Having followed all the previous steps and received only the usual standard responses, I've today sent a letter before action to claim back £1650 from Co-op. Will keep posting progress.
I'm amused by how often the banks cry about 'transparent' charges and would be interested to know their definition. Before I actually started trying to get my charges back I wrote to the Co-op. I quoted the OFT "charges must be no more than reasonable reimbursement of the costs incurred" line. I therefore requested that they provide me with a breakdown of their charges, to show exactly
how they reflected the bank's 'reasonable costs incurred'. Their response was that they are unable to divulge this information under the banking confidentiality regulations! This is transparency?????
So it seems they think they can charge whatever they like with no requirement to justify the figure. I've been trying to verify their comment but I'm not sure who could confirm or otherwise. If anyone has any ideas, or there's someone out there in the banking community who can provide a copy of the relevant regulations, it could be an interesting point to add in my court particulars, especially if their witholding this information is legally questionable.
Baineth
Baineth v Co-op and 'transparent' charges! 
