Heya guys thanks for the support, yes I had heard that county court claims were suspended, but from looking round the site I think it's definitely still worth sending a (polite!) letter to request repayment. Even if it takes ages, it'll still be worth doing, and I'll be happier knowing that at least I tried. I'll let you know how it goes, and try and pick up some tips around the site on how to write that first letter!

Hello Consumer Action Group! I have been having a quick read through all the FAQs and other peoples stories, and I am so glad that I found this website. I think that my position is a fairly common one around here. I have had an account with Barclays since I was 13, and I was always in credit until this summer when a direct debit tipped me into the red by £10. I got charged £30 for this as it was the second time this had happened. I was unable to pay it back for a month or so but I did. As I was moving house (and city) after that, in the confusion I stupidly forgot to cancel the direct debit, and when I started term again, my account went over the limit by £9.19 (another £30 charge), £10 (another £30 charge) and £10 again (another £30 charge), plus the interest. So in total I have been overdrawn by £39.19, and have been charged an extra £120 pounds for it. This has been incredibly frustrating for me, and has been very upsetting as well. I do not have very much extra cash and so it is depressing to see it going to paying back debt. I have been paying the overdraft back at £30 a month after a phone call from the bank in which I was told that my credit rating will be badly affected if I do not. I am worried about this now, but I can only barely afford to pay this much back at present. I am hoping that by talking to others on this site I will learn what I can do to reclaim these charges, and also get the support to go ahead with it. The resources I have read so far have been very useful, but I think I need to read some more to properly understand what I need to do. Thankyou x grace