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To clarify further, I have held my account with them for over a decade, the joint one was set up about 7 years ago. They enabled the alert service approx 4 years ago. So no, I did not accept the terms and conditions when it came with the account, because it didn't.
Originally posted by OliB150
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I'm afraid that you are wrong there. Every time the terms and conditions are updated the bank informs you of this, and when the new terms are due to take effect. You are free to close your account before that date and not be bound by the new terms, but if you don't then you are deemed to have accepted the new terms, so you did accept them. That's the way it works in law.
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My point is, they tried to claim I accepted these terms when activating the service, but I never activated it, therefore any such claim is false. Starting to wonder if you are the person I spoke to that day.
Originally posted by OliB150
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You did accept the terms by not closing your account before the new terms came into effect. Sorry, but you don't seem to understand how contracts work.
I'm not the person you spoke to, but I do understand how a contract works and the revisions to it.
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The difference is, they say they can't guarantee the alerts reach you on time, but this isn't a case of them arriving late, they simply don't arrive at all. Therefore no effort is being made to send them, so they might as well not bother with the service at all.
Originally posted by OliB150
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They don't have to. It is a feature of the account (that you consented to), but not one that provides any guarantee. In essence, it is a gimmick that may be of use, but may not.
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Yet conveniently the ones saying it's too late and I'm going to be charged always seem to come through without fail. This is the reason I have issue with them and believe it is underhanded.
Originally posted by OliB150
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Irrelevant. You are responsible for managing your own finances, not the bank. The bank provides a non-guaranteed service that may help you with this, but you cannot rely on it and they expressly say that you shouldn't.
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My other issue is that if the DD is clearing and my 'available' balance is reduced until it has left the account, then any transactions made on that day should surely be equally declined, because the funds are not available against the available balance.
Originally posted by OliB150
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No, because, as I have already explained to you, you have an overdraft facility on the account and therefore the bank will honour the transaction. And, for the umpeenth time,
it is your responsibility to ensure that you have sufficient funds to meet your transactions!
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It has happened many a time that I'll go to pay for something for say £10 in the shop, and the card is declined, because the funds are rightly not available. Yet in the example above, the funds are also not available and they allow the payment and I get charged.
Originally posted by OliB150
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Maybe it has been, but that could be due to whether the payment is being authorised offline or online. If it is online then there is a check that there are funds, but if it isn't then there is no check and the bank, therefore, honours the payment because otherwise the merchant would be out of pocket and you would have got a load of free shopping.
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That is not me asking them to manage my finances for me, that's me questioning why they are knowingly allowing me to go overdrawn when in other circumstances they do not. It is a failing of their system based on the specific set of circumstances provided.
Originally posted by OliB150
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No, it is a failing in your understanding of how payments work. And yes, you are asking the bank to manage your finances:
you are responsible for ensuring that you have the funds necessary.
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It may surprise you to hear that not everyone checks their bank balances before every transaction to make sure the funds are available.
Originally posted by OliB150
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We don't all need to because we know that we have sufficient funds to cover all of our spending. You, on the other hand apparently do not, and so you
should be checking regularly, and keeping track of your spending.
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The card being declined is a pretty good indicator that I need to top the account up, so I just pay with my other card before moving some money around to sort the problem.
Originally posted by OliB150
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Give me strength! That is not pro-actively managing your finances. You are taking a reactive approach and relying on the bank sending you signals (in one form or another) that you don't have money in the account.
You are responsible for ensuring that you have funds available.
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I realise I'm asking for a service that was never offered, thats why I prefixed it with "just wanted to see if there is any way of"... It seems like a pretty simple service to me, but then why would the banks want to offer such a service which would stop them being able to charge people. It's not in their interest to do so.
Originally posted by OliB150
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Don't be ridiculous. You took an acount with them and agreed to the terms. Because of your poor financial management you have been charged overdraft fees and so now you are complaining that the account should offer a feature that it was never advertised with, and that you knew it didn't have when you opened the account!
It may, "seem like a pretty simple service to [you]," but it isn't one that they offer. Furthermore, it remains your responsibility. I see no reason why the bank should offer this, but if they did then one might reasonably expect that it would be a paid for feature - banks do have to turn a profit, you know. Would you be willing to pay for such a feature?
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The reason I don't want a credit card is because I simply don't need to borrow money. And don't try and say "well you're going overdrawn so therefore you do", because that is, as you would say, nonsense.
Originally posted by OliB150
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Where do I begin with this? You don't seem to understand credit cards either. Yes, you are borrowing money, but at 0% every month. As long as you pay it back then you never pay any interest. Credit cards are only a source of debt if people don't take care to only spend money that they actually have. Thousands and thousands of us use credit cards all the time and never pay anything for the facility. Of course, given your apparent inability to keep a track of your spending then maybe it isn't a suitable option for you.
I use a credit card for almost all of my spending, but I have absolutely no need to borrow money. I use the card because of the many benefits that it provides (see below) and because it assists in the management of my money.
There are other benefits to using credit cards too, like Section 75 protection; earning interest on the funds in our accounts for a longer period of time due to the interest free period; earning cashback on our spending (thus reducing or outgoings); earning rewards, e.g. Tesco Clubcard points, Avios points, etc.
Oh, and by the way, it is conventional to respond to comments made rather than try and guess what someone will write and get your attack in first. You are the only one writing nonsense in this thread.
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I have the money available to my name, its just in the wrong digital bucket.
Originally posted by OliB150
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Then put it in the right "bucket" and stop blaming the bank for your own ineptitude with managing your finances.
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The bank has not been inconvenienced, nor have they had to go and get a Wonga loan with an extreme interest rate because little old me went £5 overdrawn, because as a person, I have not. They still have all my other money to do whatever trading they do with.
Originally posted by OliB150
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Utterly irrelevant, as has been explained to you repeatedly. You
have gone overdrawn, entirely through your own fault, and the bank has charged you entirely within their stated terms and fees, which you agreed to!
You don't seem to understand how banking works.
May I remind you of how you began your first post:
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Evening all - not sure if I'm just being overly stubborn on this one (I'll admit it is likely)
Originally posted by OliB150
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I'm here to let you know that you were correct in your suspicions: you are being stubborn.