Success! Just had my charges refunded for a missed direct debit (£35). My advice is to stay calm and be persistent. If you are refused just ask to speak to the next person up the line. Eventually you will get some common sense as these charges are completely indefensible. They are a penalty and do not reflect the actual cost to the banks as has been stated before. If you spend a lot of time getting there ask for your time to be refunded too. I know somone who worked out how long he had spent writing letters and on the phone to sort things out and charged them pro rata his daily rate. The bank paid up. Remember it works both ways. Your time is just as valuable as the banks! One other thing has anyone noticed that the Abbey call centres are now based in India and therefore it takes twice as long to sort anything out.

Success! Just had my charges refunded for a missed direct debit (£35). My advice is to stay calm and be persistent. If you are refused just ask to speak to the next person up the line. Eventually you will get some common sense as these charges are completely indefensible. They are a penalty and do not reflect the actual cost to the banks as has been stated before. If you spend a lot of time getting there ask for your time to be refunded too. I know somone who worked out how long he had spent writing letters and on the phone to sort things out and charged them pro rata his daily rate. The bank paid up. Remember it works both ways. Your time is just as valuable as the banks! One other thing has anyone noticed that the Abbey call centres are now based in India and therefore it takes twice as long to sort anything out.