe best to speak to A&L first and see if they can explain. It seems that your £50 overdraft was ignored and the £25 'payment review' relates to each cheque that was 'considered' for payment.

Ask if they can refund the charges as a gesture of good will. If you draw a blank, please read Martin's guide for your options.

ea81206

I know A&L will not refund the charges even as gesture of goodwill - i experienced a similar problem about 6 months ago when i got charged 3 x £25 for direct debits which came out on same day - the charge should only have applied to 1 dd as it was the previous 2 charges that put me over the limit by £2!!

I guess these charges will just have to be added to my reclaim list as A&L are refusing to refund anything until the test case is sorted.

Sometimes i think i'd be better keeping my money under my matress and hand delivering cash payments for all my outgoings!

Sun101

Ditto ! I have just received my statement from A&L.. with future charge of £70 to be deducted because I was over my overdraft limit for 2 weeks.. at £5 a day. Reason I was over my overdraft limit by £177 because of payment review fees totalling £250

MarkyMarkD

ea81206 wrote: »

Hi, is anyone else with Alliance & Leicester and use their online banking? Forgive me if i'm missing something obvious with this but to explain better i've put my recent transactions below - note the CHARGES i've incurred when (if my maths is correct!) i had sufficient funds to clear debits?!!?!!??!!??!??!?!?! :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

I have a £50 overdraft facility that is not included in running balance so i've added this in avail bal column

Date Desc. In Out Running Bal Avail
21/05 Chq £35.00 -£83.28 -£33.28
21/05 Chq £25.00 -£48.28
21/05 P'met review (for chqs?!) £25.00 -£23.28
21/05 P'met review (for chq) £25.00 £1.72 £51.72
20/05 Credit £32.13 £26.72 £76.72

In summary i had £76.72 available which was more than sufficient to cover £60 worth of cheques..... i've gone over the limit because of their payment review fees which were added without reason?!!

I know the bank charges thing is still ongoing but omg how on earth can they get away with this?!!

If anyone can offer an explanation why this happened,who maybe understand the way A&L consider payment reviews if you're account is close to low balance it would be helpful.

Another point is my salary goes into my account tomorrow - which the bank is fully aware for 5 days previous to it showing on my account!!!

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

How was the £32.13 credit made? What credits hit the account on 19/5 and 16/5? Are any of them uncleared?

In other words, is the £76 available balance that you quote actually what was shown on A&L's internet banking at close of business on 20/5, or are you calculating it with the benefit of hindsight?

ea81206

According to my online statement the funds had cleared... if that's the explanation i get from A&L when i contact them later today i'll still not be happy. Funds shouldn't appear as available or on the statement until they are cleared cos it totally confuses the customer?! I've learnt my lesson about that from the last time a cheque was lodged but appeared on my account but didn't clear until 7 days later and i got charged!

This credit was a Bacs so it's not like it needed time to fully clear, i don't see why with all this e-banking technology things aren't instantaneous - even texts i send from my mobile appear on my online bill within a few hours?!

Never mind, i'm sure the banks know what they're doing. With the stop on refunding charges the customer has no hope of being right :rolleyes:

borgbaiter

hi all

I had many problems with the A&L thier online banking is hopeless. the balances shown rarely balance even with each other (ATMs give yet another available balance). When i asked for a charge to be refunded as id paid cash in the previous day as i knew a payement was coming out they refused saying cash can take upto 3 days to clear and hadnt cleared in time.

Gave up with them and moved to Nationwide. So far no problems with their online banking (tho they failed to move all my direct debits).

A&L always process payments out before payments in. So on the day your wages go in be aware anything you spend can still make you overdrawn.

A&L online payments to other parties take days to appear on your online statement or be taken of your available balance and then they are back dated and can cause other unexpected charges.


Borgbaiter

ps from experience Halifax online banking is as bad. HSBC is better.

ea81206

A&L have refunded only 1 of the £25 payment review charges.... it's cost me a small fortune in phonecalls to the bank (so far over £15, not to mention the £10 overdraft charge i've incurred due to their mistake)

Still fighting to get the remaining £25 back - i'm tempted to get legal advice on this as they have clearly taken the money without justification - 5 advisors that i've spoken to agree they don't understand and it keeps getting passed to payment review section.

So frustrating!

Aesop

crikey, you have made me worried, am going to have to check my account, I am on maternity leave so my wages drastically reduced. my laptop broke 2 months ago so couldnt do online banking and check my account, only just back online and having to set everything up again as new laptop.

thanks for the warning. good luck in getting your money back. I hope you do.

Gord86

And to think i just moved to them from lloyds

is there no bank with morals

MarkyMarkD

ea81206 You didn't answer my question about whether you had paid funds into the account on 16/5 or 19/5.

borgbaiter It's NOT true that A&L "always process debits before credits" or that any other bank does so. Direct credits are processed before anything else. But transactions made on the day are always processed after direct debits or cheques clear, precisely because those direct debits and cheques are processed overnight and that's why account terms and conditions require funds to be there by close of business on the previous banking day to meet payments out.