Halifax Overdraft - Changes to Accounts £1 a day

[surprise]

But I don't have the Ultimate Reward Account and I am having nothing paid into this account at all. I have left my overdraft which I am being charged £5 a day for, and actually don't care a toss, as I've made my mind up that I shall make them take me to court for the interest, every intention of paying the overdraft back and offered them a repayment plan together with the interest that I agreed to which they didn't accept and was told to go to the FOS which I have done.

 

I also emailed John McFall and he said couldn't intervene so did my MP.

 

Yes I've seen the news about the Scottish case so shall await the outcome of that.

[angel_1]

good idea but I dont think that is right, I was charged £55 anc credited £4. I cannot be bothered to take this any further with them so have closed my single account and am paying a cheque in from a family member today for £1150 which will close my joint account with them. I know not all people will be in the position to do this but Halifax and FOS have not upheld my complaint so i'd rather not give Halifax the chance to get rich from its customers that bailed them out.

 

 

hiya totally understand but i would still send a complaint to fos dont cost u nothing but hbos will incurr cost of 450.00 and i also would include details to your local mp and as well as Mr John McFall

 

i am now including Mr McFall in my correspondence too with my continuing complaint with them

 

good luck and we must all make a lot of noice over this

 

have a fun day laters angel x

[peck08]

Arrgghhh Halifax !!!

I originally had a card cash account with the halifax and after spending many years sorting debt out i wanted to upgrade my account to a current account because they said i was no longer allowed an overdraft on this type of account but the halifax would not let me they said i was unable to upgrade that type of account but they would let me open a new current account and get an overdraft with this account so i did this. About 6 months later they upgraded my card cash account to a current account without even telling me and gave me an overdraft of £300 so i now have 2 current accounts and now they have introduced the £1 a day charge. I dont very often use my overdraft at all so i thought i would upgrade to the ultimate reward account as there are no charges for upto £300 overdraft and figured seen as though when i do use my overdraft its usually only for about 10 days so i thought paying £7.50 per month (because i get the £5 reward) for a fee free overdraft and get all the extra benefits such as mobile insurance, breakdown, card cover etc would be worth it.

 

I have had the Ultimate reward account for a month and yesterday i logged in to check my account to find they have taken away my £300 overdraft facility on this account i have not received any notification that they were stopping this.

 

So now i am stuck with the ultimate reward account for a year with no overdraft and paying the £12.50 a month and another account which has an overdraft which i no doubt will have to use at some point that i will have to pay charges on.

 

:mad::mad::mad:

 

Does anyone have any suggestions what i should do???????

[surprise]

Go down the Official Complaints route - once you've exhausted this procedure and they give you their final response, if you are not happy with this, the complain to the FOS. The more complaints that they receive on the ethics of HBOS the better.

 

I have never seen so many customers complaining about the Halifax as there are at the moment I cannot believe that they are still playing hardball with their customers. It seems as if they are deliberately trying to drive customers away.

[peck08]

thanks i will do this

 

I too cant believe how many people are complaining about the halifax

[stacywoodhouse]

Arrgghhh Halifax !!!

I originally had a card cash account with the halifax and after spending many years sorting debt out i wanted to upgrade my account to a current account because they said i was no longer allowed an overdraft on this type of account but the halifax would not let me they said i was unable to upgrade that type of account but they would let me open a new current account and get an overdraft with this account so i did this. About 6 months later they upgraded my card cash account to a current account without even telling me and gave me an overdraft of £300 so i now have 2 current accounts and now they have introduced the £1 a day charge. I dont very often use my overdraft at all so i thought i would upgrade to the ultimate reward account as there are no charges for upto £300 overdraft and figured seen as though when i do use my overdraft its usually only for about 10 days so i thought paying £7.50 per month (because i get the £5 reward) for a fee free overdraft and get all the extra benefits such as mobile insurance, breakdown, card cover etc would be worth it.

 

I have had the Ultimate reward account for a month and yesterday i logged in to check my account to find they have taken away my £300 overdraft facility on this account i have not received any notification that they were stopping this.

 

So now i am stuck with the ultimate reward account for a year with no overdraft and paying the £12.50 a month and another account which has an overdraft which i no doubt will have to use at some point that i will have to pay charges on.

 

:mad::mad::mad:

 

Does anyone have any suggestions what i should do???????

 

Did halifax say they sent u a letter via post or online banking? they did tis with my partners student account they reduced her overdraft by £500 which left her £495 over the overdraft the reason they reduced it was because she hadnt paid anything in to the account for a few months. What is halifaxs reason for taking away your £300 o/d?

[peck08]

they would not give me a reason for taking away my overdraft, when i asked on the phone i just kept getting the same quote it is the underwriters decision on how my bank account is run.?? i asked how should i be running my account to enable me to have an overdraft but she would not reply.

 

i am currently writing a letter of complaint which i will be posting tonight

[bigyeti]

Incidentally, I've received my third reminder that I over my OD limit. I'm going to knock up a quick letter telling that they can go away and the matter is now in the hands of the FOS.

[bigyeti]

I'll be sending this:

 

I refer to your reminders informing us that you think we are over our overdraft limit, the last of which is dated 27th February 2010. This is an error on your behalf. According to my records, my balance still stands at £1498.95. I have stated several times that we do not agree to the changes to the terms and conditions of our account and therefore you cannot charge your £1 per day charge to our account as we believe this is unlawful. We have made a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service about your attempt to apply these seemingly duplicitous charges and we insist that you cease sending us futile reminders.

Followed by a bit of legislation etc.

[sigsoldboy]

Received a response from the Government today:

 

Read the Government’s response

 

The Government is aware that some banks have made changes to current account charging structures, but it is important to stress that the Government does not set terms and conditions for personal current accounts.

 

Some concern has been expressed that a flat daily fee may make overdraft borrowing more expensive. That is likely to depend on the way that consumers manage their account. Some consumers will be better off and others may pay more for overdraft facilities depending on the pattern of their borrowing.

 

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) announced, in October 2009, that it has reached an agreement with the main retail banks to make personal current account costs more transparent and the process of switching accounts easier. This follows the OFT’s 2008 market study, which identified a number of problems including hidden costs to consumers through opaque charging structures, which meant that the market did not work well for consumers.

 

Borrowers who may be adversely affected may wish to consult their bank about the best account to suit their needs, and how to minimise their exposure to overdraft fees. Alternatively they may wish to look more widely across the personal current account market. The OFT is taking steps to help consumers understand and compare the costs of bank accounts through new advice and tools, including an interest calculator on its Consumer Direct website at: Consumer Direct.

 

In addition, if any customer is dissatisfied with how their bank has dealt with a complaint, the Financial Ombudsman Service may be able to help. They can be contacted on 0300 123 9123 or at [email protected].

[stacywoodhouse]

Received a response from the Government today:

 

Read the Government’s response

 

The Government is aware that some banks have made changes to current account charging structures, but it is important to stress that the Government does not set terms and conditions for personal current accounts.

 

Some concern has been expressed that a flat daily fee may make overdraft borrowing more expensive. That is likely to depend on the way that consumers manage their account. Some consumers will be better off and others may pay more for overdraft facilities depending on the pattern of their borrowing.

 

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) announced, in October 2009, that it has reached an agreement with the main retail banks to make personal current account costs more transparent and the process of switching accounts easier. This follows the OFT’s 2008 market study, which identified a number of problems including hidden costs to consumers through opaque charging structures, which meant that the market did not work well for consumers.

 

Borrowers who may be adversely affected may wish to consult their bank about the best account to suit their needs, and how to minimise their exposure to overdraft fees. Alternatively they may wish to look more widely across the personal current account market. The OFT is taking steps to help consumers understand and compare the costs of bank accounts through new advice and tools, including an interest calculator on its Consumer Direct website at: Consumer Direct.

 

In addition, if any customer is dissatisfied with how their bank has dealt with a complaint, the Financial Ombudsman Service may be able to help. They can be contacted on 0300 123 9123 or at [email protected].

 

 

this is what I got from them....a BIG **** OFF

[angel_1]

hiya all

 

yes i got the same email as i had signed the petition too

 

so what next guys? im really not too happy with them at the moment,

 

off to have some dinner and ponder over this

 

laters angel x

[peck08]

Arrgghhh Halifax !!!

I originally had a card cash account with the halifax and after spending many years sorting debt out i wanted to upgrade my account to a current account because they said i was no longer allowed an overdraft on this type of account but the halifax would not let me they said i was unable to upgrade that type of account but they would let me open a new current account and get an overdraft with this account so i did this. About 6 months later they upgraded my card cash account to a current account without even telling me and gave me an overdraft of £300 so i now have 2 current accounts and now they have introduced the £1 a day charge. I dont very often use my overdraft at all so i thought i would upgrade to the ultimate reward account as there are no charges for upto £300 overdraft and figured seen as though when i do use my overdraft its usually only for about 10 days so i thought paying £7.50 per month (because i get the £5 reward) for a fee free overdraft and get all the extra benefits such as mobile insurance, breakdown, card cover etc would be worth it.

 

I have had the Ultimate reward account for a month and yesterday i logged in to check my account to find they have taken away my £300 overdraft facility on this account i have not received any notification that they were stopping this.

 

So now i am stuck with the ultimate reward account for a year with no overdraft and paying the £12.50 a month and another account which has an overdraft which i no doubt will have to use at some point that i will have to pay charges on.

 

:mad::mad::mad:

 

Does anyone have any suggestions what i should do???????

 

Amazingly i have had some luck with this my £300 overdraft has been put on and i have had a telephone call and letter apologizing that it was a glitch in the system (or this is the reason i was given) and my overdraft is not due to be reviewed until the end of May..

[London000]

Amazingly i have had some luck with this my £300 overdraft has been put on and i have had a telephone call and letter apologizing that it was a glitch in the system (or this is the reason i was given) and my overdraft is not due to be reviewed until the end of May..

 

 

Hi there,

 

Halifax is advertising the "HI 5" but is actually " Hi 5 and Good bye 35":D

 

Good Luck,

DD8-)

[indebtstudent]

The government response I interpret to mean this. We have no real understanding of the issue, and in any event there's nothing we are prepared to do about it. Even though the Treasury Select committee has already highligthed the issue.

 

I'm pleased you got a result Peck08. I was just about to post to the effect that I believed that that particular account HAS a small overdraft as a feature. Anyone know if this is right?

 

I really am keen to see this end up in court, preferably by Halifax or a DCA taking a customer to court for the charges they have clearly stated they do not agree to.

 

The real concern, as others have noted here and elsewhere, is there's really no need for them to go to court since they can trash your credit file and the CRA's just shrug and say nothing to do with me guv.

 

I work for NPower and there's just been a change, well needed in m view, where an energy cannot object to a supply leaving where the charges are due to an error on thier part or are in dispute. A similar rule for the info banks report to the CRA's is very much needed, or if one already exists it need to be enforced with determination.

 

Anyway back to the court thing. I'd love to be there when the defendant responds (is that the correct term for civil court, me thinks its actually something like respondant) :-

 

I refer the court to the volumes of correspondance I have sent to Halifax stating that I do not accept the charges. I would draw your attention to the fact I have advised them of this on no less tha four seperate occaisions, as well as enclosing a statement of affairs showing what I can afford to pay at the AGREED rate of interest.

 

Halifax has totally rejected this an suggested I go to the FOS.

 

Hey a guy can hope.

 

One last point re O/D's being withdrawn they should notify you of this and if this is not recieved I would expect balance of probability sits with the customer. At least that's the way it was at Nationwide.

Edited March 9, 2010 by indebtstudent

[indebtstudent]

hmm that's no fun my message is blank

[indebtstudent]

The government response I interpret to mean this. We have no real understanding of the issue, and in any event there's nothing we are prepared to do about it. Even though the Treasury Select committee has already highligthed the issue.

 

I'm pleased you got a result Peck08. I was just about to post to the effect that I believed that that particular account HAS a small overdraft as a feature. Anyone know if this is right?

 

I really am keen to see this end up in court, preferably by Halifax or a DCA taking a customer to court for the charges they have clearly stated they do not agree to.

 

The real concern, as others have noted here and elsewhere, is there's really no need for them to go to court since they can trash your credit file and the CRA's just shrug and say nothing to do with me guv.

 

I work for NPower and there's just been a change, well needed in m view, where an energy cannot object to a supply leaving where the charges are due to an error on thier part or are in dispute. A similar rule for the info banks report to the CRA's is very much needed, or if one already exists it need to be enforced with determination.

 

Anyway back to the court thing. I'd love to be there when the defendant responds (is that the correct term for civil court, me thinks its actually something like respondant) :-

 

I refer the court to the volumes of correspondance I have sent to Halifax stating that I do not accept the charges. I would draw your attention to the fact I have advised them of this on no less tha four seperate occaisions, as well as enclosing a statement of affairs showing what I can afford to pay at the AGREED rate of interest.

 

Halifax has totally rejected this an suggested I go to the FOS.

 

Hey a guy can hope.

 

One last point re O/D's being withdrawn they should notify you of this and if this is not recieved I would expect balance of probability sits with the customer. At least that's the way it was at Nationwide.

[Bookworm]

Might want to report that, IDS, looks like you've got a glitch somewhere.

[indebtstudent]

Felling a bit dim here, how do I report it?

 

I thought maybe the computer was censoring me for waffling on too much, I'd have to plead guilty as charged.

[maroondevo52]

Hi,

 

Admin are aware, seems to be a few problems at the moment.

[Bookworm]

Felling a bit dim here, how do I report it?

 

I thought maybe the computer was censoring me for waffling on too much, I'd have to plead guilty as charged.

Nah, if that were the case, you wouldn't be able to read any of mine! Lol

 

For future info, if you need to report a post, click on the warning triangle on the left of the post you need to report, it will go straight to attention of the team. ;-)

[sigsoldboy]

Arrghhh. just wrote a long post and pressed back space by accident and lost it....!!

 

Anyway can't type it all again but I wanted to share the following:

 

1) Halifax told me that the overdraft charges apply to all accounts whether you have upgraded or not.

2) If you don't upgrade, like me you, don't get your £5pcm.

3) You can upgrade to the 'Ultimate account' and cancel it any time as long as

a) You do not use any of the facilities on the account with the exception of the overdraft.

b) If you do cancel and downgrade your account you may lose the £300 overdraft so you need to be in a position to pay that off.

c) If you use any of the insurance or other supposed free bees you can not get out of those agreements for one year or change account.

 

I asked for the T&C's to be sent to me and made it clear to the gentleman on the phone I was only considering an upgrade because for the next couple of months I need to use an overdraft and it would be cheaper be on the Ultimate account. I will have the money to pay the overdraft back in April and intend to close my overdraft at that date, so I would want to move away from an Ultimate reward account. I did not want any of the other facilities on the account but that £7.5 cost of the account was cheaper than the £25 I paid in Feb on charges.

 

The chap agreed. I have so far only received from Halifax a letter telling me that I wanted to move to the reward account and as such I needed to sign and return this letter. No T&C's like I requested. I have requested twice now and they have never turned up.

 

Conclusion I am making from this is that the idea you can move accounts and the power is with the consumer is bogus. If I sign up to an account I'm stuck with it paying £12.50 pcm. That is not exactly consumer freedom and the bank do not seem to want to give me my T&C's before I agree and the call centre people to be honest do not seem to understand the legalities or what it is your signing up to. You are supposed to be able to cancel your bank account and move to any other supplier at any time, that is the point of fair competition, if Banks move to this model we could face the situation where you are stuck with your bank for 'n' period of time, like a mobile phone.

 

Question I have to the forum is if you upgrade to the 'Ultimate' account and take out the Insurance for example why are you stuck with the reward account, who owns that debt...Anybody have a copy of the T&C's or know where I can get a copy to study ?

 

Also Your need to be aware you may not get the full £300 fee-free overdraft.

[jamraz]

f.o.s. have been trying to ring me to discuss my complaint (even though they have copies of every letter i have sent, and received), i only sent my complaint in 2 weeks ago and already have an "adjudicator", is this normal?...or are they finally sorting all this mess out??

[surprise]

Strange, but I've received a letter today Vicki Blackwood, Adjudicator. I actually sent copies of emails to the FOS that were sent to my MP and John McFall in which I criticised the FOS quite severely and said that by they got around to looking at the complaint the interest on my o/d would be in the region of £1,500.

 

I wonder if they are sifting out all the complaints regarding the Halifax overdraft charges I suspect there will be quite a few.

[jamraz]

seems to be happening quicker than i have been lead to expect......