On advice from Robdblynd (thankyou! ), I have started this thread about some advice I was given today.I originally started my rant on Alex v Abbey thread, who seems to have recently been sent the same spreadsheet. This morning I received a Charges Summary spreadsheet from the Abbey showing dates from January 2004-January 2006, in response to my S.A.R - (Subject Access Request) which they received on 3/4/07. The accompanying letter said that the most recent 14 months statements will be with me in the next 5-7 days, and information prior to 2004 will be sent asap. Well, after looking at the summary I was a bit concerned . Firstly, I only have their say-so that the summary is accurate - there are no duplicate statements to compare it with. (It only shows around £462 of charges over 2 years, so it does seem a bit odd). Secondly, it only tells you what month the charges were made - no exact dates. Now, to me this does not seem to be the comprehensive list of all transaction charges that I originally requested (and paid £10 for!! )When I rang The not-so-helpful lady at the Information Commissioners Office she said that they do not regulate the format in which the information is supplied by the banks . She also said that they had received many complaints about this, and also from people who had recieved 6 years statements, but no consise list of charges. Her advice was to send off another £10 , and specifically request copies of all statements in addition to a list showing the exact dates of charges over the last six years. Isn't this what the S.A.R - (Subject Access Request) was for ? Would appreciate you thoughts please..........Dizzy

Have just rung customer services at the ICO as I feel increasingly uneasy about this spreadsheet thingy. I explained that as Abbey hadn't sent me any copy statements, I had nothing to check their charges against, and that they only totalled the charges for each month and didn't provide exact dates. I'm sorry to say they weren't very helpful and as I understood the conversation, it would seem that they do not regulate the format in which the banks provide the information :o . She did say however, that they have had many complaints about this, and equally from people who have received 6 years statements but not a concise list of charges as requested. Her suggestion? Write again, enclosing yet another £10, specifically requesting copies of all statements AND exact dates of charges for the last 6 years(which is pretty much what I thought I'd originally done ) Oh well, here we go again...

Hi guys, I too have just recieived my Abbey spreadsheet dated January 2004 - January 2006, and an accompanying letter from Pam Speed promising the last 14 months transactions within the next 5-7 days. Letter also states that anything prior to Jan 2004 will follow as soon as possible - I'll believe it when I see it. I'm not convinced though about the totals they've given as they seem a lot less than I thought they would be (about £462). Strangely, it shows that I have had no Unauthorised Overdraft Fees or Unpaid Standing Order Charges and only 3 Unpaid Direct Debit Charges... in two years! Something funny is going on....AND I never got my £10 refunded either!! The 40 days expire on the 14th May - should I send a 'polite' reminder of this along with my concerns that the list does not seem entirely accurate or should I sit and wait to see what the postman brings me next?

Signed!!

Hi Anonman, Up until very recently, I was a full time nursing student with a 'massive' income of £500 per month. I have to be honest and say that the last 3 years have been really tough going - I didn't qualify for any benefits like WTC ('cos nursing students don't work??) and because my husband has a job , albeit low paid - we didn't qualify for financial help with childcare either. We approached the Abbey on many occasions about the huge charges that they continually levied when there were insufficient funds in the account for D/D's and S/O's - usually around £150 per month. It just became a bit of a vicious circle - they charged us, left us with no money again and subsequently insufficient funds to pay the following month therefore incurring more charges. Their advice? ...Cancel them all - that way, we reduce the risk of incurring charges - and can manage our finances better! Er...yeah, OK then. So you see, we've actually tried your suggestion already - and it got us..... absolutely nowhere - it was a nice thought though.

Thank you both for your advice - I feel a lot more confident now. Will let you know what happens in due course. Thanks again

Hi all, I am just starting out in my quest to get charges refunded from my husbands Abbey/MBNA credit card account. Just one thing though.. I've read loads of stuff about banks closing accounts when challenged about fees - does this apply to credit card companies too? My husband has a balance of about £3500 on this card, and I have no idea of what the charges may have amounted to over the last 6 years. I suppose what I'm saying is... that I don't want to challenge fees which may not total more than a couple of hundred pounds, if we then get a demand for the outstanding card balance because they're closing the account. Would be grateful for any advice please!!