Hi Zac,

I sent my LBA on 4th May and haven't heard anything as yet.

I am a week behind you so expect to be receiving the same letter pretty soon.

L

Well 've done it, the LBA has gone today.

Let's see what happens - probably nothing!

Hi all,

I received this letter today

First Direct does not agree with your contention that the charges which have been applied to your account are unlawful and are therefore unenforceable. The contract between the bank and its customer is governed by our terms and conditions. In respect of overdrafts, I would refer you specifically to Part 2: Operating your account, clause 6.9, which states:-

''If your account goes overdrawn without an agreed overdraft, or you go over an agreed overdraft limit, we will charge interest at our Unauthorised Overdraft Interest Rate on the amount of unauthorised borrowing. We will also charge you an Overdraft Fee for any statement month when the balance on your account exceeds your limit, whether for one day or more. An excess overdraft fee will also be charged for any day where there are subsequent increases in the excess or a reoccurrence of an excess during the statement month. Our Overdraft Fees are published in our Interest Rates and Charges Leaflet.''

Our fees and charges are clearly stated in our published Interest Rates and Charges leaflet and in the circumstances in which these charges apply are clearly set out in our terms and conditions which you will have been provided whith a copy of when you opened your account.

We are therefore unable to agree to your request. If you wish to escalate your concerns to the next stage, you can write to Robert Kernighan, Customer Relations Manager, at the above address.

If we do not hear from you within the next 8 weeks, we will consifer matters resolved.

Complaints we cannot resolve may ultimately be referred to the Financial Ombudsman Service, further details of which can be found in our 'listening to your comments' leaflet

Yours Sincerley

Melanie Dyson

Customer Relations

I am planning to go ahead with my LBA on Friday but this letter has made me a bit nervous.

I agree, go for it!

I'm not far behind you

The support I have had here has made me even more determined.

Thanks to you all.

Thanks

It's good to have a bit of support, feeling a bit nervous!

Thanks.

I have just calculated my total on my spreadsheet to be just under £5000 (without interest!) so am preparing my letter.

Wish me luck!!

Hi All,

I received my bank statements on Thursday from First Direct, 3 days before their 40 days was up!

I've started to go through them and noticed that one particular month they charged me an excess overdraft fee of £119 and also took £9.68 interest out of my account too.

Should I be claiming this back or just the overdraft fee?

Thanks in anticipation

Thanks so much guys.

My claim is only slightly over so I will take everyone's advice

Hi Niklowe

The £5000 is without interest and it's only slightly over so I think it may be allowed in the small claims.

I will take your advice and start a thread in HSBC.

Many thanks

Hi Everyone,

I am new hear and have been reading everyones stories so have decided to take the plunge myself.

I have askedmy bank for copies of my statements and have received a letter from them saying they will be providing them by courier.

However, early indications from my last 3 years statements show that my total may be over £5000! Does this mean that I won't be able to proceed through the Small Claims court?

Hi All,

I know this may be a stupid question but I want to make sure I am completely clear on everything before I begin!

I know that the small claims court usually has a limit of £5000 but what if my charges come to over that (which they well could!)

Sorry if I'm being a bit thick but can I still pursue through small claims?

Thanks in anticipation

Well we took the plunge and sent of my letter asking for our statements/charges going back 6 years. That was last Thursday. Today we received a letter saying that they were unable to provide this as the signature on the letter did not match the signature on their records. Absolute rubbish! It doesn't stop them paying our cheques etc etc etc.....

Is this just delaying tactics? Should I try again?

Thanks guys.

I have started reading up already as I don't want to rush in and not be 100% sure of what I'm doing!

I feel so frustrated that it is their charges that make me overdrawn and then they charge me for being overdrawn which makes me overdrawn again - it's a vicious circle!

I appreciate your comments, thanks again.

I was just wondering if I am eligible to try and reclaim my bank charges. Over the past 2 and a half years I have worked out that my bank has charged me £2300 in overdraft fees and returned direct debit charges. This month alone they have charged me 5 x £37.50!

Any advice much appreciated. :-?