Charges from bank?

When you go over your overdraft you get charged, I have been told that banks should not charge this [should only charge to reclaim their losses/get you back under overdraft limit] вЂ“ is this true and if so how do I get the bank to give me the money back and stop charging me?

I have had a LOT of trouble with Barclays, according to what I have been told by a branch manager they shouldn't have charged me half of these charges anyway вЂ“ too late to do anything about most of the money they have taken, but I'd like to stop it from happening again before I pay it all off and tell them where to stick their bank account.
Additional Details
As the last part suggests - I am going to close the account, I have to pay off the overdraft first, something I cannot do while they are constantly charging me [apparently they can charge ВЈ90 per month].

They are very tender about this at the moment.
Tell them that it is against the law for them to charge you anymore than the costs they incur, you might be surprised at the response.

go to www.bankcharges.info where they will show you how to get your money back.

get you self to your nearest citizens advice bureau. they will write to your bank and stop any further charges.
they will also set up a regular payment agreement with you and your bank to clear your overdraft at a rate you can afford.

you may find that your account will stay open until you are in credit but it will be frozen so no other charges can be added.

if you don't get help you will continue to be charged and the debt will become out of control, banks tend to do this alot!!

i hope you sort this out soon. good luck and happy new year.

The first thing you should do is to visit www.moneysavingexpert.com This is an excellent site for financial advice and tips, including telling you how to claim back unlawful bank charges. Sign up for the email on how to save money as well.
It is clearly stated that it is unlawful for banks to charge these excessive amounts. It is not a point of debate. Banking institutions have already paid back hundreds of thousands to customers claiming their money back rather than go to court. At least Dick Turpin wore a mask! Go for it.

moneysavingexpert.com

They even have some sample templates you can print off and adapt for your own use.

You can claim charges up to six years old, so your initial letter should ask for a full 'charges statement' for that time. This will give you your baseline to work from. Give 'em 14 days to answer and BE POLITE. Be sure to include your NAME, ADDRESS, BANK ACCOUNT NUMBERS and stop there. Don't fire all your bullets at once! Quote the 'I request this under the data protection act ......blah (as shown on the templates).

They will write back, giving you the information (They have to by law). This is where the fun begins. Now you tell them that OFT (Office of Fair Trading) has deemed these bank charges to be unfair (I KNOW it is CREDIT CARD CHARGES before anyone starts bleating - but play dumb). Add up every time you have committed a 'crime' against the bank and offer them ВЈ12.00 for it.
Write to them again, saying that you want to claim all the rest BACK from them (It could be anything from a tenner to thousands). Again, give the standard 14 days to reply.

They will then write back with some completely derisory offer, but STICK TO YOUR GUNS! Keep repeating your letters, change a little wording here and there and chucking in some of the recommended 'legal speak' off the moneysavingexpert website.

Every single letter that has come back to me has been A BETTER OFFER than the previous one - ВЈ58.00, ВЈ153.00, ВЈ244.00, ВЈ356.00, ВЈ470.00, Half the charges, ВЈ662.00 and I have just sent off another letter sticking to my guns. Don't give up. Be persistant. I am trying to claim back almost ВЈ1000.00 and to be honest, I'd rather it be in my *** pocket than theirs.

Banks are going to get so many of these that it's untrue. Get on the bandwaggon sooner rather than later and remember - NOT ONE CASE HAS BEEN DEFENDED IN OPEN COURT BY ANY OF THE BANKS THUS FAR. This means that when you start threatening them with small claims courts, or even slap them in a small claims court - it is UNLIKELY to even be defended and YOU WIN all your claim by default! Result!

I actually froze the account - (emptied it all but 0.01p) It was a bit different with me 'cause I had another account to operate from (Bills, DD's etc) and I continue to freeze it to this day. I couldn't give a flying frog if they close the account - it's no threat to me! I will STILL make my claim!

Best of luck - I'm really going for mine now! (Well my partners anyhow - I haven't started on my bank yet!)

BE POLITE, Repeat yourself...repeat yourself...repeat yourself...

Banks can and do charge you for going over you overdraft limit. If the bank has told you that some of the charges were not legitimate then they should give you them back. You should ask for them back and if the branch will not do this (sometimes because they only have the authority to give back a certain amount) then ask for an address or telephone number for their complaints/ customer care department and take it further that way. At the moment most claims for charges are met (not always in full) but a percentage is usually offered.
You should shop around some of the other banks and ask if you can open an account and transfer your overdraft to them that way you can cut all ties with you present bank i would also ask if they can have a look at your finances to see if they can help you from going over your overdraft limit in the future

Move banks..
But don't close the one you have at the moment until you are sure the new one you have set up is working ok ie:direct debits and standing orders are set up properly..Also the new bank might want some proof of your existing credit/bank worthiness...
Good luck

No point going to another bank ive been with lloyds and hsbc and they are all a bunch of money grabbing ****!

dont spend more than you make!!! Save up for the big things than buy them.

Only one sure way to make the charges stop at that bank. Close your account & move it.

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