Alliance & Leicester...

[x-kirsty-x]

...are pi**ing me off

I've only had the account about 6 months and when I opened it they PROMISED to match my overdraft that I had with my old bank. They didn't though and whenever I apply for one they refuse!

I wouldnt mind cos I only want an overdraft in case of emergency but with it being Christmas/New Year recently my direct debits are all over the place and I could really have done with that extra money to cover them.

Checked my bank today online and Im £60 overdrawn Why? Because they've charged me £100 for going £3.00 below my balance for one day. They're also taking another £100 off me on 23rd for 'unauthorised charges'.

PFFFFFFTTTTTT!!! I'm sitting here crying now cos its just ridiculous. Now any money that goes in this month is just gonna go straight to them

 

[Urchin]

Can't you talk directly to the manager? Who promised you they would match it?

I would go bananas at them and threaten to close the account.

 

[Em78]

hun there is a huge thing going on at the mo about unfair bank charges.

try the gmtv website and see if they have anything - they had loads of template letters you can send to rey and get the money back.

basically the law allows them to recoup money it costs them to send letters etc. however they have used that to make a fortune and now there is finally a backlash happening where loads of people are saying that it doesnt cost £100 to send a letter (those charges seem very high btw!) and believe the charges are actually unlawful.

look into it babe - it sounds like they are ripping you off big time - and once its sorted change banks - dont stand for it, vote with your feet as they say!

xxxxxxxxxxxx

 

[x-kirsty-x]

hun there is a huge thing going on at the mo about unfair bank charges.

try the gmtv website and see if they have anything - they had loads of template letters you can send to rey and get the money back.

basically the law allows them to recoup money it costs them to send letters etc. however they have used that to make a fortune and now there is finally a backlash happening where loads of people are saying that it doesnt cost £100 to send a letter (those charges seem very high btw!) and believe the charges are actually unlawful.

look into it babe - it sounds like they are ripping you off big time - and once its sorted change banks - dont stand for it, vote with your feet as they say!

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Thanks so much, thats good to know. I had no idea about it. I'll look into it

 

[Em78]

no probs hun! people have been getting money back from the last six years - some of them are getting thousands back

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

[Gaby]

I dont understand why they charge so much for going overdrawn. But then, i really dont understand a thing about overdrafts ^_^ Except that my FIL keeps going over drawn by amounts like £50 and getting charged £200!!! I think its disgusting that they can charge you that much. You'd have thought they'd just charge interest and a fee for having to sort out putting the interest on (like £5 or summat)

Hope you kick their butts! Stupid banks.

 

[Emmylou]

Kirsty I took A&L to court for bank charges last year - worte them a letter asking for them they said no, so I sent it to court (cost £30.00 but I tagged that onto the claim amount) within 2 weeks I got a cheque from their legal departemnt refunding the amount and asking me to halt proceedings against them!!!!

I used this site www.bankchargeshell.co.uk

I claimed £282.00 back (incl court costs) and got it all back - they closed my account because I was overdrawn, so might be worth opening a bank account with another bank just in case (I already had an account elsewhere - so it didn't bother me!)

 

[Em78]

Kirsty I took A&L to court for bank charges last year - worte them a letter asking for them they said no, so I sent it to court (cost £30.00 but I tagged that onto the claim amount) within 2 weeks I got a cheque from their legal departemnt refunding the amount and asking me to halt proceedings against them!!!!

I used this site www.bankchargeshell.co.uk

I claimed £282.00 back (incl court costs) and got it all back - they closed my account because I was overdrawn, so might be worth opening a bank account with another bank just in case (I already had an account elsewhere - so it didn't bother me!)

go emmylou!!! i know the money guy on gmtv said sometimes they wont give in right away !

xxxxxxxxxxxx

 

[x-kirsty-x]

I've just worked all my charges out and they've charged me a total of £175 since I opened the account, £150 of which has been this month (and its only the 9th of the month!)

Definitely writing that letter this afternoon

 

[Emmylou]

Its definitely worth it the most it will cost you is the price of a couple of stamps.....look at it this way - if they faced you in court how much would it cost for them to send someone and put them up in a hotel etc?

They'll pay it back to you - but remember they will more than likely say no at first so you have to write to them again stating that you will be commencing legal preceedings etc and then go onto www.moneyclaimonline.gov.uk to start legal proceedings against them!! Remember to include the court costs on the claim if it gets that far.

GOOD LUCK

 

[Flossy82]

Tell me about it bloody hsbc charged me and the oh (joint account) 75 quid for going overdrawn takes the mick really i hope you get this sorted out hun -xxx-

 

[kirlykird]

kirsty, why have they charged you £100 for going £3 over your limit?

bank charges vary from £25-£35 and this is very unfair and unlawful charging.

I would suggest the same as Em, open an acc elsewhere if you are going to fight them for this.

get yourself a copy of the banking code, have a good read through it so you know your rights, send them a complaint letter, one to your branch and one to their head office .

normal banking practice is to charge you if you go £10 over your limit... (this is the case for the big 4 banks anyhow and certainly was for the bank in which i worked for many many years up until July).

This doesn't sound right and if anything is an error on their part.

is the £100 for one incident or have you had any chqs etc bounce?

 

[x-kirsty-x]

kirsty, why have they charged you £100 for going £3 over your limit?


is the £100 for one incident or have you had any chqs etc bounce?

I went £3 overdrawn so they charged me £25 straight away which obviously made me around £30 overdrawn. Then I put some money in to cover a direct debit but by the time it went in the direct debit had come out so they charged me another £25 for paying it. They've been charging me in amounts of £25 at a time and its added up to £150 altogether.

Basically its just going round in circles, any money I pay in they take straight off me to cover their charges.

I've wrote a letter but Im gonna ring up first and see what they say.

 

[Sassyminx]

...are pi**ing me off

I've only had the account about 6 months and when I opened it they PROMISED to match my overdraft that I had with my old bank. They didn't though and whenever I apply for one they refuse!

I wouldnt mind cos I only want an overdraft in case of emergency but with it being Christmas/New Year recently my direct debits are all over the place and I could really have done with that extra money to cover them.

Checked my bank today online and Im £60 overdrawn Why? Because they've charged me £100 for going £3.00 below my balance for one day. They're also taking another £100 off me on 23rd for 'unauthorised charges'.

PFFFFFFTTTTTT!!! I'm sitting here crying now cos its just ridiculous. Now any money that goes in this month is just gonna go straight to them

i put a claim in with barclays to reclaim all my bank charges from the past 6 yrs, and i got £811 back off them by simply asking them for all my statements for the past 6yrs, working out what they had charged me for unauthorised borrowing and bounced DD's etc, and sending a letter in saying i was disputing the charges, they are not legally allowed by law to charge you £30 the statutory amount is £12

id ring them and say that are they aware its illegal to charge you that much etc etc, and see what they say, i bet they refund you though. ill put a new post up saying how to go about reclaiming your charges

 

[kirlykird]

how long ago was this SassyMinx?

My OH is thinking of doing this with Barclays

 

[Sassyminx]

how long ago was this SassyMinx?

My OH is thinking of doing this with Barclays

i put my claim in last july, and got my money in august, but i know loads of people who are still doing it now and reclaiming money, Barclays will refund you if you do it as ive stated in the other thread, theyre robbing buggers