the best way to get charges back

[whistleblowing fairy]

Hi,

 

As you may have guessed by my name, I work for a bank. Capital One to be exact. I'm in the same position as you, but with other banks. (it's gross misconduct if i got charges on my staff credit card).

 

the best way to get charges back is being nice. If you phone up shouting about the charges, you put the phones assocaites back up. So are far less likely to refund your charges.

 

Also don't say you didn't get your statement. Everyone says that! and after you've heard it for the 10th time, you get cynical and don't believe it.

 

Your best bet is to say 'i'm really sorry the payment was late. It'd really help me if you're able to refund this charge.' You'll then probably get 1/2 offered. Rather than getting irate, simply say 'are you sure you can't refund the full amount? If you can't do you have a manager available for me to speak to about this?'

 

Because of how much it costs us to transfer the call to a 'manager', you'll more than likely get the other half agreed. don't knock the India call centre either, they're 10x more likely to refund no questions asked.

 

if you don't want to speak to the india call centre, don't call before 7.30am and after 8pm. The UK staff are only available during these times (the perks of sending our jobs abroad)

[Bookworm]

the best way to get charges back is being nice.

 

Thank you. I'm sure you mean very well indeed, but I disagree. A lot.

 

The best way to get charges back is knowing you're right and they're wrong, and going with no intention of backing down until you have all your money back.

 

The nice approach might work once or twice, IF the employee you speak to is in a good mood, IF there's a bank holiday coming up, it's payday, or whatever reason there is on his part to feel mellow and magnanimous.

 

Sod that.

 

I've had a bellyful of asking nicely, begging, humiliating myself when I had to choose between feeding the kids or paying the mortgage, and the last £5 I had disappeared in yet another charge. No more, not ever.

 

I spoke to someone in my bank this morning. Their in-house insurance overcharged me last month, so they charged me for that. Then today, because their insurance hadn't refunded me for their f*ck-up, the payment got bounced. Guess who is getting another charge? Correction, another 2 charges, as both incur a monthly unauthorised charge. So now it's going to cost £126 for their mistake. Sweet, huh?

So I phoned the insurance, and not unreasonably, and very politely, I asked what they were going to do about refunding me?

What do you think the answer was? An apology, maybe? A refund, obviously?

Nope. Nothing, nowt, zilch. The insurance says I should approach the bank about the charges, the bank won't refund them. To be fair, I haven't phoned the bank, as they already told me to sod off last month, and I have a claim pending againt them...

 

So ask nicely? Not this p!ssed-off customer, chuck. And I think you'll find the vast majority on this site are finding out the same thing as I did: You're working for the playground bully, honey, and like all bullies, they understand only one language.

[dave]

Have you read the forum rules?

 

There is a section explicitly for bank employees.

[monkey_uk]

Hi,

 

As you may have guessed by my name, I work for a bank. Capital One to be exact. I'm in the same position as you, but with other banks. (it's gross misconduct if i got charges on my staff credit card).

 

This is BS to be polite! So you're saying that you'd get fired if you made a payment late? I'd love to see them try and justify that when you took them to an employment tribuneral.

 

don't knock the India call centre either, they're 10x more likely to refund no questions asked.

if you don't want to speak to the india call centre, don't call before 7.30am and after 8pm. The UK staff are only available during these times (the perks of sending our jobs abroad)

 

There are no perks in getting your jobs sent abroad. Don't stick up for the Indian call centres. They are taking YOUR jobs. If the company feel that outsourcing offshore is working well, then it's probably only a matter of time before the rest of the call centre operation is off-shored as well.

 

Stick up for yourselves. Fight for your jobs.

 

I very much doubt that you have any trade union recognition at your place of work/within your company. But if you have, get in the union. A trade union's strength is directly influenced by the number of members it has.

[sazz]

My friend works for HSBC as a customer service rep trainer and she was telling me the other night she has a discliplinary coming up for being over her staff overdraft... It doesn't look good to 'new recruits' apparently if their trainer isn't 'managing their money right'!

 

Might help if the staff actually got paid a bit more in wages coming out of our £3 billion theft amount a year, rather than the shareholders who sit back and count the pennies...

[aidenr]

Good afternoon,

i can totally relate to alot of issues.

I worked for Nationwide for over 4 years both in the call centre HQ and then in a branch, as a customer advisor.

 

at first i was given a Full facilty Flex account visa debit/cq book etc and a small O/D.

Believe me, when i started to get charges i was getting a load of trouble from HQ and my branch manager. there view on the matter was "if you cant manage your own finances -you cant manage our customers"

complete tosh in my oppinion, the wages were really out of line with other banks.

As a result i was given a verbal warning and stripped of my credit card and visa debit until i was sorted all because i went less than £100 over my O/D 3 months in a row. as a result i went to LLoyds and never been back !

too much hassle. so as Sazz was saying this very much does happen - right or wrong!

 

In relation to charges when i was at the branch:

all charges were added automaticly and had to be manually reimbursed by someone at the branch in most cases with nationwide.

In my oppinon in responce to "Bookworm" I agree what you say about mistakes and complete cockups. when it comes to DD's CQ's bounces etc it is at the branches discretion when you go in.

as you can imagine, getting on your high horse infront of customers and getting S**ty with the branch staff isn't going to go down well and they (in my humble oppion) are less likely to help you or credit the charge

I had many a customer that sat with me and explained that they are broke because of charges and 9/10 i will credit as long as there not taking the mick by coming in every month.

Those that kicked off at me - i often referred them to HQ ( bad i know but hey i'm being honest)

 

Obviously i dont work for NBS anymore as of 18months due to me re-locating, so things may have changed a little but that is how my branch worked and when i was at HQ call centre they are not as easy to get round with charges as they are in a huge call centre ( Swindon - not India:p ) and what is agreed is heavily monitored.

always go to branch. im not saying beg on knees and make an arse of yourself, but be civil - you never know, the person you are talking too maybe in the same boat as you.

 

sorry to be a bore.

any questions on NBS i will try and help, still got a lot of friends there.

(misconduct - who me?. never)

 

Aiden

[seylectric]

Incidentally, what about those customers whose statements HAVE gone missing? I know some of mine have!

 

It is not for the bank or their staff to decide whether or not the statement did go missing, or whether or not the caller is telling porkies.

[gothicf0rm]

so lets get this straight... the bank unlawfully takes my money, doesnt have a legal leg to stand on, sticks me in phone queues for india listening to the f***ing four seasons for 20 minutes, breaks its own contract, the banking code, makes me wait in branch for half an hour to get any service at all, all the while im paying for this and i shouldnt be sxxxy? in the real world you reap what you sow.

 

have we ever had a poster here at all who has had moer than a single charge refunded by asking nicely? no. but thousands of people are getting their money back by being sxxxy.

 

Edit: I've bleeped out the swear word - I of all people know that tempers run high here, but please try to avoid swearing as it does offend some members. Moderated by Whisperwolf, 02/04/2006

[richardc]

It is pointless being rude to call=centre or branch staff. They do not make policy. In some cases they have limited discretion and if you are rude to them they are not going to exercise it in your favour. Agreed, they are not going to refund you your money but it's not their fault and there's nothing they can do about it. But you can - issue a claim against the bank - it's the only thing they will respond to. The staff who work in these places are human, and don't react well to being verbally abused.

 

Excuse the lecture but I ran a customer service department, in a different but equally emotive field but governed by law. I had discretion to help someone who was in the wrong if I thought they had a deserving case. With abusive people I kept to the letter of the law.

[Spiceskull]

I tend to agree with the moderates in this thread, and whilst I fully understand Bookworm's anger and frustration, going off at more humble staff members is not a fruitful course.

 

By all means be firm, and clear in what you want, but at the end of the day the most you are likely to get from these people is the next person up the ladder. Once you do get to the decision makers authorised to manage your complaint...that is the time to let rip. And of course at this point you now have the obstacle course you have just negotiated to add to your ire...

 

I had my first refund request turned down flatly - from a senior service officer...who even signed with real ink. I spent three hours crafting my response, and when I had finished it I was well satisfied...I am waiting with anticipation to see what effect it had.

[Bookworm]

I tend to agree with the moderates in this thread, and whilst I fully understand Bookworm's anger and frustration, going off at more humble staff members is not a fruitful course.

 

Woah there!

 

At what point did I say anything about letting rip at the humble staff members?

 

As someone who worked in customer services for many many years, I would NEVER advocate such a course and deeply resent my being misquoted here! Really.

 

What I meant, if it wasn't clear enough from this post and others all around this forum, is: Don't ask nicely, ask firmly and sue if that doesn't work. In other words, prelim letter, LBA, then County court claim.

 

The only time I get shirty at a member of staff is if I'm being patronised, in which I go very "grande dame" at them. I never yell, never swear, and the angrier I get, the more icy and sarcastic I become. To me, there's a huge difference between the guy who's "just doing his job" and the one who takes active delight in having the upper hand.

[Spiceskull]

difference between the guy who's "just doing his job" and the one who takes active delight

In that case I offer my humble apologies...there is a difference between those who are genuinely trying to help and those who are trying to hinder. Yes, weighing up your opponent is best, and if they deserve a kicking...give it to them.

 

I find it strange that so many people on this group have worked in customer service at some time or other...and of course, knowing how it works from the inside, we all have a good idea how best to deal with it...

[Guest stephen]

Hi,

 

As you may have guessed by my name, I work for a bank. Capital One to be exact. I'm in the same position as you, but with other banks. (it's gross misconduct if i got charges on my staff credit card).

 

the best way to get charges back is being nice. If you phone up shouting about the charges, you put the phones assocaites back up. So are far less likely to refund your charges.

 

Also don't say you didn't get your statement. Everyone says that! and after you've heard it for the 10th time, you get cynical and don't believe it.

 

Your best bet is to say 'i'm really sorry the payment was late. It'd really help me if you're able to refund this charge.' You'll then probably get 1/2 offered. Rather than getting irate, simply say 'are you sure you can't refund the full amount? If you can't do you have a manager available for me to speak to about this?'

 

Because of how much it costs us to transfer the call to a 'manager', you'll more than likely get the other half agreed. don't knock the India call centre either, they're 10x more likely to refund no questions asked.

 

if you don't want to speak to the india call centre, don't call before 7.30am and after 8pm. The UK staff are only available during these times (the perks of sending our jobs abroad)

 

I hear what your saying however I never been rude and I hardly ever swear, and to be honest I did all of what you said but they refused.

 

So I simple told them the truth, thus being I would sue them for 6 years of charges if they did not refunded my £64.00 and when I done this I would then tell as many people as I could how to do it,

 

As you can see I been a man of my word, shame the banks haven’t.

 

the staff at the phone centre and other departments treated me as if i was stupid and one women even had the cheek to turn around and say "you wont get a penny Back Mr. Hone" well technically she right I got £5000 back.

 

Although I must say I don’t think there is ever a need to be rude! Most staff at the bank agree with us these charges are a rip off, however sadly none are brave enough to come forward at put that into writing.

[gothicf0rm]

So I simple told them the truth, thus being I would sue them for 6 years of charges if they did not refunded my £64.00 and when I done this I would then tell as many people as I could how to do it,

 

same here. you tell me how much money ive cost them so far? i would this group and all the fuss that happened exists because last year banks about maybe a dozen people who happened to know a little about the law and how to use the internet. had we been refunded when we wanted the money we probably wouldnt be so incensed now we tell everyone we know.

 

 

EASY ON THE SWEAR WORDS, PLS, WE DO GET SENSITIVE SOULS HERE.

[Spiceskull]

i would this group and all the fuss that happened exists because last year banks about maybe a dozen people who happened to know a little about the law and how to use the internet. had we been refunded when we wanted the money we probably wouldnt be so incensed now we tell everyone we know.

It's the same with all large organisations - they have no concept of how damage limitation works. If they were to get their PR departments working with Policy Making Wonks, then maybe they could draw a line under all of this...but I think the tipping point has been and gone...and they now only have themselves to blame...

[Bookworm]

Vive la Revolution!!!!

[Spiceskull]

I think it is about time to put out an APB for Madame Guillotine...

[Yyates]

Incidentally, what about those customers whose statements HAVE gone missing? I know some of mine have!

 

It is not for the bank or their staff to decide whether or not the statement did go missing, or whether or not the caller is telling porkies.

 

Absolutly agree. I ended up having to go paperless on my LLoyds TSB statements as i didnt receive any for over 3 months. Where they went i have no idea.

[thegoodsamaritan]

Be firm, persistent but not rude. I agree with other posters that if you are downright rude to ordinary staff then we are far less likely to want to help you out. Keep being persistent and do all it takes to get your charges back and you WILL get them all back (eventually) even if you have to raise a court action to do so.

 

Most bank staff are just fed what the banks want them to hear - therefore even though 90-95% of staff think charges are outrageous and unjustified they are not aware that they are illegal.

[Bookworm]

After yesterday's media coverage, most of them shouldn't be able to plead ignorance any more then.

 

I also think it's highly likely to be part of the daily or weekly staff briefings all over the country!

[thegoodsamaritan]

yes well i'll keep u updated on what we are told

[ntl-guy]

So ask nicely? Not this p!ssed-off customer, chuck. And I think you'll find the vast majority on this site are finding out the same thing as I did: You're working for the playground bully, honey, and like all bullies, they understand only one language.

 

My thoughts exactly! you go girl! :grin:

[kotum45]

I am very annoyed with the title of this thread. "The best way to get charges back"?? Suing them is the only way that works with these greedy people unfortunately. We shouldn't even give them the opportunity with prelim. letter and letters before action but as moderators say courts wouldn't like that. I never thought I could feel so angry about a corporation..... Degrading situations they put us through when we were down. If it weren't for those charges we would have recovered much earlier from the nightmare episode which lasted 3 years.

 

So nobody should tell us there is a better way to get these charges back which includes being nice to banking staff. I know it is not the staff's fault but they were the ones who refused to even listen when we phoned.

 

I am not even doing it for the money now. I am feel so much joy when I find out that there is a new claim starting on this forum. This is more like a revenge for me now. Once this is settled and I gain a bit more experience about the whole process I will do my best to help anyone who has a claim against these greedy pigs.

[dave]

...and to add to that.

 

Our main 'weapon' against the banks is...'This time it's personal' and thus we have the edge.

 

Their in-house solicitors couldn't care less I would imagine, if they have to pay out a few k here a few k there - they get the same wage regardless.

 

It's ok being nice to bank staff - but I don't remember them being that nice to me when I was down on my luck and running to stand still.

 

Now the tide has turned and all we are doing is treating the bank with the contempt with which they treated us.

 

Once this is settled and I gain a bit more experience about the whole process I will do my best to help anyone who has a claim against these greedy pigs.

 

Exactly the reason we started this site!

[Guest Lueeze]

The more you read the more angry you get with the banks!

 

Since i joined im addicted...Like you said everytime i see a new person post to say they are going to sue too i feel DEEP JOY!

 

I have learnt so much already...and till trawling for more info!

 

Nothing surprises me anymore!