Bank Charges

Amen to that.

I've had an account with Barclays for 4 years and have never been charged cos I manage to pay all my bills

I don't have any sympathy for people who complain about bank charges. Yes they're extortionate but if you don't do anything to let them do it there's no problem in the first place

HSBC were really good with me when I had a graduate account.

Sadly not all banks take the same line - First Direct have charged me for being £1 O/D, refunded it when I complained but then refused to after it happened again.

I'd say if you have never incurred charges AND being O/D you are very lucky; the majority of people would get whacked with major charges.

how about if the cash point is broken so you pay on your card on pay day, only to find you haven't even been payed. I ran into about -£7 because of this and got a £30 bank charge.

Why did you move over to First Direct then? I was considering it, sure it was more to do with having a black debit card though

I've no idea why anyone would go with any other bank other than HSBC to be honest, they constantly come out lower than all the top 6 on intrest rates / charges, in some cases 50% lower and I've never know anyone to have a problem with them, they've always gone out of their way to accomodate me and been very understanding.. they actually call you to talk about issues rather than blasting you a nasty letter through the post..

It's been at the point where my o/d limit was £750- (those where the days!) and my balance was £1100- OD and all they did was take my card off me and give me a solo for 6 months..

I've heard real horror stories about NatWest, LTSB, and to a lesser extent Barclays.. Seems their banking style is very archaic in comparison to HSBC..

I would get whoever was at fault it was to refund the charges

I was with First Direct before I got a graduate account with HBSC, when I went back to college.

I applied to them because I heard their credit scoring was quite tough to get through, as you don't make the application in person or supply any docs (well I didn't)

I keep the account as a 'pocket money' facility, put about £40 a week in and only take this card out, minimising the risk of Fri afternoon 'shoe emergency' purchases.

The card for the account my wages go into stays tucked away at home.

I have my credit card, wages account and graduate loan with HSBC and to be fair they have been spot on.

Good for you.

Sadly, a lot of people find it trickier to keep their heads above water.

I work 60 hours a week over two jobs to pay the bills, and even then there is sometimes too much month at the end of the money.

To be charged £30 for going £1 O/D, a day before pay day is not acceptable and often makes a bad financial situation worse.

Most banks don't even send a letter now, so how the charge can be blamed as 'admin costs' is just beyond me?

Bank charges are illegal under common law, and whether you are agree with the process or not, anyone who has been unlucky enough to be charged can claim them back, until any bank is able to use a test case to call for a change in the law.

Luckily no-one has yet failed to get a refund if going through the proper legal channels, and so many will continue to enjoy seeing money flow the other way for a change.

yeah but you've said you have no life and never go out

good stuff

im gonna wait til i've cleared my o/d and then do this... i should get a few £££ back. im gonna switch banks from lloyds anyway so if they close my account thats their loss

www.moneysavingexpert.com

The best website going to help you with all of your little issues. You can join the forum and get all the help you need.

I'd rather not be out all the time and have my finances in order. I don't have the money to go out cos I'm getting my house sorted. It's a choice between going out and wasting my money or having a nicer house

Thats a wicked phrase!!

And about the first direct black debit card - if you have a LLoyds TSB account you can now upload a picture to print on your debit card - which is only £5!!

When im flush again im going to do that like - dont know what of yet like!

I should have it tattoed on the back of my hand, or perhaps my bank manager's forehead, which I probs see more of.

Ive got loads of charges i could potentially claim back but have a 1000 pound student overdraft which im scared they might ask for back if i take them to task.

any thoughts

you could always ask them to off set the charges against the o/d?

Technically they can withdraw your o/d at any time, but if you haven't got the £ to pay it back the most they could do is set up an arrangement where you pay back so much a month.

Have a look on the consumeractiongroup.com, they have a good FAQ section.

even tho you are taking cash from the bank that is not yours to take?>?

is that not stealing?

stop waffling on about how life is so hard, i bet you used to spend loads of your cash on clubbing and other shit that was wasted


makes me laugh, i used to employ a lad who was always bitching on about how he was not paid enough cash to run a car, but bought 20 tabs a day and was always coked to the max on a weekend.

some people need to get a grip of there lives

Legally they are in the wrong and I am taking full advantage, unlucky for them for not having their finer legal details sewn up; you would expect any properly run business to have such as this covered 110 per cent.

99 per cent of my debts come from training for my current career, if I'd spent what I owe on the old Colombian Marching Powder it would be like Christmas round ours.

PS did you used to go to Willington High School Micky?

Does this apply to credit card charges or is it just bank charges?