I think more people should know....

[kevb0444]

Hi.. i think more people should know that you can claim back ALL your bank charges (for un-paid DD's etc) that have been made on your accounts for the last 6 years. These bank charges are way to high for an automated system. The regime of 'fees' which banks have been applying to your accounts in relation to direct debit refusals, exceeding overdraft limits and so forth are unlawful at Common Law, Statute and recent Consumer regulations. You can also have any Default Notices that you receaved because of these charges removed. 100's have already got there money back and only one bank has tryed to fight the requset in court and lost. The Banks have never porvided any customers with a full break down of the costs involved in these charges. Why? Some say they are penalties but Bank charges are not legally enforcable if they are penalties. Penalty clauses in contracts in English (and Scottish) law for breach of contract are not legal if the penalty exceeds the actual cost of the breach of either party.
Nobody believes that it costs a bank �15 to �39 to return a DD, SO or cheque. Last year Which! estimated that the top 4 UK high street banks made �3 Billion from these charges alone. One in Five bank customers incur these types of charge, and because it's a bank imposing them, most assume that the bank must be legally entitled to do so. But they are not. For more info check out

www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=3

[Oneeyedvic]

Or you can STOP ACTING LIKE VICTIMS and pay your bloody bills on time - then you don't get high charges or defaults.

[THECORBYLOON]

What has paying bills on time got to do wi bank charges?

[jason1980]

Yes this question has popped up before and I always reply the same answer lol...

Im glad you can claim back charges because bank make money on your everyday account balances.

Paying your bills has nothing to do with it. I had a charge for a DD coming out on the 2nd of the month, and I paid money in at 9.30am on the 2nd of the month as soon as the bank was open. I got charged because the DD's clear at 2.30am (yes AM) and I didn't put it in on time - even though it was still classed as the same banking day and I always say that a charge should be made if the funds aren't in there at the close of the banking day which is about 3pm

Thanks Kev for making people aware

[QueenOfSheba]

Top man Kev - These bl**dy banks make far too much out of hard-working peeps.

Think the populus of www.moneysavingexpert.com would be interested in your link, if its not already on there. They're quite a savvy bunch!

Cheers for your link - Abbey charged me for Oranges c*ck up when they took my l-a-r-g-e bill out twice and I was charged and had black mark made on my bank account.

[stevie21]

jason1980 - if your telephone goes as 2.30am and you answer it at 9.30am, do you think you'd have got it "on time" ?

[kevb0444]

Oneeyedvic...everyone makes mistakes ok. Say if you parked some where and you could only stay there for 2 hours. Say you go off and for whatever reason you get held up and come back 5 mins late and theres a clamp on your car. Now thers a sign saying you can be clamped but does not say how much the release charge is gonna be. You ring up the clamp people and they tell you it's gonna cost �760 to have it removed. Now you'd want to know why it costs so much (as it can't really cost �760) and they say.."becouse it does ok. Oh and theres nothing you can do about it". Now you'd get a bit p**sed when you think it costs the clampers about �10 to remove your clamp and the average charge they make to you is �65, which most people except. But the cost of a failed DD is about 50p and they charge you �38 (that's the same mark up i done on the clamp cost) The fact is that the banks are charging way over the top for those mistakes. A �5 charge i (and most of us) could live with and accept as fair. But �38 is criminal (and it is by the way) And as for Stevie21's answer if you weren't expecting that call untill 9.30 (coz the caller should have been asleep at 2.30) then you can't be blamed for answering it late.

[Oneeyedvic]

kevb - not really an accurate representation. More accurate would be:

If you went to a place to park, and it said it cost �2 for 2 hours BUT IF YOU WENT OVER THAT TIME IT WOULD COST YOU �750, personally, I would move my car after 1 hour 55 minutes.

I really don't know anyone who says "I didn't know I was going overdrawn" - it is very easy to know - it is when you have more outgoings than incomings.

As I said earlier - it is down to taking personal responsibility.

You will also notice that you have 'free banking' is you run a current account - do you think that the bank doesn't have any charges for paying in money, cheques etc.

Businesses pay around 60p PRE TRANSACTION - everytime I write a cheque on my company chq book , I pay 60p - around 30 p for a direct debit, 60p per �100 cash I pay in etc etc.

Would you like to see consumers being charged this?

[kevb0444]

Hi...the banks can only charge you for the service provided. It does not cost �38 to return a DD. If they were using these charges to help pay for free banking for every one then they are not aloud to do this. It's been proven in court that they are NOT aloud to charge so much. If they were they would take people who ask for there money back to court and they would win. But the facts stand that they know they are wrong and WILL pay the fee's back before they have to step into a court room. I wouldn't want customers to be charges for there banking but at the same time i wouldn't want to see them ripped off. Like i said in my main post the banks make �3 billion (profit, straight into there back pockets) a year on these charges. I would happy pay �5 for a failed DD. Thats a fair amount. Thats still about a 1000% mark up of what it really costs.

[stevie21]

kevb0444 - why on earth would you not be expecting the call at that time if (and this is the important bit here so read it quite carefully)

It's printed in black and white.

??

It's an urban myth that if you pay money in the same day you'll guarantee to cover any cheques etc. leaving your account that same day. Have the money in the day beforehand and you'll be fine or read the bank's literature which may (but probably won't) say that you have until a certain time that day.

[kevb0444]

Sorry but you don't expect a DD to come out of your account at 2.30 in the morning.

[kevb0444]

Besides this was not about missed payments...its about the charges they make IF you do make a mistake. I mean if you want to nit pick and stuff then thats fine. But if/when it happens to you...are you going to execpt the charges and pay them (knowing that they are illegal) or are you going to fight for your legal rights.

[stevie21]

"Sorry but you don't expect a DD to come out of your account at 2.30 in the morning."


Why not if you're told that's when it comes out? I can't understand why you'd believe an urban myth ahead of the bank's own literature.

Automated payments go out overnight.
For this same reason, many a student will go out on the lash on a Thursday night knowing that by 1 or 2am (now into Friday) their wages will be in and they have money for more voddie and a kebab.

[kevb0444]

You know what...i don't ******* care ok. I didn't post this to nit pick over this stuff. Why someone has to keep nockin people back over there legal rights is beyond me. Do you work for the banks or something. By the way don't have a go at me...Jason was the one made the point in the first place. Sorry for sticking up for some one. And thanks for changing to subject of the tread. It's got **** all to do with when or why...it's to do with the fact they charge you too much and it's illegal. The fact you have not disputed this make me think your just out to be a pain in the butt.