Banks guilty as charged

COMPUTER COCK-UPS THAT SINK CUSTOMERS

Mirror 

Much of the misery created by rip-of f overdraft fees is caused by banks’ blunders.

Customers are often pushed into the red by computer cock-ups and shoddy service. Sky-high charge sand interest compound the problem, as people spiral into debt.

And banks then make their reputations worse through their unsympathetic handling of complaints.

Here Mirror Money highlights two worrying examples of the problems:

Bungling bank staff left a keen sailor high and dry 130 miles from home when Natwest accidentally took money from customers’ accounts twice.

Jeff Bartleman was stranded on the south coast after a sailing trip when the bank’s computer system starting charging twice for card transactions.

He was one of hundreds caught out- but his plight left him over drawn, with no access to funds, and his card being refused. Even though Natwest admitted its mistake when Jeff explained he was stuck, staff refused to give him access to cash.

Instead, they suggested he take a£200 taxi journey back to Chelmsford, Essex, where he kept emergency cash at home.

Operations manager Jeff said: “They were just unwilling to listen to our plight. I’ve been a customer for years but they didn’t want to help.

“In the end we had to beg for the money from a friendly shopkeeper.”

Jeff paid his £350 council tax bill by phone on Thursday, then drove to Portsmouth. On Saturday, he went shopping with his wife Jacqueline, but his card was declined.

He checked his balance and found he was £50 overdrawn and called his bank, who admitted the council tax was taken twice in error. Jeff and Jacqueline have no credit cards, and just one account - and no money to fill up the tank of their Jaguar.

His account is one of 5.3million in the UK which has a Solo card.

These are like Switch cards, only every single transaction goes back toa bank to be approved.

“I’m not supposed to be allowed to go over drawn. That’s why I have a Solocard,” said Jeff, 48.

“I always leave enough money in my account to ensure I can pay my bills. All I wanted was the money I earned returned to me.”

Natwest apologised and refunded customers.

Hsbc bosses have launched an urgent revamp of overdraft policy after a computer system charged a customer twice when she accidentally went into the red.

Its much-praised fair fees policy promises customers will not get unauthorised overdraft charges if they go less than £10 over their limit or have not been overdrawn in the past six months.

It also pledges not to charge more than customers are overdrawn.

Yet 25-year-old Sarah Widdicombe from London picked up two £35charges in a month when she went overdrawn twice by £5.50 a time, despite putting money in to her account within 24 hours of being in the red both times.

Finance administrator Sarah said: “I didn’t think it was fair I could be charged twice for such a small amount.”

Hsbc’s fair fees policy - introduced after consumer campaigns to reclaim bank charges - should have stopped Sarah being charged twice.

But two small purchases on one day put her over the overdraft buffer.

After Your Money contacted the bank bosses admitted the charge was confusing, launched an investigation and is now reprinting its policy.

A spokesman said: “This should definitely not happen. We are very proud of our policy and do not want customers to be confused.”

They refunded all her charges.

Natwest admitted mistake but still left Jeff stranded

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