Am about to enter a debacle with my son's Nationwide account. He had it since he was 7, he's now 22. He only ever had JSA of £101 going in fortnightly. They immediately approved an online request for £100 overdraft. Let him withdraw £10 from the ATM, when he had £7 balance, causing overdrawn charges, pulled in the overdraft, took his £101 JSA payment for that, leaving him nothing to live on. The monthly balance has accrued so now they are hounding him for £250 worth of their own charges! Never known anything like it! I was with them 35 years but no longer

You got to stop them. New bank account, benefits straight in, priority bills straight out, FULL STOP:)

Can't believe I posted that in November 2009 already! Tempus fugit! I opened a straightforward alternative building society account, all deposits are benefits, all payments are for priority bills. I also only operate direct debits on essential monthly payments, ie. insurances and rent! Have just cancelled my BT dd too because the amounts can vary so much..... nice to be in control of my own money that the government says is for us to 'live' on

Can't believe I posted that in November 2009 already! Tempus fugit! I opened a straightforward alternative building society account, all deposits are benefits, all payments are for priority bills. I also only operate direct debits on essential monthly payments, ie. insurances and rent! Have just cancelled my BT dd too because the amounts can vary so much..... nice to be in control of my own money that the government says is for us to 'live' on

Nice to see you AA and such a brilliant post. It's all about taking control and you've certainly done that.

Well done!!

Hi to you too Caro, missed you !

Yes, I did learn a lot from my time on these forums, and I thank you all for that

can this still be done? I've been on ESA since September 2010 and every single month there are charges going out. Mainly because the DWP is delayed because i can't get to see the doctor until 7 or 10 days after my sick note runs out. DD's try to be taken and they are either bounced and i get charged, or paid, and i get charged.

My account currently sits at £99.24D because of charges, I was due ESA today but because my sicknot ran out on the 13th and I couldn't see the Doctor until the 24th i sit here waiting.

Considering i get £65 per week that is nearly 2 weeks money gone straight away, there is barely enough money to get through until the next payment and the circle starts all over.

Rich Roast, go tomorrow please, and open a Post Office account for your beneifts to go into. Then go to whoever you are currently with, explain the situation, burst into tears sobbing on the counter for everyone to see how UNFAIR this is and ask for the charges to be refunded so you can survive (on what the government says you can exist on!). Be brave!

HOw would it work if banks have already taken money from your benefits? I have this problem and they bank tells me they are within their right to do so, so now my account is being passed around DCA"S and I am getting all sorts of trash in the post with threats.

I had many thousands of pounds bank charges which I reclaimed under hardship and the fact that my only deposits in the last 7 years have been from benefits. I was refused but I believe you should now be able to claim under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations (CPUTR), or again do it under hardship. There is a lot of reading on here and will admit to being a bit rusty on it myself

Very good, nice forum!!

Hi Pulse,

While they are doing that you must phone the Financial Ombudsman Service and report Barclaycard. I have had this problem on several occasions and Barclaycard have always refunded the money immediately the FOS has become involved, usually within hours. FOS will give you a reference number to quote to Barclaycard, and you can ask them to give you the number of the complaints department which deal with matters like this. They can offset, but they can only do that after you have met your priority commitments. You must be left money for those. These are: mortgage or rent, council tax, tv licence, utility bills (gas, electricity, water) and travel to work (for people who are still working - I appreciate you are retired). You are also allowed to eat!

The new FOS number is 0800 023 4567. They are not good at getting involved about credit agreements, but I'm not the only person on this forum who has got the offset money returned as soon as FOS got involved. Barclaycard are well known for doing this, but in your case I think with the FOS's help they will back down.

Good luck.

DD

Also, you must get another bank account. The Co-operative Bank will let you open a basic bank account over the phone. You must get your benefits paid into the account from now on so barclaycard can't touch them.

Hi Pulse,

 

While they are doing that you must phone the Financial Ombudsman Service and report Barclaycard. I have had this problem on several occasions and Barclaycard have always refunded the money immediately the FOS has become involved, usually within hours. FOS will give you a reference number to quote to Barclaycard, and you can ask them to give you the number of the complaints department which deal with matters like this. They can offset, but they can only do that after you have met your priority commitments. You must be left money for those. These are: mortgage or rent, council tax, tv licence, utility bills (gas, electricity, water) and travel to work (for people who are still working - I appreciate you are retired). You are also allowed to eat!

 

The new FOS number is 0800 023 4567. They are not good at getting involved about credit agreements, but I'm not the only person on this forum who has got the offset money returned as soon as FOS got involved. Barclaycard are well known for doing this, but in your case I think with the FOS's help they will back down.

 

Good luck.

 

DD

Thank you so much for your help. I will do this immediately.

Hi kaytee,

Welcome to CAG!

If the site team post the link to your new thread here I'll go over there and try to help you. It will be a bit later though as I have to feed, bath and put my daughter to bed.

I'm appalled.

DD

taking a look,

Hi kaytee,

 

Welcome to CAG!

 

If the site team post the link to your new thread here I'll go over there and try to help you. It will be a bit later though as I have to feed, bath and put my daughter to bed.

 

I'm appalled.

 

DD

Thanks DD thread is now here

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?309624-Bank-extended-overdraft-to-unmanagable-amount-despite-me-being-on-benefits

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?317988-marcday1967-reclaiming-CC-charges-)

marcday1967, I have started your own thread which is linked above.

Fascinating. Does this mean I can get back the £300 benefit payment they swiped from me last year? I had waited MONTHS for my benefit situation to be worked out by the DWP and when backpayment was paid into my account, they had gone. It totally messed up my other payment arrangements at that time too.

does this apply for child benefit and child tax credits? my bank takes at least £35 from me a month out of the benefits i'm paid for bounced d/ds, since the first time it happened it's been a knock on effect each month

I believe this applies especially for

benefits for children/child care.

There has been lots of things happen since the start of this thread.

New banking codes,new guidelines,the lending code,and an emphasis on fair business practice in particular if the banks actions has caused you hardship or else contributed to existing hardship.

Of course the biggest problem still remains-that is although you may have a valid and just complaint for the FOS,getting the compaint concluded after weeks and months is no consolation to someone left with no money for essential living needs.

DWP have shown some sympathy and crisis loans will usually be processed fast if you inform them that the bank has taken all your available money.

It us essential when making a complaint to the bank it is done in writing and pref sent recorded keeping a copy.

Another problem is getting your letter to the correct desk sooner rather than later-our bank forums have contact details which you should check.

Where there is clear breaches of banking codes and you have been treated unfairly,or despite informing them they have ignored you,you need to be sending your complaint to their registered office pref for the attention of one of their named Consumer Credit licence holders-it is these who are responsible in ensuring that they are upholding the guidelines laid down by the OFT.

There should be no reason why under a hardship complaint,they will, need the 8 weeks timeframe to resolve things.

Banks and other regulated institutions now have to provide their compaints data and also resolution the FOS publishes these results and monitors them frequently.

my partner has just been on the phone to get a £115 charge stopped which worked but was told that the ombudsman has stated that money can be taken off us if we go overdrawn even tho its a means tested benefit. surely that's not right.

Please read Martins post above, don't telephone

you will get the kind of response from cutomer

dis sevice telephonists the complaint/request or

demand needs/must be in writing the bank should

not leave you without funds because of charges.

Contact your MP and complain it does surprisingly work.

All complaint should be clearly headed FORMAL COMPLAINT, when it will be needed to be treated as such. If you dont make it quite obvious you are complaining they will treat it as a general enquiry for which there is no time limit for response.

Sorry, I missed. this. Which bank?

You should phone the Financial Ombudsman tomorrow.

They cannot take money without leaving you money for mortgage/rent, council tax, television licence, utility bills - gas, water, electricity, fares/petrol to get to work and food.

The FOS will give you a complaint reference number.

I've complained four or five times about Barclays and they have always backed down and refunded the money within hours as soon as I have called them with the FOS reference number. I've suggested this course of action to others on this forum and when I've heard back they have also had their money refunded. In one case, Barclays used their right of offset to take £7,000 odd from someone's account after they had received it as an insurance payment. They needed the money for urgent repairs. He called the FOS and Barclays returned all the money. FOS may take weeks to resolve the complaint but in my personal experience the reference number alone has worked wonders.

It sounds as though someone has told you what the Ombudsman would say. You must phone them yourself.

DD

For me there was only one problem with a Post office account, the Council will not pay rent into a Post office account. Thats why I cant use one.