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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Original poster

to think that people should shut up about their bank charges? You incurred the charges, so pay up.

400 replies

AitchTwoOh · 09/05/2007 12:57

honestly, i've got a friend who just got £5500 back and he's off on holiday with the proceeds.

he's absolutely USELESS with money and knowingly incurred all teh charges, so why exactly does he deserve to get the money back? it's not a bloody savings account he's been paying into...

OP posts:
joash · 09/05/2007 15:40

The bank that I'm in the process of applying for my charges back from - added an overdraft facility to my account (without my knowledge or request from me to do so), repeatedly attempted to pay numerous Direct debits when it suited them according to their opening times/days (generally early than charge me for the 'priviledge' of their mistake) then charged me £6 per day (adding interest onto the amount daily and it is policy for them to not notify you until the fifth day BTW)then charge £25 per letter (send 2 letters per notification - 1 saying what the problem is and another saying that there is a charge) then charge another £35 per month if you've been charged during that month followed by yet another charge of £35 per quarter if you've been charged during that quarter. IS THAT REASONABLE????

joash · 09/05/2007 15:42

I have never had a single chargeon the bank that holds my only account now and have been with them since 1990. It's not abou bad management, in my case, its more about the banks lack of communication and shite practices.

FioFio · 09/05/2007 15:42

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Original poster
AitchTwoOh · 09/05/2007 15:43

in the case of my friend, dogsbollox, i don't see the distinction. and nor does he, tbh. he thinks it's a laff riot and a big old pisstake of anyone who hasn't incurred charges.

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PeachyChocolateEClair · 09/05/2007 15:44

I'm not claiming either, patly because some charges were my fault (those were over 6 years ago though when I was a very young and stupid person) and some were not, but I can't risk having my account closed or deal with the extra paerwork, enough on my plate with ds's right now tbh, as ever though its those most vulerable who still cant claim it back- poeple whose credit history is so poor they cant go elsewhere if they lost their account, or those whose lives are so chaotic (I'm mainly in this camp, 2 statements and a DLA application atm plus usual Uni stuff etc) they just have to say you know what- I can't.

What woudl really help as someone said is the retuen of a friendly local bank manager you can build a relatinship with. My account is handled by a call centree and I cant get anyones name for it. It used to be handled by bank staff who knew me, and that was OK in that I could talk to them etc. Now there's no chance of that. You know, they could easily automate a system that sent an email to you if a regular payment didnt go in, to warn you, for instance. They could also do that on the moment yu went OD to allow you to sort it. But they choose not to.

thedogsbollox · 09/05/2007 15:45

Well of course, you feel how you feel as does your friend. It doesn't mean that what you are feeling is necessarily rational

Original poster
AitchTwoOh · 09/05/2007 15:45

the natwest let you speak to people in the branch, peachy, it makes a real difference. you do go through to a call centre but you just ask to go through to the bank.

OP posts:
PeachyChocolateEClair · 09/05/2007 15:45

BTW Icing you can have an OD every month AND be repsonsible- if it was say £1k (and a student might well have that) and you are paying back at £20 a month- ie reimbursing and being sensible - its still going to hang around for a while.

Original poster
AitchTwoOh · 09/05/2007 15:46

i'm not sure i'm seeing a whole heck of rational on this thread, tbh...

OP posts:
MrMariella · 09/05/2007 15:46

As a slight aside, good management of ones finances is part of one's expectations/happiness/self-confidence.
Teaching good finances would be entirely undermined if other parts of people's lives are not in synch with this. Does a good balance at the bank equal a good balance in life? Well, not if the good balance in life is not sustained, and the good finance prasctices would be short-lived.
Undoubtedly most of us could identify a "happy time" when money was v. tight, as a for instances.

PeachyChocolateEClair · 09/05/2007 15:47

Aitch they won't, because when we moved they woldnt transfer my account to the local one but the old one wouldn't continue to handle it so it is handled by a call centre on an industrial estate in Bristol.

madamez · 09/05/2007 15:47

Aitch: with this particular company it was a lottery every month to get paid - sometimes they'd only be a couple of days later (supposed to pay on the 1st) sometimes they'd change the date you had to invoice by so the money would be delayed by a month, sometimes they'd "lose" the invoice. I was able to manage most of the time by having other sources of income, but there have been major bad times (losing job when 6 months pregnant, for instance) when charges would just snowball.
Bear in mind also that, for people who live at least partly on benefits or WTC, not only can that cock up but it makes it very difficult to have monthly direct debits because these are paid weekly/fortnightly.
And all this stuff about "budgeting properly" is bullshit: if you're on a low income you're always going to be in debt, put there by the tiniest things like a broken window or a DC growing out of clothes/losing school shoes that have to be replaced a month before you budgeted for it.

Enid · 09/05/2007 15:50

first direct charged me a lot for going overdrawn

I rang them and they waived the money and gave me loads of good advice about managing my money better

FioFio · 09/05/2007 15:50

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Original poster
AitchTwoOh · 09/05/2007 15:50

i really find this idea that everyone who is reclaiming bank charges is on the breadline a bit unlikely. have a look at the threads, you know it's not the case.
and madamez, i had a company like that, they were arseholes but i was stuck working for them. i asked for, and got, a paid-for overdraft to cover the money each month because it was cheaper than getting charged. the bank could see the money was coming in, just erratically, but was happy to have me pay fifteen quid for the privilege of the overdraft. should i ask for that money back?

OP posts:
Original poster
AitchTwoOh · 09/05/2007 15:51

that was declared on about the third post i wrote, fio...

OP posts:
PeachyChocolateEClair · 09/05/2007 15:54

i am not for a moment suggesting everyone claiming is on the bteafdline, quite the reverse: I suspect many on the breadline dont know about this or are too disempowered to claim.

But the system does create victims, and as such needs to change.

hippmummy · 09/05/2007 15:55

I don't know if it's been said but if banks didn't want you to go overdrawn you would not be able to.
How is someone able to to go over their overdraft limit? Surely technology is good enough to asses when funds are unavailable and stop the person from making further debits/withdrawals.
Banks want and allow us to get into debt so that they can penalise us for it .

joash · 09/05/2007 15:56

The sole bank that I use now (see earlier post) it is impossible to go overdrawn - it cannot and does not happen.

JARM · 09/05/2007 15:56

I havent claimed back my bank charges - for 1 reason and 1 reason alone, IM SHIT WITH MONEY.

I am in total agreement that people should claim them back, but I wont, for the simple fact that it isnt worth the aggro, i dont want to lose my bank accounts as i am happy with Nat West in the most part.

All i need to do is be a little more careful to avoid those charges at the end of the month, and with my weekly budgeting this month, we should be back on track.

Good luck and well done to those who have got money back, but i wont be joining you - at least not whilst my credit rating is shocking and i need to stay with my current bank.

fannyannie · 09/05/2007 15:57

ok haven't read the thread - but this is my thoughts on it.

We incurred lots of bank charges (which DH doesn't seem too bothered about getting back - but the account is in his name so it's up to him) about 18-24 months ago when we were trying to set up the business.

We would get 2 or 3 charges a month (minimum ), which meant we needed more money the following month to pay off the charges AND leave enough money to pay the bills.........invariably that wouldn't happen - so we'd get MORE charges because of MORE payments not going out - and even better was the charges we got because we went over our overdraft limit because of the bank charges that had been taken out........

PeachyChocolateEClair · 09/05/2007 15:58

Hey JARM shall we start a we're too poor and have too shite credit ratings to get any ash abck club? Just thee and me, seesm we're the only ones on this thread LOL

FioFio · 09/05/2007 16:00

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JARM · 09/05/2007 16:01

lol peachey - it appears that is you and me to a T!

At least i have a light at the end of the tunnel with DH's payout in august - all debts gone and the overdraft will be non-existant!

FioFio · 09/05/2007 16:02

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