and FSA principal number 7, A firm must pay due regard to the information needs of its clients, and communicate information to them in a way which is clear, fair and not misleading. this covers notice of charges, fair is not 2 or 3 days

so after they send their letter (probably 2nd class) they gave you, what two three days to cover the charges, Naughty naughty bank!!

Yes FSA regulations...they do!

£39 ouch!!!

pmhread - good luck getting your charges back, and for the record I would've refunded your charges at first contact! Well this has been fun everyone, best of luck to everyone in a similar position, I have learnt alot from you guys. Hope you can see where I am coming from. Never know I maybe writing to some of you soon and probably have written to some of you already!! I will keep my eyes and ears open and if I hear anything that maybe of interest I will let you know. If any of you have any questions I wil try help out.

So bookworm sells oxygen?;-)

So ur loved by all!! Regrettably, yes!!

if you read my last note thats exactly what i said!! and as for dispraportionate charges again if you read my comments you'll see that I dont agree people should get charged for a dd returned at £2.49, tinkerbelle r u sure you have read my comments?? Don't assume just because I work for a bank that I'm heartless!! Yes Lueeze I do agree (to a degree!) I'd be interested to know what everyone else does for a living????!!????

Tinkerbelle - Combine basic acc with bare minimum facilities (that cant be exploited such as gauranteeing cheques) and pay your bills by bill payment.... hey presto no charges!! Joneshousehold - I probably have been softer as it goes on didn't want you all to think I'm a complete banker!! Work was busy, funny enough I chatted about charges some more. Jonni2bad - thank u being told "I maybe even quite a decent lass!" with me working for a bank on this site, I take as a compliment.... if your bank was only willing to increase your overdraft that clearly isn't they answer and they deserve all they get. Knobby1 - as with Jonni2bad when a bank offers to increse overdrafts that clearly isn't the answer its just adding to the problem, and again your bank deserve a swift lesson on responsible lending!! Alison - Yes I do understand the difference and Banks also provide a service (sometimes not a great one, I know) its not as simple as not authorising payments, people guarantee cheques and shops have floor limits so the payments have to be made.

Kotum - ur a right charmer!! Lueeze - thank u! I have changed my opinion a bit talking to all of u and reading what people have said but I still see things from "the other side" alot needs to be done to make charges "fair" and maybe to make info more available or more accurate (just for you that - Dave!) and then customers can be sure they use whats in their accounts. Would help if shops got rid of floorlimits, cheques couldn't be guaranteed, and customers pay by diff mandates they have more control of Dave - I would like to think had you approached the bank with the first set of hefty charges they could've given them back and prevented further charges - thats what I woud have done for a customer in a similar position People do have a choice they could open a Basic account and not get the facilities to go overdrawn or maintain payments themselves from a current account

lueeze - yes I do agree they are too much, or can be depending on the transaction (and whether it is cleared or returned) and whether someone is exploiting the system Kotun -OUCH!! if you read the whole thread you will see where I am coming from!! Dave - I enjoy it too, I'm either brave or stupid I'm still trying to work that out (most people who read this thread would probably answer that for me!!) .I really can see where most people are coming from, trust me if you saw some of the stuff I see you would probably understand me some more...... Yes the banks need to be more responsible a certain bank faced with a black horse has shown that with numerous cases of irresponsible lending, but lets say they take an attitude of well you dont earn 30k plus lets give u an account with no facilities so you cant abuse it... then there'd be uproar. I can getpeople being hacked off because they get charges hundreds a year and the banks make a hefty profit, but thats business. If you were a shareholder you'd be happy!! Tesco make how much profit yet we still but fruit and veg there rather than grow it ourselves, because athough its costly its covenient and someone else does the work!

see your point with the TV howveer if I had said to the landlord if I owe u rent the you can charge me or take my TV, then he can watch eastenders on me I can understand the bank should be responsible but when does the customers responsibiltiy kick in, if the system allows customers to exploit it for example gauranteeing cheques when is the bank wrong for giving the facility or the customer wrong for exploitoing it?? Dont hate me.. pls I do have a heart, just see things from the otherside too

Don't be too sure!! they didn't know this was coming Banks are scared to go to court, I know they are But its not so simple, there's no agreement between a burglar and the owner Yeah if you tried checking yoru balance and they couldn't give you it right and you spened a few extra quid, then any charges you get as a result should be returned, however if you knew you had somehwre in the region of £20 and youwent and done 6 VP's for £30 then thats different

Banks say its down to their discression, I do agree make it plain and simple then people know where they stand and have you met my manager then??

This is more like it... I can so I will!! I have been to work today and helped alot of customers out with charges, because they genuinly needed help and it felt good to give money back to people who are going through a tough time, but really when I see a standard letter with "I feel my charges are unlawful and I want them back for the last six years" it gets a standard response, if customers write with circumstances or simply oops I messed up, then they get help... I know this has not been the experience of some of you but thats how I work and how it should be Alison 82 - I dont judge people because i can see their accounts, whether I could or not is irrelivant, people do spend money they donthave,ifthey didn't they wouldn't have charges - simple! as for saying bank staff need more training, depends who you speak to, personally I know our T&C's inside out but yes not everyone does a good job as with all industrues. As you can see throughout I do feel that HARDWORKING people trying to earn a living not living out of their means do deserve a break