Hi Guys,

Looking for a bit of info for myself this time.

Back in the 90's, I was stuck in the endless cycle of charges upon charges which ate very heavily into my wages at the time.

I recall one instance of sitting in a managers office refusing to pay £35-00 for going a whole two pence overdrawn...

These charges really had a serious adverse effect on my life at the time, and I ended up using the CCCS, as they were then, to help get me out of the mire.

I still remember the account number, as it is ingrained into my head.

As I said, this was the nineties onwards, until around 2004.

Do you think it would be worthwhile persuing a claim for the charges to be refunded?

Most months I was paying at least £100 in charges upon charges.

Any thoughts, or should I just leave it in the past?

Regards,

Buncrana

In terms of how far can you go, – as far back as you want because the test is that the six-year period begins from the time that you discovered or could reasonably have discovered that the charges you are paying were being demanded unlawfully.

However, since the Supreme Court case in 2009, the chances of recovering charges are almost zero. You could have a go. There is nothing to lose – and an awful lot to gain. However, it could be a lot of work with very little chance of recovery – unless you can show a particular reason why you consider that the banks of treated you unfairly.

The effect of the Supreme Court judgement was that whether charges are unfair or not, we are not allowed to examine this issue because bank charges apparently form part of the bank's main revenue stream (disgusting isn't it).

Further info,

http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/faq/bank-charges.html

Thanks for that guys, much appreciated.

It was these charges that sent me on my downward spiral. My wages at the time were not that good, and when you have £100 of charges coming out a month, every month, it really sets you back.

And they were charges upon charges. I used to try and get my salary out of the bank before the charges were taken out, just so that I could feed my family, and then the vicious cycle started again the next month, and the next month, and the next month...

Have just read this part:

''If you are in genuine financial hardship, this does not affect the legality of the charges. But it is relevant to how your bank or building society treats the amount you owe. Give them the necessary information about your financial circumstances to enable them to consider your situation fully.

If your bank or building society agrees that you are experiencing financial hardship, they should suggest an appropriate settlement. This may or may not involve reducing the amount you owe - depending on the circumstances.

If you're not happy with your bank or building society's response to an official complaint, we can look to see if we are able to help.''

I used to plead with the bank to lay off me and give me a break, it was an awful time. But they would not listen. They just kept heaping the charges on.