A&L being awkward

[diver]

Hi all,

I'm rather annoyed with A&L at the moment due to charges they made against me recently. They levied a charge on my account for paying a DD from my account that (according to them) took me over my OD limit. My gripe is that on the same day £700 cleared into the same account.

 

I rang the customer services to ask for a refund , and was told to 'look at you t's & c's) and that the charge would not be refunded. I then wrote a letter (using the library templates) and was told the same - no chance!

 

The biggest gripe I have is their appalling attitude, and even though it is a comparitively small amount (£25) I would like to pursue this. Is it worth a small claim?

 

TIA

[natalie]

Definitely, for principle if nothing else, what's it going to cost you? a couple of stamps. I would go to the next stage and send them the letter before action (template in library) let them know you mean business and wont be bullied.

[Bookworm]

Especially for £25, if you have to file in court, they will have to then pay another £30 court fee on top, they would be particularly stoopid not to pay up.

 

Let us know how it goes.

[colinalred]

You will not have a problem getting your charges back - just print them off a list of the charges from

 

http://www.alliance-leicester.co.uk/currentaccounts/index.asp?page=interest-charges&ct=curraccmenu

 

 

These apply to most of the accounts listed. If you have one of the relevant accounts and they are breaking their own terms and conditions! Note day 1

 

Monthly unauthorised overdraft charge1

 

Day 1 No charge

Day 2 £25 charge

Day 3 No charge

Day 4 No charge

Day 5 £25 charge

[big_ali]

Go for it, they have done the same thing to me a number of times, finally I discovered their charges are illegal so requested details of all charges - £3191.50 including interest over 5 years.

Now its court time (if they werent so greedy i would never have checked)

[Grahamc304]

I had a similar experience, some cheques and a DD went out of my account but I credited the account from an A&L savings internet account before lunchtime on the same day. They charged me £25 saying that their terms and conditions state that the money must be in the account at the start of business. I was advised to write a letter by the chap on the phone in Bootle which I did and got the standard "We're looking into it" reply. I got a letter from them going into great detail about how a bank account works and that when cheques or DDs are presented with insufficient funds in the account someone has to make a decision as to what to do. (Yeh rite). They say their choice is to honour the payments and charge me £25 or return the DD at the staggering cost of £340. They have on this occassion refunded my £25 which is now back in my account

[diver]

Hi all,

 

Due to starting a new job, I've rather let this slide, but here we go!

 

I received a reply from Carol Mealor to my before action letter stating:

 

'Having noted your comments, I must advise that our charges are clearly shown within aour literature, they reflect the market and are in line with our competitors. We make no secret of our charges which are detailed on the reverse of your statement, on our website and are also contained within the Terms & Conditions of your account.

Whilst I appreciate your dissatisfaction regardinmg this issue, I regret to tell you that I am unable to make any adjustments to your account.

I hope we will now be able to draw this matter to a close and if I do not hear from you within the next 8 weeks, will assume this is the case. However in accordance with regulatory requirements, I am enclosing our leaflet which explains the steps you would need to take if you should wish to pursue this matter further, including the ultimate availability of the Financial Ombudsman Service.

I trust our service will meet your requirements in the future. However should you need further assistance please do not hesitate to contact me.

 

I now intend to claim against them, what is the best way forward?

 

TIA

[Guest Lueeze]

Have you read the FAQ's?

 

It will tell you how to proceed!

 

Think you best sending them the LBA then filing in court...seems alot of hassle but htey will pay up

[diver]

That WAS the reply to the LBA. I'm off to fill in the claim form then

[Guest Lueeze]

Yep thats your best bet! They sound like they need a proper threat!

 

Good Luck!

 

Lou x

[diver]

Hi again,

 

Where it says 'particulars of claim' do I just copy the text from the letter to A&L? I've read the FAQ's several times and it makes no sense to me at all!

 

TIA

[Guest Lueeze]

Sorry im not 100% sure as too far away from that stage to answer properly...

 

Im sure someone will knwo tho...

 

Anyone? lol

[diver]

Hi again,

 

I received a letter this morning saying that whilst A&L confirm that the charges raised against my account are in accordance with their charging policy, they have agreed, 'on this occaision only, to refund £25.00 to my account'

 

Thanks for the help

[diver]

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