Should you claim for bank charges?

by Ed Bowsher on 27 November 2009  |  5 comments
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I can't see any harm in putting in a bank charges claim now. If you do so, please let us know how you get on.

As the dust begins to settle after the Supreme Court verdict on bank charges, many of us are wondering what will happen next?  Will the OFT mount another challenge to the banks?  Will the thousands of people who have been charged ever be able to re-claim?

As I said in my blog on Wednesday, if you haven't made a claim before, you could start one now - under Section 5 of the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999.

And it seems that I'm not the only one to think that there may be life in claiming back your overdraft charges.  There are several companies who have been saying they can get you your charges back - for a fee - ever since the issue first came to light in 2006. Some of them are now saying they can help you once again.

I've always thought that these companies are a rip-off and I still do. You don't need to use a claims handling company to re-claim your charges.  For the price of a couple of stamps, you can get the ball rolling yourself - and keep all the money should your claim be successful!

So, if you are looking for something to do this weekend, why not sign up to our updated Reclaim your bank charges goal  It takes you through the process step-by-step and has template letters for you to write.

I must stress that there is no guarantee you'll get your charges back. Far from it. There's still too much uncertainty. We may discover in the next few days and weeks that all avenues for re-claiming are well and truly closed. 

But if you're feeling keen, there's no harm in getting the ball rolling now. And if you do make a claim, please let  us know how you get on. I'd be very interested to hear how the banks react.

> Check out our Reclaim bank charges goal