I would ask the bank to refund any charges to your credit card account through late payment etc. And ask for an apology.

I would tell then that they are to accept payment for the loan and that you will be suing for the charges back if they apply them. As well as the additional interest on the loan that you incur due to them applying illegal charges.

Don't accept 90%. 100% only. If you have an overdraft with them, you pay an agreed rate of interest that makes you a profitable customer. Why would they want to close your account when you are simply asking for illegal charges back. If they didn't charge them illegally you wouldn't be asking for the money back. Also if you have a maestro card, every time you make a transaction you are making them money as the retailer is charged for accepting it (about 25p a transaction.) 100% or you will take them to court. That is your answer.

and whilst I think about it. Although I don't know the HSBC system, most software products have some sort of override for charges and discounts. For example I used to work for an IT wholesaler. Every customer had an account and the default delivery charge was £10. However it was possible to set the delivery to £0, £3.50 , £5 or £7.50 as a default when a supervisor inputed a code into a field. It was also possible for individual sales staff to increase the delivery charge to reflect the actual costs. Although they couldn't lower the charge. Banks must have the same types of system. Ie They should be able to change individual charges for customers by changing a field. Therefore common sense dictates that you don't keep charging a customer who is going to claim back every illegal charge when you could simply override the default charge and set it to zero.

Thats right they did pay up, although as I said that was another bank not HSBC. That said other companies have good service. For example whenever I take items back to a store I always ask for petrol money. Ikea is one company that always pays. (Although the money is then spent in the cafe!) About 2 weeks ago the Tonight program on ITV was about bank charges. Following the program I requested £30 back from First Direct via their email service for a fee charged in 2004. It was paid back within 48 hrs. However when I sent the same email to HSBC for other charges they fobbed us off. So I looked on the web and found this website. Ironic, if they had paid up then the matter would have been closed. No more said. Now of course I have told my friends and they will now be seeking repayment of their bank charges and I have sent my first formal claim letter. What amazes me is the fact that they know we are on this site, and they know we are all going to follow our claims through to settlement. By not holding their hands up, apologising and refunding the money within 24 hours they are giving more momentum to the campaign which will lead to more people claiming their charges back. If everyone claimed for their time based upon the banks own charges, I am confident that the banks would lower their charges to something more reasonable. (ie a few pence) Good luck in claiming for your time.

Maybe we should start selling in trays. Or buy shares in a stationary company!

They never learn do they. Another bank took two direct debits instead of one. I asked for £25 compensation and warned that the next time I would ask for £37.50 and would raise my demand by £12.50 every month they took the money. I based the initial charge on their own scale of charges. They agreed to the compensation and paid up. The following month it happened again. So they paid £37.50. Great service. HSBC learn from this.