has anyone claimed back there bank charges and won?

Question

hi in the past ive been hopeless with money and every month used to get charged a massive amount in bank charges and bounced cheques and intrest on top of all that
i have heard that now people are becoming wise to all this and claiming them back is it worth doing it and can anyone tell me if they have done it and had a good out come ( i bank with royal bank of scotland )
thanks

Answer 1

hi, i'm currently claiming back from alliance and leicester and abbey.

firstly if like many you dont have you statements for the last 6 years you must request them or a list off all the charges incurred over this time and include a £10 fee (the max they can charge) for them doing so. they have 40 days in which to reply to you if not you should follow up with a phone call and report them to the Information Commissioner.

once you've sent it off they will send you either all you statements for the last 6 yrs or a list. compile all the charges and total them. write to them again with the details of the total. you can also include any interest charged whilst you were in unauthorised overdraft. and interest for oportunity costs which is 8% from the day of your first charge. however they are not entitled to give you this additional 8% unless it actually gets to court. all this does is gives them a bit of incentive to pay up instead of getting into court because once there you can add interest compensation for stress and your legal costs to the bill, but it should all be stated in the letters.

once thats done they may write to you trying to convince you the charges are legal, DONT BUY IT. or they may offer you a partial settlement. its up to you to accept this if you feel its satisfactory. or you could accept letting them know that you'd expect the rest in the near future. however most strongly recommend you go for all.

if they dont want to pay up file a judgement against them in the small claims court and if necessary call in the bailiffs

they should not close you account but may try to. the Financial Ombudsmen has ruled against them doing so, so if they do you're allowed to report them and could be entitled to further compensation

from what i've read most cases are dealt with in 2-3 months but i'm sure some are done quicker, then again banks may want to hold on to the money for as long as they can to earn interest.

what most important to remember is if you do get to court you should be properly prepared as ill preparation could cost you to lose. although very few banks send someone to defend them resulting in your immediate victory.

what you should always remember is they will try to convince you they are legal charges, like Alliance and Leicester is trying to do to me now. But press ahead like a charging bull because the masses who've been re-imbursed cant all be wrong.
know i've provided way more info but hope it all helps and good luck

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now for those who keep saying that its in the t & c's.... please dont get me started! people are not disputting that the charges are illegal dont get the masses wrong i'm sure everyone appreciates that all business are here to make profits including banks what we are disputing is the amount that is being charged. if you all take the time to read a few doc you'll soon realise they were possibly overcharging you too because what they are supposed to charge you is what it cost them... the way the banks make profit is by charging interest not extortionate charges

Answer 2

Hi sweetie, I`m in the process of reclaiming mine back for two accounts with the Halifax. There are loads of websites and forums out there and most of them have template letters, just cut and copy them.

I know it has been completely my fault I`ve been so bad with money but was shocked when I noticed they had charged me £180 on one day for 4 returned direct debits (it turned out my wages were not paid on time like I was told they would be) and in my opinion if the banks could justify why they are charging this much for merely sending a computer generated letter I would be fine about paying it, but they can`t!!

From what I can gather the bank will try and offer you a payment as a goodwill gesture but many challenge them on this and if it gets as far as taking them to court they will probably pay out, even if at the last minute or the court will find you in favour and they`ll have to pay all plus costs.

Good luck, email me and let me know how you get on.

Answer 3

Bank of scotland are the worst for it but I've had about 3 refunded in the last couple of months. If it is your fault ie you didn't cancel a direct debit and there was no cash to pay it, then no. But if you can prove charges are not your fault you can get them all refunded, and it's their job to incur the costs.
They'll make you sweat for a bit though cause they hate doing it. You'll probably get the "I have to ask my manager and they're not in today" response, but keep ringing and they'll eventually give the charges back.

Answer 4

Hi

I work for a bank and I have been dealing with a lot of the letters that have been coming in and yes people are getting their charges back you just need to get a template off a website, sorry I don't know what one.

On the other hand I don't think its fair that people are getting these back you are breaking the terms of your account and what are banks going to do to recroup their losses? My guess is they will follow first direct and start charging every customer a monthly fee simply for the pleasure of banking with them. So customers like me who stay within their overdraft limit will suffer

Answer 5

Not likely.

Talk to your bank. Tell them how your situation is changed, how you are making good money now or if you got a more stable job. They may work with you, automatic debit payments or whatever, in return for lowering your extra debt to them.

That's the best you can hope for. But you wont' know if you don't ask.

Answer 6

sheesh i wondered about sending bills of my own too. great question !
Why the hell not ? they are absolutey killing us with these bs charges and outragous fees. Basically its there game and were in it and they are making up the rules as we go along.

Answer 7

have you ever considered just keeping track of your bank balance & not writeing hot checks???? that would have saved you all this trouble now wouldn't it?