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Thread: Hands-on guide to taking on the banks - and winning!

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    Hands-on guide to taking on the banks - and winning!

    Ever been stiffed by a bank with charges you thought were unreasonable?

    Then we've got just the thing for you - a step-by-step guide for how to get your money back and with interest on top!

    It's been written by a HEXUS.forum member who wishes to remain anonymous but who has successfully taken on his bank and won - with free help provided by The Consumer Action Group.


    More in this HEXUS.lifestyle.headline.
    Last edited by Bob Crabtree; 10-11-2006 at 06:01 PM.

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    The Consumer Action Group is a great website. I followed their advice after being charged £60 for two returned direct debits, and bank gave a full refund within a week. This is despte my account being a basic bank account, so should work for anyone.

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    Just read about this on Hexus tonight, having sent off my DPA Subject Access Request letter earlier today. I've been charged over £1300 (yes, thirteen hundred pounds) since April this year alone and intend to claim the past 5 years of charges back (I live in Scotland so it's 5 years, not 4). I'll post any notable events in here.

    Wish me luck!
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    Quote Originally Posted by 8bit View Post
    Just read about this on Hexus tonight, having sent off my DPA Subject Access Request letter earlier today. I've been charged over £1300 (yes, thirteen hundred pounds) since April this year alone
    Eeek!

    Quote Originally Posted by 8bit View Post
    Jand intend to claim the past 5 years of charges back (I live in Scotland so it's 5 years, not 4). I'll post any notable events in here.

    Wish me luck!
    Good luck (though I kind of think you won't need it - I'm quietly confident you'll get the lolly back.

    And, do please keep us posted.

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    I've been lucky with bank charges over the years, partly due to sounding quite scary on the phone I think.

    Great info to have though.

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    I Remember when my dad was going through a tough financial period and got stung for a variety of o.t.t. petty little charges.
    *Off Topic*
    I will in investigate
    Also i too do all my parents telephone renewal malarkey sky, bb, mobiles etc. and this seems to be the only way to get a fair price. I personally think they see an older less technically generally less modern consumerism savvy as there nice little profit base.

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    For more information on this try
    http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/

    Martin Lewis has been banging on about this for a long time.

    The banks response to this seems to be that if more and more people keep trying to get their money back, that it will lead to the end of free banking in this country.

    Anybody think that this could happen. I'd hope that there was enough competition in this country to stop this happening.

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    Quote Originally Posted by chuckskull View Post
    I've been lucky with bank charges over the years, partly due to sounding quite scary on the phone I think.
    ROFL!

    Reminds of the time I was in a publisher's office arguing with him about an overdue promised pay rise and realised that for the last little while he'd been backing away from me and walking in circles around his desk with me walking after him.

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    Quote Originally Posted by rolph View Post
    For more information on this try
    http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/

    Martin Lewis has been banging on about this for a long time.

    The banks response to this seems to be that if more and more people keep trying to get their money back, that it will lead to the end of free banking in this country.

    Anybody think that this could happen. I'd hope that there was enough competition in this country to stop this happening.
    I think the banks would find it very difficult now to withdraw "free" banking and, if they all did it, the EU would be down on their heads like a ton of bricks because it would be assumed (probably correctly) that they'd colluded and were acting in an anti-competitive manner.

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    First Direct (who I bank with) just announced a 10ukp banking charge per month if you account is below 1500ukp (or you don't pay in more than that per month, or you don't have a loan/mortgage with them). This doesn't affect me but i shall be telling them how bad an idea I think it is shortly..
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    red
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    Seems the banks are trying to reap some nasty revenge on people taking this route.

    They are apparently reporting us to the credit reference agencies for late payment, before the outcome of any 'charges' clawback is decided.

    It's one good reason for them stringing it out a bit, because technically they are correct until the case is settled.

    Source: Money Mail/Daily Mail/Wednesdays.

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    red,

    I don't understand.

    Care to spell that out in a bit more detail - and to give a URL, too?

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    red
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    It was in the Money Mail section of the Daily Mail a couple of weeks ago.

    I got it wrong in more than one respect, it's not for late payment, it's for breaching their terms and conditions. A two pronged revenge, they will report you to credit reference agencies and try to boot you out of the bank!

    I can't post URL here because I haven't made 5 posts yet so I've put it in Chatter on DV forum for you to pick up.
    Last edited by red; 20-11-2006 at 04:18 PM.

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    I've been charged by natwest for being over my overdraft.
    IE
    Say you have £23 in your account, they'll happily bounce a DD or SO for £25 but then charge you £30 and actually take it out of your account putting you over your overdraft, they will then charge you there fee..
    Also, my finances are tighter than a duck arse, I have ~£30 a week to spend after bills are paid, thats £30 to spend on fuel, food etc..
    Now for the last few months they've been charging me £40 for being over my overdraft and taking the money, which has put me back over my overdraft again, so they've charged me again, which has put me over, so they charge me again and so on and so forth...

    Worth me seeing if I can get my money back out of them?

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    red,

    Thanks!

    Here's that posting of yours:
    ++++++++++++++
    http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/saving-...8&in_page_id=7

    Seems a twofold attack, one, reporting you to the credit reference agencies, two, booting you out of the bank.

    Nasty lot aren't they!
    ++++++++++++++

    I reckon the article is well worth reading, and to give you all a flavour, here are the first three paras:


    Fighting unfair bank charges could damage your credit record. Current account holders who have already won back thousands of pounds in unfair charges made by their banks when they slipped into the red are now starting new legal challenges

    Some are now going back to court to stop banks closing their account, while others dispute bad credit marks against their name.

    In the latest salvo in the Fair Play on Charges battle, Money Mail has heard from readers that have successfully started court actions to get NatWest, Abbey and Nationwide to remove bad credit ratings which were given because the customer disputed their overdraft charges.

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    Me, I'd borrow £100 from a mate and start up an account with a bank or building society that showed more decency than that, and then shut down the NatWest account and move all the incomings and outgoings to the new accounts.

    So, might be good if folk here could advise you on who they'd recommend switching to and why.



    Quote Originally Posted by [GSV]Trig View Post
    I've been charged by natwest for being over my overdraft.
    IE
    Say you have £23 in your account, they'll happily bounce a DD or SO for £25 but then charge you £30 and actually take it out of your account putting you over your overdraft, they will then charge you there fee..
    Also, my finances are tighter than a duck arse, I have ~£30 a week to spend after bills are paid, thats £30 to spend on fuel, food etc..
    Now for the last few months they've been charging me £40 for being over my overdraft and taking the money, which has put me back over my overdraft again, so they've charged me again, which has put me over, so they charge me again and so on and so forth...

    Worth me seeing if I can get my money back out of them?
    Last edited by Bob Crabtree; 20-11-2006 at 06:14 PM.

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