So, I totalled all of it up and sent my 1st letter off to Bank of Scotland, The Mound, Edinburgh. The 2 week deadline is up in 2 days time, and I've just come home to a reply from the bank. It was postmarked PO Box 148, Glasgow. It says: "Thank you for your recent letter. I was sorry to learn that you are unhappy with the service provided by the Bank of Scotland. We are keen to deal with your concerns and are currently investigating your complaint regarding the charges debited to your account. You will receive our full response shortly. You will find enclosed a copy of our leaflet, which tells you how we handle your complaint. Your concerns will be dealt with as quickly as possible, but if you need to speak to us in the meantime, please telephone us on 01422 333465, quoting the above reference. Your Sincerely Sarah Bradley Customer Services" My letter to them gave them one month to respond. Should I now send a second letter and stick to my 28 day deadline before action, or await their response and then set a new deadline? Many thanks, Andrew.

So, I've just realised it's one hell of a lot more than I thought... £2,469.54 I'm truly shocked. I'm based in Scotland, so it looks like I'd better use an English court to do the legal stuff- I've a friend based in Manchester, and she's happy to use her address. That's enough cash for me to pay off an egg loan I have and clear half the balance on a credit card. I'm also about to set off getting around £100-150 back from Sainsbury's bank credit card and perhaps some dosh from egg too... Thanks again for this website- I'll post my progress here. Andrew x

Just to say that I rang Sainsbury's Bank back to see what was happening. The woman apologised that I'd been cut-off previously and advised me that they were sending me back copies of all my statements and that I wouldn't be charged for them being sent out! I don't think they actually have fleeced me for much over the years- probably £100 or so, but I'm going to have a go anyway! Cheers, Andrew.

Hi there Just to say, I've been browsing these pages for the past few months now and I'm just about to begin trying to claw back all the money the Bank of Scotland have lifted from my account over the years... I'm just off the phone to Bank of Scotland's phonebank, and I've requested my statements going back to when the account was originally opened (mid-2001). The charge for this was £5 for all of them. I just wanted to let others know, that this may probably be an easier process than attempting the slightly more costly and time-consuming method of a data protection act request. I was told on the phone that the last few years statements should be with me within the next few days, while statements for earlier years may take 7-10 days to arrive as they need to be accessed from archive. Once they arrive, I'll start going through them with a highligher pen and make that claim and let others on the forum know how I get on... ...off the top of my head, I'm probably looking at somewhere just under the £1000 mark, although it may be more. In the past few months, I got overdrawn once by around £70, and never managed to really get on top of this until I started a new job. That £70 has cost me around £500 in various charges. e.g. 3July: £20 10July: £20 11July: £20 14July: £20 17July: £20 Similar amounts have left my account every month since February... I'll keep the forums up to date on any successes! Also, would there be any chance that the forums could be separated in a better way- there seems to be confusion between Royal Bank of Scotland and Bank of Scotland. Bank of Scotland would probably be better placed with the Halifax- it has no connection with RBS whatsoever (other than them both being 'Scottish' banks!) PS This isn't meant as a gripe against the forum- it's bloody brilliant!

I've just received a Sainsbury's Bank Credit Card Bill today with the following charges on it: Unpaid Direct Debit: £20 Overlimit Fee: £25 Late Fee: £25 Total: £70 I phoned them today and told them that I was aware that my direct debit had failed and that I'd phoned them as soon as I realised to make payment (the DD failed on 11 July, I rang them to make a payment of £100 on 20 July). I managed to get one of the £25 payments refunded and then asked about getting copies of my statements sent to me, as I know I've clocked a few of these up in the past few years- probably around 7 or so in 5 years. She said that that was a ridiculous request to be making and that it would take ages to do- I'd need to be more specific! I then asked to get a breakdown of all the charges over the years- I was then put on hold and my call was never retrieved. I also queried the OFT's findings- she said they didn't apply to August. Presumably they're trying to make the most out of me in July! They are, definitely a part of the Bank of Scotland, the way. I've just started a full-time job after years of being a student and in about a month or so I'm going to pursue the Bank of Scotland for all the charges they've given me over the years. I'll keep you all posted! Great website! Cheers, Andrew.