£600.00 worth of bank charges in four weeks. Is there anything I can do?

[millie76]

I know that the cases to claim them back have been frozen, so I cant go down that route, but is there anything I can do to get these charges reduced here and now?

Its all down to one mistake made a few weeks ago, where I used my card 3 times in one day, thinking there was money in the bank that there wasnt. I was charged £30.00 for each individual usage, and then that put me £90.00 overdrawn which meant that a whole series of direct debits failed, and therefore left me with £600.00 worth of charges which have all gone out in the last four weeks.

I phoned the bank to say how on earth can I deal with this when i only break even every month, and their answer was to give me a £600.00 overdraft reducing by £100.00 per month, and which they will charge me for.

I accept its my own fault for miscalculating in the first place, but surely £600.00 in one month has got to be seen as unreasonable.

I just wondered if anyone had any suggestions of anything I could do.

That is terrible.
No advice I'm afraid (still reeling from massive fall out on barclays telephone banking last night when they refused to let me transfer MY money into another account because I've told them I want to close the bank account with them).
Is outrageous. Hope someone can help.

you could try complaining to the banking ombudsman..or write to your bank requesting explanation of why you have incurred so many high charges..if you previously have a good track record with the bank, they may agree to waive some of the charges..£30 a time for being overdrawn is just disgusting though

is this the first time you've recieved charges?

if so phone and cry at them (i know i know not cool but it works) say you just cant afford this, it hasn't happened before, you don't plan on it happening again but it was a mistake.

each time i have done this they have refunded (once each on two seperate accounts)

give it a try, even if you only get half of it, its better than nothing right?!

good luck

I work for a bank,go in on mon and give them the guilt trip! If someone comes in and they have never had charges before and they are nice as pie to me I go out of my way to get charges back for them. Good luck!

Name and shame the bank, millie76! £600 is ridiculous.

This link: www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/oft-bank-charges

gives you some information about what to do, taking into account the claims freeze. It says you should definitely still put a claim in as a marker.

If you click through the link halfway down the page, 'what you should do', it also advises you to ring up and you may well get them to 'let you off'. My dh did this when we were charged £30 for exceeding our overdraft - by pennies, for 2 days. He politely but firmly told them we would close all our accounts with them unless they refunded the money. They did, as a 'gesture of goodwill' (though this was just before the claims freeze).

Thanks everyone. I'll give it a go on Monday. I have been charged once before and they refunded it to me, so I'm hoping that wont go against me. It was quite a while ago, and it was just one £30.00 charge, so I'm hoping that they'll see that £600.00 worth in one month is unreasonable. I know its my own fault, and I dont mind paying some of it, but the whole lot is just crazy.

close your account. take your business elsewhere

you are hardly a serial "overdrawer"..I would definitely ring them tomorrow..if possible request to see someone..dont threaten..but tell them politely that as a good customer of x years you dont expect to be treated in this way and that you are considering taking your business eleswhere.

I know our bank always take the charges off for my daughter. It is at the bank managers discretion so they can take it off if they want. I just plead that she does not have much money, or that it is not her that is being penalised but us her parents. To be honest it does not happen that often but if you make an attempt to put the money in as soon as you notice it does help. We are actually charged £63 pounds a time because there is also a £28.00 monthly overdraft charge on top of the £35.00

I went overdrawn recently as I screwed up my salary payment (am self employed so only have myself to blame )

I called the bank and said something along the lines of "as you can see I have banked with you for 100 years and have put millions of pounds through your bank and I am a dimwit and have screwed up my salary payment, please please coule you not charge me"

They said yes immediately

Go in and grovel I agree

How did it go Millie?

I know (pre-moneysavingexpert.com) there used to be an unofficial charges embargo around January time. The nicer you are the more chance you have of getting it reversed.

Is it a main bank? Places like Lloyds had Personal Bankers who you could suck up to establish a relationship with and deal with charges etc.

No joy at all I'm afraid.

They've refused to refund any of them at all. All they'll do is offer an overdraft to cover them, so that I dont end up in a spiral of getting charged repeatedly because of the charges IYSWIM

I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed that after the test case I'll be able to claim them all back. Doesnt help right now though.

I hope it works out for you, millie. I'm in a similar situation - though the charges aren't quite as punitive as yours.

Look at moneysavingexpert.com - there is advice there for transferring overdrafts to other banks pending the outcome of this case. It's nervewracking though.

That is so mean
I would go to the CAB and ask them to ask on your behalf