Banking It (Lesson 18)

Banking It Bankers in the spotlight Have you had a problem with our bank lately? What do you like or dislike about your banks? Read about some of the typical complaints that banks receive these days. Have you had a problem with your bank lately? Every year, the Financial Ombudsman Service (the FOS) receives thousands of complaints about banks. At the top of the list of complaints are banking charges. These include charges for going overdrawn, charges for bounced cheques, and charges for not having sufficient funds to cover direct debit payments. In some cases, banks charge up to €50 for unauthorised overdrafts, even though the overdrawn amount is as little as 2 pence. Other complaints refer to bank-charge increases. Some banks initially offer customers low rates or even zero-banking. However, they later change this - often without informing clients. "I've seen the unauthorised overdraft charge on my account go from £15 (when I opened the account) to £35 a year later. At no point was I consulted or given the chance to agree with these changes," said one angry customer. "When I opened my account, they told me that there were no charges. But now, every time I write a cheque, they charge me 50 pence," said another customer. One woman decided to take her bank to court. Mrs Reynolds, 53, was so angry about her bank charges that she started a claim for £1,500. She won the case - partly because the bank failed to dispute the claim. However, the bank failed to pay the money promptly. So, she sent bailiffs to the bank's head office to collect it. "I spent days phoning them and trying to resolve the matter, but they did not return one single phone call," she explained. Her actions seemed to work. The bank paid up quickly, and a spokesperson made a public apology, "We'd like to apologise to Mrs Reynolds for any delays. Unfortunately there was an administrative error in sending the payment. However, I can now confirm that it has been made." So, the cheque is in the post, right? Excuses, excuses