Claiming Back Bank Charges - Looks like the bubble has burst - Page 4

Bunnylingus · 16th May 2007, 11:14am

You know what gets to me but?

So many of these charges could be avoided if people just took responsibility for their accounts.

Now, first time round, if you got £80 of charges, why not phone your bank and see where it all came from, try to get them refunded, and then be aware of it for future?

I dont agree with the amounts of charges, however the lack of responsibility a lot of people are willing to take for their accounts baffles me.

And yes, I do understand that sometimes these things are avoidable,but in 90 odd per cent of cases, its just really bad management.

Addy · 16th May 2007, 11:16am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunnylingus

You know what gets to me but?

So many of these charges could be avoided if people just took responsibility for their accounts.

Now, first time round, if you got £80 of charges, why not phone your bank and see where it all came from, try to get them refunded, and then be aware of it for future?

I dont agree with the amounts of charges, however the lack of responsibility a lot of people are willing to take for their accounts baffles me.

And yes, I do understand that sometimes these things are unavoidable,but in 90 odd per cent of cases, its just really bad management.

Minor fix, but

to all of that. Where it's genuinely the bank's fault take them to the fucking cleaners, but most of the time it isn't!

And yes, that's - hopefully - my last word on this.

StuntGirl · 16th May 2007, 11:17am

Is it bad management to be charged £90 in charges because your bank let your rent be taken out a day early? Bearing in mind some of that £90 is charges for having charges?

Bank can go and fuck right off. Their charges are tantmount to theft and I loath the fact I have to deal with them at all.

Bunnylingus · 16th May 2007, 11:18am

Nah, then its their fault.

Im talking about people spending money that tjhey dont have, or setting up direct debits and forgetting about them.

Fair enough once, but every month without fail?

StuntGirl · 16th May 2007, 11:24am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunnylingus

Nah, then its their fault.

Im talking about people spending money that tjhey dont have, or setting up direct debits and forgetting about them.

Fair enough once, but every month without fail?

I see where you're coming from, but that (imo) doesn't stop bank charges from being unfair and illegal.

But I'm willing to bet that a lot of the time, the banks are at fault. I tried to cancel a direct debit over the phone two months in a row, each month the DD came off, I was getting charged between £30-£60. It never got done. I went in to the branch to cancel it and complain...signed the wee pink form and everything. Next month the DD still came off and I got charged. And lets not forget the interest on being over your overdraft.

I'd iagine a lot of people have experienced similar situations...no one can tell me thats just.

faerie_child · 16th May 2007, 11:26am

i got charged £90 for a dd i was told didnt exist. £45 for going over my overdraft and £45 for a failed dd. 2 £45 charges for the same transaction is not fucking fair.

Addy · 16th May 2007, 11:26am

No, that's not just because it's bank error - but from working in a bank I can tell you and Rach will agree that the ratio of consumer errors to bank errors is huge - bank errors are very definitely comparatively few.

Bunnylingus · 16th May 2007, 11:29am

Quote:

Originally Posted by StuntGirl

I see where you're coming from, but that (imo) doesn't stop bank charges from being unfair and illegal.

But I'm willing to bet that a lot of the time, the banks are at fault. I tried to cancel a direct debit over the phone two months in a row, each month the DD came off, I was getting charged between £30-£60. It never got done. I went in to the branch to cancel it and complain...signed the wee pink form and everything. Next month the DD still came off and I got charged. And lets not forget the interest on being over your overdraft.

I'd iagine a lot of people have experienced similar situations...no one can tell me thats just.

Nope, I totally agree with you there, and thats not what my point was getting at - i did say i dont agree with the amounts, Im getting at people who use their accounts when theyve got no money, banking errors should be instantly refunded and compensated, and its shit if they didnt, but thats not the kind of thing I mean.

StuntGirl · 16th May 2007, 11:46am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunnylingus

Nope, I totally agree with you there, and thats not what my point was getting at - i did say i dont agree with the amounts, Im getting at people who use their accounts when theyve got no money, banking errors should be instantly refunded and compensated, and its shit if they didnt, but thats not the kind of thing I mean.

No I know what you mean, but I'm pointing out (kind of more to Addy than anyone else really) that some people get caught in the bank charge system through no fault of their own. And you'll know yourselves, from being students, that once that £90 is taken from your account the likeliehood is that you will find yourself completely fucked money wise, which leads to more charges because now you simply don't have enough money in the bank for your essentials. I used to earn £400 a month when I was a student, I paid £250 in rent and every month with out fail I'd end up with bank charges because of the aformentioned DD...the initial £60 that came off (£30 for being over my over draft, £30 for the failed DD) I couldnt cover until my student loan came through...so until then I'd just be accumulating bank charges and interest left right and centre.

I also used to work for a bank (Lloyds TSB) both in phonebanking and in complaints, and from what I saw, the ratio of consumer errors to banking errors was not as great as Addy is making out.

Bunnylingus · 16th May 2007, 11:51am

I dunno, in Abbey a lot of it was people who just stuck their heads in the sand, about 10% of it was error, a lot of that was because of indian call centres, I have to say.

Nah, I totally agree, and the reason I left was because I simply couldnt handle charge calls anymore because a lot of the time they really upset me, but I always wished that people would realise that it was their responsibility to look after theiraccounts, espescially when theres phone, telebanking and interent banking all available.

I do agree with a charge, just not as much.

Addy · 16th May 2007, 11:59am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunnylingus

I dunno, in Abbey a lot of it was people who just stuck their heads in the sand, about 10% of it was error, a lot of that was because of indian call centres, I have to say.

Nah, I totally agree, and the reason I left was because I simply couldnt handle charge calls anymore because a lot of the time they really upset me, but I always wished that people would realise that it was their responsibility to look after theiraccounts, espescially when theres phone, telebanking and interent banking all available.

I do agree with a charge, just not as much.

to all of that (except for the leaving part, I've not left yet)

nevali · 16th May 2007, 1:45pm

There's a big difference between “not in error” and “reasonable” though. None of it is about charges being brought in error, it charges that have been brought about unreasonably.

Charging £30 for anything besides an hour of an actual person's dedicated time isn't reasonable. Charging £30 for an automated process to abort a transaction and then instigate a new one isn't remotely reasonable, whichever way you look at it.

Recently banks have started calling them penalties, rather than charges—because to characterise it as a charge suggests that they actually earned the money and are billing you for it; the problem is that as a penalty, it causes more problems than it solves.

Jaemi · 16th May 2007, 11:05pm

Um, just to let whoever know (incase you never already), this isn't the end of claiming back bank charges. This guy was offered a settlement out of court and decided to go to court.
The government are set to announce the law on bank charging in January I think. So up untill then you are free to claim as you normally have done.

nevali · 16th May 2007, 11:08pm

Just to follow on from that… this is a non-binding ruling; no other court or judge has to pay any attention to it whatsoever. “Martin the Money-saving Expert” was blogging yesterday to say he thought it was basically a legal fluke, and the judge had got it wrong (the guy is allowed to appeal, mind)—and he's fairly well-versed in these matters.

Jaemi · 16th May 2007, 11:12pm

Aye.
See when I think back to my broke student days, I've easilied paid 100's of pounds in bank charges.