Some banking advice needed.

J

jamesoshea

Registered User
Messages
14
Hi,
I'm new here, have a question regarding the way I have been treated by a bank, can I post it here ? Dont worry, wont mention the banks name.


Thanks
 
Thanks Shark. Over a year ago, I got sold and signed up a premium current account with a bank. This account cost me €10 per month. This gave me a free overdraft and discounts on things such as flights and hotels. When I attempted to get these discounts, I found that I was able to get better deals by myself. 2 months ago, they pulled the overdraft with no warning, which left me a bit stuck. Anyway, I complained to them about the fees they charged and highlighted the the travel discounts never existed and that the account was a scam.

To make a long story short, I told them I wanted to make the account into a regular free account, for which I was told I had to sign a form. I told them to shove their form as they know who I am ( was on the phone and had been verified and the calls are recorded).

I then opened an account with another bank, leaving the old account with a 0 balance.

They have continued to charge the €10 to the old account, putting it into overdraft, and fees for an unauthorized overdraft.

Do I have a leg to stand on by ignoring them? I was thinking of letting the debt build up and let them take me to court, but ya know they way things are here, the big fish always win.

Got any advice?
 
Do I have a leg to stand on by ignoring them?
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in a word, eh No but then I've only got one side of the story, but it sounds like you handled things badly imho.
 
But they are charging for a service they dont provide, surely they should be the ones that have to refund me?
 
I told them I wanted to make the account into a regular free account, for which I was told I had to sign a form. I told them to shove their form as they know who I am ( was on the phone and had been verified and the calls are recorded).
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If you wanted to open a new / different account you would of had to sign an application form, this is a standard procedure.

I then opened an account with another bank, leaving the old account with a 0 balance
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Unless you specifically requested the account to be closed then the relevant charges are still applicable.
 
Oh, and I made the request in writing, by email, which they received as they called me after.
 
You cannot "sign" an e-mail so it is not counted as an instruction.

You signed up to open the original account but you did not sign anything to close this a/c, therefore you are liable for any charges that have accrued on it since.

If the bank write off these charges they are doing you a favour. No problem was ever solved by ignoring it !
 
Unfortunately, you signed up to those terms when you opened the account. Phonecalls or emails will not close the account so the fees are continuing to build.

You could call to the bank in person (and hold the cool) and speak to the manager and see if he/she will waiver the fees since balance of 0...but i dont think you they will give you a refund... after all you have moved your banking to another bank so they are losing out on that front also
 
Perplexed said:
You cannot "sign" an e-mail so it is not counted as an instruction.

You signed up to open the original account but you did not sign anything to close this a/c, therefore you are liable for any charges that have accrued on it since.

If the bank write off these charges they are doing you a favour. No problem was ever solved by ignoring it !
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As far as I am concerned the problem is with them, as they are charging for a service they dont provide. Maybe I should just complain to the ombudsman?
 
James, I think you need to take a deep breath and think about this again. They did provide you with the overdraft facility originally (even if they did withdraw it - it is not unlikely that they had included a clause allowing them to do so under certain circumstances) and they did provide you with the "discounts" the fact that you were able to undercut their discounts by shopping around doesn't mean that they didn't supply you with the promised discounts - just that they didn't provide you with the discounts on the lowest fare you could source (which may in itself have been discounted). Basically they probably did fulfill their side of the bargain - if not to your satisfaction.

Telling them to shove their paper where the sun don't shine is not generally accepted as a valid way of winding down an account or changing its terms and conditions. Be sensible. Close the account now by writing to the bank and instructing them to do so. Pay off the outstanding charges. Then you have discharged your side of the bargain and are in a position to complain. Anything else is just stamping your foot like a child. Before you go to the ombudsman you have to exhaust all the avenues the bank gives to you to forward your complaint through. So what is your actual complaint and what redress do you want? I would suggest putting it in writing and letting them respond. Chances are you may get a "we are sorry you were not satisfied...." letter, probably minus any sort of redress.

Like I said above, chances are they filled the remit of their terms and conditions, that may not be to your satisfaction but it is not unlikely that you didn't actually read the terms and conditions with great attention and therefore mistinterpreted them.
 
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