RECOVERING YOUR BANK CHARGES

For years unfair bank charges have been imposed on millions of people across Britain. Banks have long been accused of ripping off customers with the high penalty charges they impose for minor account hiccups. According to the Banking Code Standards Board, complaints against banks over the past few years have soared. But you can look to reclaim yours. Please see below;

5 steps to take in reclaiming charges
Bank charges can be reclaimed in just a few simple steps. Please see below;

1. First is to get the bank statements for the six years that you have with them. The less expensive way is to get your bank to send the list of the applied charges within this period. It should not be longer than forty days for the bank to send the list, and the cost should not be more than ₤10.

2. Go over the list carefully and choose all the charges that you think are unfair and you want to get back. Be sure to have your own copy available after highlighting the items you want to reclaim.

3. Total all the charges after listing every one of them. Then, send the bank a letter that says you would like to be refunded because of the result of the ruling made by the Office of Fair Trading, containing the amount that you think they owe you.

4. The bank will usually respond within two weeks. By this time, if you don’t get any response, write to them again. Better yet, make a telephone call to make a follow up on the letter. There are lots of banks that try delay and stalling scheme. If your bank does this to you, make sure to keep your pace and inform them that you will consider court action when necessary.

5. The bank should give a response that satisfies you. If not, consider reaching the Financial Ombudsman Service. If the action taken by the FOS is not exactly what you were hoping for, you may still take it to court.

For more in depth information on how to reclaim bank charges, give the UK Debt Advisor a call on 0800 043 2027.