I've had a Barclays account since 2001. Opened it because they were offering a £1250 interest free overdraft for umpteen years. I spent all the money within 6 months and didn't touch the account again. Naughtily I have only in the past year or so popped a token £10 into the account every now and again in a pathetic attempt at paying it off. When I moved address about 5 years ago it was such a palava to change address, that when I moved again to my current address I didn't dare try and go through it all again. So, I've popped back to my old address (family) every few months or so to collect my mail. About 6 months back I noticed that they'd decided to start charging me interest. There was something like 16% up to £1250 and 24% over. I didn't really take much notice but decided I'd have to either clear the amount in full or get my butt in gear to clear it over the next year or so. So realise my horror when I popped in to pick up my post last Sunday to find over £170 in charges applied to the account! There were no letters asking me to opt in or out, bugger all. And even if there had been, how can they go from one minute charging me 24% on anything over £1250 to stiffing me £22 every 5 working days? I called them offering to pay off a big chunk and set up a standing order if they removed the charges and was informed "no one in the bank has the authority to refund charges". They then went on to say that I could opt out and go for the £8 an item option. Well since I've not used the card in well over 6 years I don't think I'm going to be getting any £8 charges somehow. How on earth can they change the conditions "just like that"? One minute I've got a voice in the back of my head saying "You really need to sort that old student overdraft out soon now that you're paying quite a high interest rate on it", then the next I've been f****d in the a** with absolutely NO warning. Unethical pigs!