Thanks for your comments Sparky. Well sure enough the bank did take the other £39 and left me with well, less than £11 for the week. So we have had to rely on what was in the fridge with top ups of milk and bread - definitely a blue stripe week I'd say and I'll need to dip in to Monday child benefit (which usually covers petrol and electric) for a grocery top up. I need to check the faqs to see if the 7 days I gave them has to be working days so I know which day to begin court action. I just bet they are gonna call my bluff, I mean do they seriously believe a 'dumb' single mum would actually file a claim against them in court, really!! Well, Halifax...you just betcha!!

Moved to site suggestions

Here is the code from today as I didn't do it the first day 586rJKEE4

I found it after leaving my bank on Monday feeling incensed at the smugness as I was told they would not refund a bank charge, and furthermore would charge me again if I went into unauthorised O/D as a result. I came home, turned on my computer and decided to see if there were any other disgruntled people like me feeling helpless about this criminal behaviour. I simply googled 'exorbitant bank charges' and found bankchargeshell first followed by moneyexperts and then this site. I haven't looked back since!!

Will make a point of watching that...

yeah they rawk!!

Well I had a good look on the net and found that Capital One Credit card is issued by Capital One Bank. So it made sense that the address to write to would be the Legal Compliance Department, so I went ahead and sent a revised version of the DPA request letter to them at that address.

DPA statement request sent this afternoon

Posted this afternoon

Ok, DPA Statement request sent to NW this afternoon

All the template letters and guidance notes are in the library: http://www.bankactiongroup.co.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=15

Ok I've done it. I decided not to worry too much about waiting for a new account (I have a savings account elsewhere, so if push comes to shove, I can use that for my income payments, but it has no DD facilities). I won't of course close my Halifax Account (never intended to, but was afraid they might close it out of spite.) Any how, I have used the letter downloaded from the Daily Mail and am getting ready to put it in the post. Here's the letter I sent: Will let you know how it goes

Does anyone know if the dpa address for Capital One Bank is the same for the credit card? Legal Compliance Specialist Capital One Bank (Europe) plc Trent House Station street Nottingham NG2 3HX If not does anyone know where to send DPA letter for the Capital One credit Card?

It's not a lot - I had 4 charges over the last 18 months and the first time they cancelled one (about a year ago) and this week they cancelled one, leaving 2 x £39.00. So part of me thought I couldn't claim back because it was too small an amount, but after the way they handled my situation this week, knowing the implications to my family budget if they took the other charge, and smugly stating that if that set my account into O/D they would charge me again, I saw red, and that's when I found this site. So I guess around £78 so far...

My plan at the moment is to commence refund request as soon as I have a back up bank account in place should I need one. They are due to take another charge from my account today, but they haven't as yet. You know I'm almost willing to bet they are waiting to end of business today just incase I take out money and then they can slap on another charge - I will let you know if they do that.

Ok I decided to start a new thread in here because this got mixed up in my other thread (over in Other institutions as I have a Nationwide account to sort as well. Here is the OP which many of you responded to and greatly encouraged me. Well I have applied online for a Barclays bank account (on Monday) and am wondering if I should wait till I get another bank account or not, as there is not a lot of money tied up in this claim, maybe I should just get on with it? What do people think - should I just go ahead and write to them the standard letter now, or wait till I have a new bank account (if I get one).

About to post Data Protection Act disclosure request to NW today. Here we go!! Will commence refund request regarding Halifax (my current account) as soon as I have a back up bank account in place should I need one. They are due to take another charge from my account today, but they haven't as yet. You know I'm almost willing to be they are waiting to end of business just incase I take out money and then they can slap on another charge - I will let you know if they do that.

Wow - I am really overwhelmed at how helpful everyone is being on this forum. You guys rock!! I am beginning to feel stronger about the whole prospect already, just because of your encouragement and help. THANKYOU ALL

Thanks so much for your very helpful suggestions. Indeed I will mention that to the bank (about the law and what it says a person/family need to live on) - that shocked me when I realised the truth of that - yes even the council and primary debt creditors won't make you drop below that! I am based on Oxfordshire so I should imagine I would either end up in Oxford or possibly Banbury. The more I read, the more I am certain I want to do something about it. Just to clarify, my op states I have issues with both Nationwide and Halifax. My current situation is with the Halifax, but reading all about you marvellous psople and what have done/are doing, made me remember the grief and charges I suffered courtesy of Nationwide. The original thread title was just 'Bricking it', but I think an admin added Nationwide because it does also concern Nationwide. Yesterday I applied online for an account with Barclays in anticipation of what may happen once I proceed. I also still (ironically) have a dormant cashbuilder account with Nationwide but I don't think I'll be using that either!! Thanks again - I will keep you posted - I will phone the bank (Halifax) this week but I won't tell them I plan to pursue this (to court if necessary) until I have an alternative bank account. I guess there is nothing stopping me doing something about Nationwide - I need to request statements first (I no longer have any as this account was closed in Dec 2004) as I don't remember how much I was charged in the 4 years I had the account though it'll be in the hundred for sure.

I am a single mum of four who has struggled to stay afloat with no help from kids' dad, just a small medical pension and child tax credit. I was left with a lot of debt after my divorce, which is being managed by a debt councelling charity (free of charge), and out of my weekly income of £150, I have to pay £35 towards my debts. After all my outgoings I have a little over £50 per week on which to feed my family of 4 teenage boys. On Saturday I received a letter from Halifax advising me that two direct debits had gone unpaid, one for £3.99 and the other for £9.45. The letter advised that they would charge me £39 for each unpaid DD, plus if my account went more than £30 o/d I would be charged another £28.00. Well first thing yesterday morning I went into my local branch and asked for leniency as the charges seemed to me excessive in the extreme. I was told they would cancel one charge 'as a gesture of goodwill', but would not cancel the other, which will be taken from my account on Thursday of this week. I explained to her if they did that, I would be left with the grand sum of only £11 to buy food for the week for a family of 5, and there was no way I could possibly manage that, so ti sum up, if I buy my shopping tomorrow as usual, my account will be thrown into overdraft of £40 and I will then be charged unauthorised O/D fee as well, which will have a knock effect next week. I have had 4 bank charges like this since I opened the account in 2004, (including these recent ones) and two of them have been cancelled as goodwill gestures. I really don't know what to do next. Do I take action against them now for the two amounts they didn't refund (bearing in mind there will be more once the start kicking in their unauth O/D fees? Problem is my money is paid in not just monthly: I get child benefit on Mondays, tax credit on Wednesdays and pension end of month. Since yesterday's meeting at the bank, I was furious and found this site, and now realise I could do something about it. It also occured to me an account I had with Nationwide which was closed in Dec 2004 because bank charges got out of control, could be brought to account. Trouble is I am absolutely terrified at the prospect of arguing a claim to people who are experts. I forget facts very easily, go blank when under pressure and don't think I'd cope very well in court. I really have to do something about my current situation, but I need some encouragement and support, and what's the worst thing that can happen to me, bearing in mind I am not in a position to cover any losses resulting from a lost court case? Sorry for going on, but I am sick to my stomach about the whole thing - never knew people had been able to do something about it till yesterday...

Hi, yes I did read the faqs and loads more posts as well (here and at moneyexpert too) - think my brain's swollen. Must have missed that one, I'll go back and check - thanks for that!!

Hi I had a Nationwide Flex Account from around 2000 until 2004. In this time I had quite a lot of bank charges and unauth o/d charges, which I paid and managed most of the time to keep the account in the black even on a very low income. I would estimate they charged me several hundred pounds over the duration of the account being active in bank charges, returned DDs etc. The account was closed December 2004. Is it too late to try and recover these charges? Adding the FAQ Code to show I've read them! 586rJKEE4