Claim back all your Bank Charges!!

[Good Skin Day]

We received statements from HSBC going back 6 years in seperate envelopes

Put them in order this morning and will go through them later... betcha they try and charge for the paperwork under 'manual intervention'

Nah, I'm quite sure they can't, but if they could, they would! Good old HSBC eh...."the world's local bank"....well 'local' if you live in India, or perhaps the Indians get through to the UK when they call HSBC? And they have to spell out their addresses using the phonetic alphabet too? :lol:

 

[jo-anne]

i`m going to try and claim my charges back too but has any one actually got their money back?

 

[CadenceAlex]

i`m going to try and claim my charges back too but has any one actually got their money back?

Hundred of people, me included! I got £844 in December from the HSBC - without having to resort to moneyclaimonline on that account.

 

[Good Skin Day]

i`m going to try and claim my charges back too but has any one actually got their money back?

99% of people who do it properly and take their bank to court (usually small claims, at a cost of 80-120 quid for you, which is claimed back as costs from the bank when you win) if their letters are not acknowledged or no satisfactory offer made, will get their charges back!

There is a very small chance you will receive nothing from your bank, because it is widely acknowlegded that these charges are unlawful. And no bank wants this to be taken to big proper courts where a judge can rule against these charges and set a precedent, because then they will all be up to their necks in sh*t. Oh no....poor banks :lol:

 

[CadenceAlex]

99% of people who do it properly and take their bank to court (usually small claims, at a cost of 80-120 quid for you, which is claimed back as costs from the bank when you win) if their letters are not acknowledged or no satisfactory offer made, will get their charges back!

There is a very small chance you will receive nothing from your bank, because it is widely acknowlegded that these charges are unlawful. And no bank wants this to be taken to big proper courts where a judge can rule against these charges and set a precedent, because then they will all be up to their necks in sh*t. Oh no....poor banks :lol:

Amy didn't mention that often there is sometimes no need to resort to the court option - which can actually be done online at www.moneyclaimonline.gov.uk for a cost of £120. This is fully refundable when you get your offer of a settlement - providing you don't accept the lame offer the bank may make to fob you off. I got offered a refund before this stage.

1. Write a letter - called a Pre-Liminary letter - give them 14 days to respond
2. Write your second letter - the Letter Before Action - give them 14 days

After 28 days, you will either:

a) Have had no response
b) Receive a letter telling you the charges are fair etc etc and you're not entitled to a penny
c) Get offered a percentage of the amount claimed, possibly asking you to sign a 'disclaimer' stating that you will treat the matter as confidential

Providing you don't accept the offer, you then:

Go to the website above, fill in the appropriate sections and sit back and wait to hear from the banks solicitors.

You do not have to set foot in a court. All monies are refundable.

On my personal account they offered me about £40 less that I was asking for. It was before Christmas. I accepted.

On my husbands old business account, the solicitors made a full offer which we received a few days ago. It was paid as a cheque and into the bank - their mistake :lol:

On his personal, we are at the moneyclaim stage and are waiting to hear from the solicitors.

I am in the process of writing the charges out for his other business account.

I am not worried in the slightest because I know I will get the money, and it's very easy once you know how.

All letter templates can be found at Consumer Action Group - Welcome and there is also a forum there which will give you hope as you muddle through it. No need to rush and get things wrong.

I may have missed something out on this post, but this gives you a general idea.

Don't worry, go for it :green:

 

[Good Skin Day]

Amy didn't mention that often there is sometimes no need to resort to the court option - which can actually be done online at www.moneyclaimonline.gov.uk for a cost of £120. This is fully refundable when you get your offer of a settlement - providing you don't accept the lame offer the bank may make to fob you off. I got offered a refund before this stage.

1. Write a letter - called a Pre-Liminary letter - give them 14 days to respond
2. Write your second letter - the Letter Before Action - give them 14 days

After 28 days, you will either:

a) Have had no response
b) Receive a letter telling you the charges are fair etc etc and you're not entitled to a penny
c) Get offered a percentage of the amount claimed, possibly asking you to sign a 'disclaimer' stating that you will treat the matter as confidential

Providing you don't accept the offer, you then:

Go to the website above, fill in the appropriate sections and sit back and wait to hear from the banks solicitors.

You do not have to set foot in a court. All monies are refundable.

On my personal account they offered me about £40 less that I was asking for. It was before Christmas. I accepted.

On my husbands old business account, the solicitors made a full offer which we received a few days ago. It was paid as a cheque and into the bank - their mistake :lol:

On his personal, we are at the moneyclaim stage and are waiting to hear from the solicitors.

I am in the process of writing the charges out for his other business account.

I am not worried in the slightest because I know I will get the money, and it's very easy once you know how.

All letter templates can be found at Consumer Action Group - Welcome and there is also a forum there which will give you hope as you muddle through it. No need to rush and get things wrong.

I may have missed something out on this post, but this gives you a general idea.

Don't worry, go for it :green:

CA, what you've described is the court action! If you want to take things through the legal process you have to file a legal claim through the courts (as I said usually small claims courts if below 5 grand). This doesn't mean you have to go fight it out in court (as in the solid building with a guy in a funny wig, but I can see why this springs to mind with the word 'court'!), it is just the necessary protocol when taking legal action (i.e - no longer just communication between you and the bank).

With the court process, you can either file your money claim at a county court in person, or do it through moneyclaimonline, like CA recommends.

Either way once you are past the prelim letter and the LBA letter, this is the time you decide if you want to start the court process. As I said, not actually in a court building :green: But it is not a scary process, especially as most banks settle in full (especially small claims).

Once you have started the court process, there are four possible outcomes:

1. The bank settles in full (most common)

2. The bank does nothing (doesn't acknowledge the claim) and you win by default after 14 days.

3. The bank acknowledges but enters no defence and you win by default after 28 days (they have 14 days to acknowledge and then 14 further days to enter their defence)

4. The bank acknowledges and enters a defence. You are now not beginning court process, you are in court process. This is a rare occurence.


I am confident that nearly all people who undertake this action against unlawful bank charges will be successful. But make sure you do all your homework because when you're past the prelim and LBA letters, you are taking a bank to court and it is not an action which should be undertaken lightly.

Good luck everyone :green:

 

[CadenceAlex]

Amy didn't mention that often there is sometimes no need to resort to the court option - which can actually be done online at www.moneyclaimonline.gov.uk for a cost of £120. This is fully refundable when you get your offer of a settlement - providing you don't accept the lame offer the bank may make to fob you off. I got offered a refund before this stage.

CA, what you've described is the court action! If you want to take things through the legal process you have to file a legal claim through the courts (as I said usually small claims courts if below 5 grand). This doesn't mean you have to go fight it out in court (as in the solid building with a guy in a funny wig, but I can see why this springs to mind with the word 'court'!), it is just the necessary protocol when taking legal action (i.e - no longer just communication between you and the bank).

With the court process, you can either file your money claim at a county court in person, or do it through moneyclaimonline, like CA recommends.

Either way once you are past the prelim letter and the LBA letter, this is the time you decide if you want to start the court process. As I said, not actually in a court building :green: But it is not a scary process, especially as most banks settle in full (especially small claims).

Once you have started the court process, there are four possible outcomes:

1. The bank settles in full (most common)

2. The bank does nothing (doesn't acknowledge the claim) and you win by default after 14 days.

3. The bank acknowledges but enters no defence and you win by default after 28 days (they have 14 days to acknowledge and then 14 further days to enter their defence)

4. The bank acknowledges and enters a defence. You are now not beginning court process, you are in court process. This is a rare occurence.


I am confident that nearly all people who undertake this action against unlawful bank charges will be successful. But make sure you do all your homework because when you're past the prelim and LBA letters, you are taking a bank to court and it is not an action which should be undertaken lightly.

Good luck everyone :green:

I was meaning that often the banks are settling before it gets anywhere near the Court - reads OK to me, perhaps you got lost by the long post?! :lol:

You make it sound so scary - it is a simple process, and speaking from the experience of claiming on 4 bank accounts, 4 credit card accounts and an early redemption fee on a morgage... I understand how it all works.

People should be WANTING to have their first two letters ignored - we have claimed 8% on all our charges (this is Section 69 County Courts Act 1984)

The hardest thing that I have found, is sitting for over an hour entering the data into the spreadsheets!!!

Don't complicate this for Geeks - it's a step by step process which is practically fool proof if you follow the steps on the site.

Jeez,. it's all but done for you on that site!!!!

How are your claims going Amy? :green:

 

[CadenceAlex]

CA, what you've described is the court action! If you want to take things through the legal process you have to file a legal claim through the courts (as I said usually small claims courts if below 5 grand). This doesn't mean you have to go fight it out in court (as in the solid building with a guy in a funny wig, but I can see why this springs to mind with the word 'court'!), it is just the necessary protocol when taking legal action (i.e - no longer just communication between you and the bank).

There is no Guy in a 'funny wig' at the civil claims court... more like an old women with severe dandruff in a Berkertrex suit.... :green:

 

[Good Skin Day]

I was meaning that often the banks are settling before it gets anywhere near the Court - reads OK to me, perhaps you got lost by the long post?! :lol:

You make it sound so scary - it is a simple process, and speaking from the experience of claiming on 4 bank accounts, 4 credit card accounts and an early redemption fee on a morgage... I understand how it all works.

People should be WANTING to have their first two letters ignored - we have claimed 8% on all our charges (this is Section 69 County Courts Act 1984)

The hardest thing that I have found, is sitting for over an hour entering the data into the spreadsheets!!!

Don't complicate this for Geeks - it's a step by step process which is practically fool proof if you follow the steps on the site.

Jeez,. it's all but done for you on that site!!!!

How are your claims going Amy? :green:

Really well thanks, hun! Only one more to go....HSBC.

I'm not complicating it at all, Geeks are intelligent peeps and I'm providing them with the info that was provided to me when I first got involved in reclaiming bank charges. It is not guaranteed that you get all your charges back should you write two letters and file a money claim at the county court, but it is very likely. Often the best outcome is obtained when people are provided with all the information.

Regards court action and winning by default these are vital pieces of info to know!

Geeks if you want this explained in the best and most straightforward way...go here Bank charges: Reclaim them, they're unlawful, so you can get six years money back | MoneySavingExpert: Consumer Revenge, Credit Cards, Shopping, Bank Charges, Cheap Flights and more, read the article and take a look at the forums. As I said above it's not a scary process....an informed mind is a chilled one too....

 

[Good Skin Day]

Amy didn't mention that often there is sometimes no need to resort to the court option - which can actually be done online at www.moneyclaimonline.gov.uk for a cost of £120. This is fully refundable when you get your offer of a settlement - providing you don't accept the lame offer the bank may make to fob you off. I got offered a refund before this stage.

Aha just realised where I got it wrong, I thought you were saying moneyclaimonline wasn't a court process, when you were saying quite the opposite.

I'm sorry :green: I'm tired and emotional (watching Richard Hammond's crash has taken it out of me....poor little guy)

 

[CadenceAlex]

Really well thanks, hun! Only one more to go....HSBC.

I'm not complicating it at all, Geeks are intelligent peeps and I'm providing them with the info that was provided to me when I first got involved in reclaiming bank charges. It is not guaranteed that you get all your charges back should you write two letters and file a money claim at the county court, but it is very likely. Often the best outcome is obtained when people are provided with all the information.

Regards court action and winning by default these are vital pieces of info to know!

Geeks if you want this explained in the best and most straightforward way...go here Bank charges: Reclaim them, they're unlawful, so you can get six years money back | MoneySavingExpert: Consumer Revenge, Credit Cards, Shopping, Bank Charges, Cheap Flights and more, read the article and take a look at the forums. As I said above it's not a scary process....an informed mind is a chilled one too....

HSBC are brillliant to deal with, their solicitors are quick - say hi to Deborah D'Aubney for me :green:

MBNA settle over the 'phone too for anyone who claims against them

 

[HAILZTONES]

I am currently in the process of reclaiming my charges from Nat West.

Nat West Bank have been the worst bank that I have ever had an account with and I can't wait to close the account, but before I do, I thought I would give it a try and claim back some of my charges.

I opened an account with them last May and at the most have been £50 overdrawn a few times. I have applied for an overdraft facility of £100 three times from them and they have refused and said that when I have been with them 3 months and not gone overdrawn I can have one. They keep charging me £28 for being just slightly overdrawn occasionally, and I'm taking pounds here!! Sometimes a DD has been collected early taking me £10 overdrawn and they slap on £28 charge and then a further £38 for not having sufficient funds in the account. Anyway this has mounted and every month they have charged me for being a couple of pounds overdrawn.

Fortunatey I also bank with HSBC and they have been fab, I have a great business manager there who is also a client now.

I shall keep you posted on my progress with the Nat West charges re-claim. Grrrrrrrrrrr hate that bank!!

 

[Tsia]

I am currently in the process of reclaiming my charges from Nat West.

Nat West Bank have been the worst bank that I have ever had an account with and I can't wait to close the account, but before I do, I thought I would give it a try and claim back some of my charges.

I opened an account with them last May and at the most have been £50 overdrawn a few times. I have applied for an overdraft facility of £100 three times from them and they have refused and said that when I have been with them 3 months and not gone overdrawn I can have one. They keep charging me £28 for being just slightly overdrawn occasionally, and I'm taking pounds here!! Sometimes a DD has been collected early taking me £10 overdrawn and they slap on £28 charge and then a further £38 for not having sufficient funds in the account. Anyway this has mounted and every month they have charged me for being a couple of pounds overdrawn.

Fortunatey I also bank with HSBC and they have been fab, I have a great business manager there who is also a client now.

I shall keep you posted on my progress with the Nat West charges re-claim. Grrrrrrrrrrr hate that bank!!

This is EXACTLY the sitaution I have with Nat west.
However My account has been closed sometime now. (2002)

But I still sent the letter to get the ball rolling for the £350 odd charges to be refunded to me eventually.. taking the 'closed ' account back into the green and not the red.. that figure still looms over my credit rating which is affecting me on other projects.

All those charges for a tiny bit in overdraft, then for overdraft to be revoked resulting in my accoun incurring unauthorised overdraft fees also.

Yep, they are swines IMO.

I just sent the fiver off for the statements that I requested.
Just waiting now.. to tott up.

 

[HAILZTONES]

Yep, they are swines IMO.

I just sent the fiver off for the statements that I requested.
Just waiting now.. to tott up.

Swines LOL, and thats putting it politely! Robbing B******s when I'm really angry !!

Good luck to you and everyone claiming, lets hope we all get some money back eventually and keep posting on progress, I'm hearing lots of success stories lately and really hope we can tell ours.

I had the statements as its only been 6 months, but its for £504, I sent them off today. They actually charged me £114 in one day for 3 unpaid direct debits which mounted to something like £36 in total, they bounced them all then charged me for insufficient funds in the account. I actually put cash in at 10am on the day they went out, but that wasn't early enough, had to be in the day before. I had meant to bank the previous day, but had a client and missed the bank. I argued with them and they refunded the full £114 a few days later.

Starting a new business is hard enough without these charges being slapped on.

 

[pips]

Ive just sent of another letter.

The 40 days are up and ive had no reply and Lloyds Tsb they never even cashed the £10 cheque but silly me just posted it instead of getting it recorded delivery :irked:

Today i sent of the same letter with another cheque and this went recorded so they cant ignore it!

 

[pips]

Well aint it sods law, as i said aboveI reapplied again but this morning i got the last 6 yrs statements through the post! lol

Now going to digest them all and crack on to the next step.

So for any that bank with Loyds Tsb and are claiming charges back, be aware they are taking over the 40 days to get them in the post to you! :hug:

 

[CadenceAlex]

Well aint it sods law, as i said aboveI reapplied again but this morning i got the last 6 yrs statements through the post! lol

Now going to digest them all and crack on to the next step.

So for any that bank with Loyds Tsb and are claiming charges back, be aware they are taking over the 40 days to get them in the post to you! :hug:

That's expected - they are inundated with claims right now and so they are dealing with them on a first come first served type basis - they know they've got 40 days by law to send the statements and they do push you over the limit!

I've just gone through another account and we're owed £1709 so will be getting that sent when I get a chance!

I have printed out the spreadsheet but it's soooo much hassle hoisting the printer in here to print etc etc that it takes me a week to do anything that I need printing!

 

[pips]

They have listed all the charges for me on seperate sheets stating the date and statement number for me to check, i've just totaled it up and it comes to £1, 363.70 the rob dogs! lol

That will pay for a few more courses! Getting excited now.

 

[CadenceAlex]

They have listed all the charges for me on seperate sheets stating the date and statement number for me to check, i've just totaled it up and it comes to £1, 363.70 the rob dogs! lol

That will pay for a few more courses! Getting excited now.

EXACTLY - that is what I am going to use to pay for my foundation course and manicure course if I can afford it.. plus the childcare!

Look at it as a savings account you never knew you had! I am quite pleased with the robbing gits to be honest!!!

 

[pips]

Ok im getting ahead of myself and think my total may be more than i previously put as i have two sets of paper, one been detailed charges from september 01 the other list is 60+ pages of statements from december 00 up to september 01 that i have to go through and tot up the charges...Ok here goes, im going in and will be back later with the full total :irked: