£1208,,bank Charges,in 1 Month!!!!!!!!!!

[sweethings72]

Hi,

im a newbie here!i have spent a couple of hours on this site 2nite,,and it is shocking to see the amount of people with almost the same problem as me....

this is my story..............i have been charged in 1 month £1208,for unpaid items such as returned cheques,unpaid d/d,misuse of card and now because of these monthly charges i am £600 over my overdraft limit.which my overdraft is now £2228,,which has probably gone up more by now,if i was told by the natwest i was over my overdraft limit by £22,i would of cleared it straight away but did they no no no,no one phoned me or sent me a letter,,i only found out when i opened my monthly bank statement,if it was not for these high charges i would only of been £200 o/d.

i have however sent 1st letter and did get a reply from natwest saying that they will look into the matter further and will reply within the next 10 working days.wow wee,because of this i have got into a right mess with my financees,i have been to see a debt manager and i am going on a program to gradually pay off my debts,,they advised me to send another letter to natwest to close my account,and to open a cash card account with another bank,which i have applied for,i just could not get my head around the charges for 1 month,imagine what my charges will be if i went back 6 years...i am not sleeping to well,lost weight which i cant afford to really(7st)got 2 young girls to look after and run my small business,if i dont get this mess sorted out soon i really think im going to have a breakdown

[kenboy1961]

dont despair.i too i had a very similair experience with these scumbags.i ended up with huge debts and divorced but at least i kept the house by the skin of my teeth.also i became a single dad so at least i had the jewel in the crown. things will improve but you have a lot of support from the fantastic people who run this site and otherswho have sufferd too.if it is of any concellation please remember(THAT REVENGE IS A DISH BEST SERVED COLD)stay strong and resolute.kind regards.kenny ward (fellow bankcharge fighter)

[MariaC]

Hi there and welcome.

£1208 in one month is a pretty hefty dent in anyones tender bits. A months salary for some of us but your far from alone and are now offically in the best of company.

 

Im pretty new to this myself but like you Im battling Pratwest, though for far less than they've fleeced you for. Theres a wealth of help on this site if you need it and moral support if that's all your wanting at times. Make the most of it all.

 

It sounds like your at a low ebb right now so keep that chin up. I was feeling exactly like you a couple of months back. Then I found this site!! I still have trouble sleeping at times (as you can see), but its amazing how actively taking some control back can make even the worst moments seem less desperate. You just have to keep slugging away at the b*tards. You have right on your side remember, its not hopeless, so stay strong...kick, bite and fight back! Your gonna win in the end, we all are!

 

Good luck

[Tinkerbelle]

Good Grief!!!

 

You have now idea how pleased I am that you found this site!

 

We will all help you get your money back, don't you worry about that!

 

I take it you have started the process of getting your 6 years worth of statements if you don't have them already?

 

The process of reclaiming your charges is not as daunting as it may first seem but you must mentally prepare yourself that it could end up in court, especially if there is a large sum involved.

 

There are 4 steps basically (or 3 if you have all your statements)

 

1. Ask for 6 years worth of statements

2. Send letter to bank asking for money back

3. Send letter before action when they refuse

4. File papers with the county court

 

 

A full detailed process can be found here:

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=243

 

And you MUST read the FAQ section as well. Found here:

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=5

 

Feel free to come back here and ask questions if you are not sure about anything. We are a very friendly bunch and will offer all the help and assistance that you need.

 

Also remember that this process applies to Credit Cards, Loans and any other agreement that involved the signing of a Credit Agreement.

 

Good luck and keep us posted of developments!

 

Oh! And open another Bank Account somewhere else as soon as you can!

[ann1982]

hey if u think thats bad try having £2000 charges!!! im new to this site as well and have only just found out that they are not allowed to put these charges on u. £2000 in one month?!!!!! im on benefits at the moment - job seekers so there is no way i can afford to pay that sort of money to them!! they are a disgrace.

[Bovvered]

Wow - that is disgraceful, piling on such huge amounts of charges...I am also very glad you found this site and will get your money back

 

Follow Tinkerbelle's excellent advice and try not to panic, just stay the course - you'll get there!!

[ann1982]

thanks for that. every1 is just so helpfull on here. ive just rung up natwest for my bank statements. it will take up to 10 days for them all to reach me. thats fine as soon as i receive them im going to fight them all the way. they asked me on the phone when i was going to start payin my debt - told them i am seeking legal advice against them and they will get full details in writing within the next few days. until i get my charges back they are not getting a penny out of me. they will see me in court first. good luck to every1 tackling these horrendous people and well done to every1 who got their money back. xx

[kotum45]

sweetthings I am sorry to hear your story however there is light at the end of the tunnel. Just remember that only one of the banks have appeared in court and the rest seems to pay up before too long. It seems like your charges dating back 6 years will be over 5000. So I think it might be ideal for you the divide these charges into 2 or 3 £5000 lots, that way you can still use the hassle free system of small claims court. I am now at the final stages of suing two greedy banks, it is not as scary as it seems. However I understand the stress you are in.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[thecornflake]

Sweetthings I too sympathise greatly. I was in the situation a while ago of having a £3000 overdraft - almost half of my monthly earnings. The bank then made me take a loan with extortionate interest, knowing that I wouldn't pass the credit check for one anywhere else.

 

Luckily I managed to source finds from elsewhere (legally I assure you - just realised how dodgy that sounds!) and paid back the loan. I'm still paying back a lot of other debt, but something always comes up at the last moment. Like you finding this site. So stick with it and let people here help you if you need it.

 

What bothers me is how many other people in your situation have not found out about this yet. Make sure you tell everyone!

[maforduk]

Impossible! They can't charge you more than £90 per calander month or 3 times in one calendar month!

[ann1982]

well it seems they have!!! its not impossible for them to try and get these charges out of us but it will be impossible for them to actually get the money!!!!!!

[kenboy1961]

hello to all nat west fellow fighters.if its of any help i paid a visit to the local county court today and explained to the judge of my pending appearence if the defendants wish to turn up and answer my claim.what a bloody brilliant response i got off him and the court usher.i couldnt believe it when i was given a full tour of the court and an explanation of what happens where and when.the judge invited me to sit in whilst he dealt with a particular case of someone trying to get money from the defendant and wrightly so.i was gobsmacked at the smooth running of the procceedings that was administerd by the judge.after the case i approached and thanked him for letting me sit in during the case.your welcome he said, is there anything that you wish to ask me.he told me that when i represent myself if the defendant provide a legal bod they will not be permitted to bully or intmidate me in any way during the hearing.all the fears of going to the court have completley gone now and i reccommend that you do take this sites advice and pay the court and the judge a visit just like me.what a positive experience this was from judge chesterfield, i hope this post helps all you guys and girls out there.kind regards to all you (fellow bankcharge fighters)kenny ward.

[ann1982]

that is good to know. thanx for that. im just waitin on receiving my statements which could take up to ten days. good luck every1 xx

[Bovvered]

hello to all nat west fellow fighters.if its of any help i paid a visit to the local county court today and explained to the judge of my pending appearence if the defendants wish to turn up and answer my claim.what a bloody brilliant response i got off him and the court usher.i couldnt believe it when i was given a full tour of the court and an explanation of what happens where and when.the judge invited me to sit in whilst he dealt with a particular case of someone trying to get money from the defendant and wrightly so.i was gobsmacked at the smooth running of the procceedings that was administerd by the judge.after the case i approached and thanked him for letting me sit in during the case.your welcome he said, is there anything that you wish to ask me.he told me that when i represent myself if the defendant provide a legal bod they will not be permitted to bully or intmidate me in any way during the hearing.all the fears of going to the court have completley gone now and i reccommend that you do take this sites advice and pay the court and the judge a visit just like me.what a positive experience. i hope this post helps all you guys and girls out there.kind regards to all you (fellow bankcharge fighters)kenny ward.

You should put this in a separate dedicated thread so everyone gets to see it...just a thought

[sweethings72]

hi all,

recieved letter from the bank dated 13 april.

it reads:dear......,thankyou for taking the time to tell me you your concerns.all concerns are important to me and i welcome the opportunity to address the issue raised.

i am not yet able to answer your concern fully,as i need to look into matters further.i will contact you again within in the next 10 days,either with a response to your concern or to update you on the progress that i have made.however if you need to speak to me regarding this matter,please contact me or a member of my team........

mrs sue crompton...

 

that was recieved well over 10 days ago,and i still havent heard no more,,,what shall i do now.

regards

sweethings

[deeian]

Just keep going with YOUR timetable. Not sure which letter you sent them, if it was the prelim then now sent LBA. They are just playing for time

[mcuth]

Sorry, a little off topic, but it seems like we have a couple of contenders for this thread

 

Cheers

 

Michael

[sweethings72]

hi everyone,

sorry if i worried you all with my last message....

im posting this thread on a more positive note........i recieved this letter from my bank this morning..offering half my charges(£685.00)half of what i asked back....do i accept this offer now?

many thanks for those peeps who gave me lots of good advice,,,im feeling a little better,,,but still need to sort something else out for my debts,,,but this is a start..

thankyou..xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[alanfromderby]

This is a usual tactic - write back saying that you accept it as an interim payment and taht you look forward to receiving it in the next few days. However, you intend to continue with your action for recovery of the full amount. Then just continue with your timetable.

[sweethings72]

ooo i forgot to say that my account has been closed,

[Tinkerbelle]

ooo i forgot to say that my account has been closed,

 

Even more reason not accept their paltry offer.

 

Also ensure that if they have entered a default against you as a result of closing your account that you ask them to remove it.

 

Good Luck!!

[sweethings72]

hi,

i dont know what to do next?can someone please tell me what the next step is to claim all the charges back,like i said they offered me half the charges back of £685.00,but i wanted the full £1208.00,what is the next step,which letter do i send next.thankyou to all who have helped me and been really nice and given me real support,i am very gratefull to you all.

sweethings72

[dave]

You have to write a letter to them saying that you accept the 50% offer and expect the cheque more-or-less instantly, but will still continue to claim the rest. If the rest is not returned to you in full within the next 7 days, then you will have no choice but to leave the decision to a judge and then start proceedings.

 

That's what I would do.

[sweethings72]

thanks dave,

but the thing is the letter they sent me says:sign this letter to accept and the refund of charges will be credited to my bank account.but also the account got closed so if they do it this way i will not benefit from it will i, as i owe natwest £2000?but the way you said i would benefit?can i ask for a cheque then?

[Guest Lueeze]

Dont sign the letter, write your own back to them, keeping the letter you were sent...

 

If the account is closed but you owe money on it, then the bank can pay off that debt with it (im pretty sure anyway) are you sure its close? maybe its just been sold on?

 

If you go to court, and you win, the bank is allowed to choose how to pay it back to you, so if you have an account they will def pay it into that rather tha give a cheque.

 

Good Luck

 

Lou xx