Just starting my claim ***SETTLED IN FULL***

[Michellemc]

Hi there,

Just starting out requesting my bank statements - my husband and I actually hold 3 accounts ( 2 personal / 1 joint) with a & l. I have managed to go through the statemtents held on line but these only go back to Oct 05 so got to request the rest.
Just a quick question though. Our joint account is actually just the standard current account and they charge £5.00 a month for simply using the overdraft facility - is this a charge that can be claimed back??
Also can you claim charges back on accounts that have been closed?
Fingers crossed!

Thanks in advance

[fivelaws]

Hello & Welcome *waves*

1) The £5/month for provision of an overdraft is a service charge and doesn't count for reclaim. You can only include "penalty charges".

2) You can claim for closed accounts.

Hope that helps.

Goods luck!

[Michael Browne]

Welcome.

The £5 is a service charge ,so can't be reclaimed.

Closed accounts are fair game and you can claim on these.

Data Protection Act requests refer to a person, so you one of you can make a single request for the joint a/c and your personal a/c, and then another for the other personal a/c.

A & L have publicly stated they will close acoounts of customers who claim, so you might want to think about opening a parachute account with another bank.

Good luck

[Michellemc]

Phew - glad I asked. Thanks for the advice fivelaws. Have to go and route out all my statements!!!
Thanks again.

[Michellemc]

Finally got my statements yesterday and have sat and gone through them this evening and have to say a bit disappointed!! Total claiming £392.11 (£365.50 charges / £26.61 interest). Letter 1 will go off tomorrow! and then still waiting for all the joint account statements to come through which I know should be a bit more exciting!!

HSBC - £859.76 - Offer of £664.50 28/7/6
A&L CURRENT - £392.11. Letter sent 7/8/6
A&L JOINT - DATA REQUESTED 7/7/6
NATIONWIDE - DATA REQUESTED

[Michellemc]

Originally Posted by Michellemc

Our joint account is actually just the standard current account and they charge £5.00 a month for simply using the overdraft facility - is this a charge that can be claimed back??

After receiving the joint account statements today there are 2 months where we have been charged £25.00 and this is showing Monthly Unauth O/D fee. After reading through the interest and charges details it shows A&L will charge £5.00 for auth OD and then £25 for unauth OD. I understand that £5.00 can not be claimed but how about £25 as surely this is a penalty charge??

[Michael Browne]

Yes, add it on.

[Michellemc]

Thanks Michael ... AGAIN!!!!

[Michellemc]

Well got the standard letter advising charges stand blah blah blah so going to send my LBA off on Monday - for BOTH accounts!!!

[Michellemc]

Got a response to the LBA today, usual sorry but no...

The next step is MCOL but I believe from reading other threads I should wait 14 days from when they received the LBA, even though it obviously only took a couple of days to send the standard reject letter!!!!

I did not actually give them the full 14 days in between my inital approach and LBA so should I in effect given them 28 days from my first letter to filing the MCOL - if that makes sense!!

[caro]

14 days from LBA is fine as you stated in the letter. Just in case they change their minds, which is highly unlikely.

[Michellemc]

A & L are a complete and utter bunch of ... well!!

Can not believe the way they operate. I checked internet banking on Monday and everything was hunky dory, checked again today and they refused a DD due to lack of funds even though when I checked it said money available. I was told Internet Banking can be very misleading if you do not understand it - so what is the point!!

Anyway back to my claim the 14 days is up tomorrow but can you amend the amount you are claiming for when you file on MCOL as obviously theyhave not put more charges on the account.

So what now ?

I am tempted to do them another letter with the revised charges (another £25.00 on one account / £34.00 on another plus interest) and give them until 14/09 to reply as this is then 28 days from my prelim letter.

or file my MCOL tomorrow on my original amounts as per the LBA.

I do not want to enter into further dialogue with them but am absolutely fuming at this moment in time, especially as they refused a first time payment on our mortgage and wanting to do them a snotty bloomin letter anyway....

[jontraynor]

hi im also claiming against a and l. how did you work out the interest on the charges im useless at that sort of thing?

[caro]

Michelle add the new charges on to your MCOL and amend your spreadsheet.

Jon use the spreadsheets in the bank templates library.

[Michellemc]

Well well well.

We have received a cheque for the joint account for £955.69. The actual claim was for £961 so not sure where this amount come from!! Presume the usual letter saying as we are clearly do not accept the terms and conditions of the account they will contact us shortly to discuss future operation!!! so I expect the next letter to be the account closure!

Another letter landed on the mat for my own account from a and l to confirm their acknowledgement of service - is this standard practice from a and l - intrigued why they have settled one so quick and not the other.

[younganfree]

Congrats on receiving one lot of money back, tho' they seem to have done some creative accounting on it!

As for why they caved so easily on one but not the other - who knows? Makes you think the right hand definitely doesn't know what the left is doing!

[jonni2bad]

CONGRATULATIONS

Don't forget our SURVEY