I'm in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. (Midlands) I've been thinkin about it all day and could only guess the charges to be between £1000-£1500, but then again I wouldn't be at all surprised if it were more than that!

i'm not so sure about the the changing of credit limits, but for a one-off charge of £25 i'd try approaching the bank informally asking for the charge to be refunded as a gesture of goodwill to keep you as a loyal customer. Would certainly be worth a try anyway as the 'legal' route could be a lot of hassle for a comparitively small charge. Good luck in getting it back whatever you decide to do

Doh! I just thought i'd follow what the letter from the library section said... ah well, i guess this way they have a chance to pay me back straight away, if not then i've made an official request for a list of all the charges... think i'll then write a 'final warning' letter outlining the sum and giving them a further 7 days, after which I'll take legal proceedings. I've read up a fair amount and understand the basics of it all, but think i might struggle if i had to argue my point face to face with the bank manager. I'm hoping with the help of you guys on here I can beat the sods and pay back the rest of my debts (other than student loan ) This site really has been a huge help already! thanks guys!!

Hi all... At 22yrs old and a current university student, I've spent virtually all my time since turning 18 being in debt, and though I'm on the mend now, I can't forget the outrageous penalty charges HSBC have burdened me with. I still hold my the account with them which all the charges were applied to, though i'm glad to say this account is no longer in debt, and the majority of my banking is done elsewhere. I took a letter from the library section of the site and changed it somewhat so i felt it was personalised to my situation, and that I was sure of what I was saying in the letter. I'm expecting the letter to just be ignored to be honest. My main problem is that if they don't supply me with the appropriate list of charges, i can't make a claim because i don't know what all the charges are!! I've got most of my statements from November 2003, and there have been no penalty charges since July 2004. during this 8 month period I recieved £719.50 of penalty charges, i imagine my penalty charges started around 18 months before this, so really do wonder how much I have forked out in total!!! I was right to address the letter to my local branch wasn't I? Of course I sent it recorded delivery... Just worked out that during the 8 month period for which i have statements showing charges, I was averaging £3 a day in penalty charges!!!! I'm determined to take this as far as possible to get my charges back. Any comments, advice and encouragement will be thoroughly appreciated as I feel a tad lost at sea with all the legal stuff... in return i'll keep you all updated with the proceedings. Cheers Guys, Rich.