Halifax - Overdraft Complaint

Sanantonio1 · 6 January 2017 at 9:01AM

Looking for a few opinions on a complaint I've made to Halifax that is getting me nowhere.

I'll start off by saying my finances with Halifax haven't been handled great by myself for the best part of 2015-2016. I would pass my overdraft, Halifax would notify me of charges for doing so and apply them a month later. Problem I had was that Halifax would apply these charges to the account at the opposite side of the month to pay day when I in effect had no money thus putting my outside of my overdraft and again building further charges. This became a cycle I got used to and paid like an idiot (at a cost of £115 a month).

My plan for 2017 is to rid myself of Halifax altogether and move to my Natwest which I manage better but want to sort out my complaint first.

In August Halifax stopped notifying me of my upcoming overdraft charges (online banking so always get a message in my account telling me the costs) and I can prove they haven't notified me between August 16 and December 16. I complained online that you can't legally take overdraft charges out of my account without giving me notice. When I got a response they've stated it's my finances my problem I should look at my statements to work out the charges (I.e. Manually work or which days I am over and tot up the fees myself).

Since making the complaint however I have gotten Jan 17s notice of upcoming charges as if I miraculously now get the notice again.

Do I have a leg to stand on with the fees issued during the time I wasn't getting notice of the charges?

PeacefulWaters · 6 January 2017 at 10:01AM

The FOS may take a sympathetic view.

If you are unhappy with the response to a complaint take it to the FOS.

That said, it sounds like you need to get a serious grip on your budgeting.

Flobberchops · 8 January 2017 at 1:09AM

Whether or not you received a specific alert, would the charges not be displayed on your statement, be this physical or online? And shouldn't you a) be aware of the charges and b) be able to calculate them yourself, as this would be information made clear to you at the time of opening the account (or at whatever point you accepted the overdraft facility)?

What I'm saying is, Halifax *probably* have the technical justification to sling you out on your ear. They may choose to waive the charges for the months where you didn't receive the usual notification but I suspect this would be strictly discretionary - banks usually cover themselves for any liability stemming from missed alerts in the Ts&Cs. By all means go the compensation route if you like, but I'd advise an air of humility rather than indignation in case you see an advisor who's in the mood for a fight.

Dobbibill · 8 January 2017 at 8:25AM

Ring the Halifax.

If all these charges are unplanned then ask them about their Control feature. It's £10 a month but means that you would only pay £1 a day for exceeding your overdraft limit, rather than the £5 - £10 a day you appear to be paying.
They may refund or waive recent charges if you ask nicely - best results on here have always been achieved by talking rather than ranting at CS.

As for the date the charges debit the account is standard and always leaves at close of business the 1st bank working day of the month for everyone. It's automatically processed so I can't see that they would be able to change the date.

If you are still unhappy then log a complaint and once you have their final response, if you don't like the outcome then feel free to take it to FOS.

Halifax - Overdraft Complaint

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