Charges mean I Cant Get Shopping!!! Help

[kpow]

Hello all. I found this website last night and had decided to put together my documentation to claim back bank charges, cause I am so angry with NatWest at how they do it.

I have an advantage gold current account, with a £2500k overdraft, I have not been working since Feb due to illness so my income has dipped considerably to approx £1150 per month so needless to say I am on a tight budget with 6yr old son. In the last 8 days NatWest have applied £181 of charges to my account. one amount of £38 was because of insufficient funds for a £20s/o to my sons Young saver Account. I had cancelled this on 9th June but it went out on 12th as I had not given two working days notice, but it didnt go anywhere!! I put £5 on my mobile phone by solo card autopayment and was charged £35 due to insufficient funds. I paid sky £41.66 over phone the funds were there, but by the time they applied all of the charges and I had taken some cash they werent so sky isnt paid and I was charged £38.00!!! I have phoned and said that they are fully aware that these charges are not viable that I have not even received a single letter regarding the charges so how they are for admin costs is beyond me!! NOW Here is my immediate problem, I am budgeting on £250 a week to pay all of my bills and grocery etc I do not claim benefits. By taking £181 in charges I have been left with £70 to live on this week. I am so angry and this seems so unfair, the woman I just spoke to said that the bank have done absolutely nothing illegal and there was nothing she was prepared to do regarding these immediate charges.

Please does anyone have any quick advice so that I can get these charges reapplied it seems criminal that I know damn well I have the 5k amount to reclaim over the last 6 years which I shall, but they are actually because of said charges making my life a nightmare so that my standard of living at mo is Zero. Its been a bad week anyway, but this is tin lid In hope???? TY

[wemfish]

I have found that if you phone the main branch for your area (not your local branch) and explain your problem they usualy drop all but one of the penalty fees, but insist that they wont do it again. . but they do. . .

[katesage]

Hi there, sorry to hear your having such a tough time. you've come to the right place.

As for your immediate problem, I would go to the branch this afternoon, try being friendly but appeal to their humanity (I know, i know!) to give you at least a partial refund esp with regard to the charge for your sons saver account.
Sometimes you get a real human with kids and feelings. Branch staff do have discretion to refund. I wouldnt get heavy but if that fails mention that you may pursue the owed sums legally, see if that budges them, explain the dire need, take child if necessary!
I once got back £350 charges on the spot for a mate who did a good tearful and desperate impression. You never know.
as for how to get your money back, keep reading the Faqs and start the process asap. Data Protection Act letter (if needed) Refund request, LBA, court. minimum 8 weeks but they may settle much earlier.
loads and loads of luck. k

[deenap]

Your bank does not have the right to take income from your account, i have previously had this trouble with NatWest and was informed by the lending centre that they can not take any sort of income paid into the account.
I would advise you to contact the lending centre and ask that they give permission (make note on their system) to allow you to withdraw your funds when they are credited to your account (they can only do this when the funds are there) then you can go into your branch and tell them that you would like to withdraw money from your account.

Good luck and be persistant
xx

[Mumofthreeboys]

Originally Posted by deenap

Your bank does not have the right to take income from your account, i have previously had this trouble with NatWest and was informed by the lending centre that they can not take any sort of income paid into the account.
I would advise you to contact the lending centre and ask that they give permission (make note on their system) to allow you to withdraw your funds when they are credited to your account (they can only do this when the funds are there) then you can go into your branch and tell them that you would like to withdraw money from your account.

Good luck and be persistant
xx

This is very interesting. By income, do you mean wages/salaries??

Because if you do, this is the exact thing that started our claim with the Woolwich (see my thread DH of Mumofthreeboys v The Woolwich). To summarise, DH phoned the Woolwich to complain about the amount of charges every day and was told to take his wages out the day they went in before the charges could be applied.

So he was going to a cashpoint at 4am to get them, but they'd already applied charges so he hardly had any money at all left. Since then he's had his wages paid into my account.

[Plutos]

Hi,

I'm reasonably new to this stuff, and I've also been repeatedly charged by NatWest.

Trawling through all the information out there, I have seen it mentioned several times that the banks have a responsibilty under the Banking Code not to charge someone if this would mean they would be left without a 'reasonable' level of money with which to live on.

There has been some mention of this being linked to the level of benefits, or whatever, but as I'm pretty new I'm not sure of the exact level. This is why it is perfectly true that the banks will respond to the 'emotional plea' - because it is actually unlawful for them to impoverish you.

If noone replies on this issue here, I'd try over at moneysavingexpert.com --> chat forums, on one of the busier forums. There are a lot of people who'll know the offical stance on this, and then you can go armed to NatWest with appropriate knowledge to press your claim.

Plutos.

[Janet-M]

Hi Pluto can you start your own thread please that way you will find it easier to get answers and its easier to fllow your thread