AIBU for trying to get bank charges cancelled?

[Cakedoesntjudge]

Asking because I have very little experience with this and I'm not sure if I am.

My bank announced earlier in the year that they were closing their current accounts. The bank I wanted to switch to was swamped with people so I only got the appointment to set it all up just over a month ago. Since then have been swapping direct debits and trying to get everything sorted.

I have never changed banks or closed an account before so wasn't sure what was involved. Went into a branch about 6 weeks ago and was given a set date my account would be closed on. I assumed if I called around and set up the new direct debits I didn't have to go in to the bank and cancel the old ones because the account was being closed IFYSWIM.

Transferred the last of my money into my new account on the day my account was due to close. Left it until then as there's a couple left that I haven't found the paperwork for yet (I fully accept I am unorganised and if I'd done all this before I could have avoided any problems). The following day they let a direct debit go which sent me into an unapproved overdraft for which there is a £20 charge.

Went in to discuss this with the bank today and the lady there said her colleague was incorrect, I needed to physically go in and close the account myself and it would remain active until I did so, there have also been 2 more direct debits that have bounced since I moved the money over at a charge of £15 each.

I have said I'm not happy to pay these charges and that's where I don't know if I'm being unreasonable. She was very understanding but did inform me that even with the ones I've switched I have to manually cancel with my original bank otherwise the company can still attempt to take them. On the one hand, I would imagine if you have experience of this sort of thing you'd know to do it all. On the other hand, I don't think it's unreasonable to assume the account would be shut on a certain day since I have received a couple of letters stating that and was told by one of their colleagues the same information.

It's a local bank so it's been in the news so I assumed it was an automatic thing that the accounts would be closed as it was their choice not ours.

In fairness, the lady was very helpful and sympathetic and said she would put in a request to have the charges cancelled although there was no guarantee.

But I've come away wondering if most adults would just know how to do this the right way and therefore wouldn't have ended up in this situation. If so I don't know if I'm BU reusing to pay? WWYD?

(NB: this particular bank doesn't support automatic switching of direct debits hence why I'm having to do it all manually)

What you should have done was cancel each of the direct debits with the company as you set up the new one, as a direct debit is an arrangement between you and the company you are paying, and not the bank. So the fact that the DDs were called at the old bank instead of the new one is your fault rather than the banks.

But most adults in the UK don't seem to understand this (I worked in a bank call centre for 8 long years).

However, the fact that they told you it would be closed on x date and then didn't close it is quite unreasonable on their part, especially as it wasn't your request to close it.

When I worked at the bank I would always agree to refund charges in situations like these, as long as the person hadn't made a habit of it, and they didn't ring up shouting and swearing about it.

So chances are they will refund.

I wasn't rude about it - I work in service and have had more than my fair share of awful
Customers kicking off at me so I tend to try my hardest not to be one! I just explained why I didn't feel happy paying it and asked for a complaints number and said I'd sort it out with them which was the point she said she'd put in a request to have the charges cancelled since I've not had any cancelled before.

That's interesting though! I assumed they'd automatically cancel the old one as they set up the new one! I didn't realise you specifically had to ask them to do so as a separate thing - I best get back on the phone. That explains why one of the bounces ones was one I'd already switched 🙄

The 7 day switch service does all the swapping of direct debits for you. That the point of it!

www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/banking/2013/09/you-can-now-switch-bank-in-seven-days-time-to-ditch-and-switch

Shots my old building society was pretty old school and don't support that unfortunately - it's very annoying. The only sort of switching service they offer is paper based and takes up to 3 weeks, during which time you have to have enough money in both accounts to cover all the direct debits because they could go from either which I didn't have enough money for so my new bank advised me to do it manually.

It's an absolute ball ache though! I'm spending most of my days on hold!

YANBU at all.

And while I agree with Ewan (also a veteran bank call centre telephone agent!) I would say that while it's common knowledge to bank staff, most people don't know direct debits are claimed by the company and standing orders are sent by your bank - so it's on your current bank to give you explicit instructions.

They're the ones inconveniencing you, and now you have incurred charges because they failed to give you important information. I can with almost 100% certainty say that if you escalated a complaint to FOS they would find in your favour!

You can't do that until you've been through the banks complaint process though so do that first. I would suggest instead of asking them what they can do, set out your expectations. You were misadvised therefore at a minimum you expect them to refund the charges. And as you need to make another trip to close the account, you'd like a financial gesture of £5 to cover your costs.

Or whatever. Go high and they'll probably meet you lower.