Stevesbluewrx

iTrader: (4)

Anyone with Halifax Bank get the letter through the post regards "Notice of Condition Changes".

Are they taking the complete **** or is it me? I feel the customers are having to pay for the CEO's Christmas bonus this year.

Charging you £1 a day each day you are in your overdraft for users with an overdraft upto £2,500
Charging you £2 a day each day you are in your overdraft for users with an overdraft of over £2,500
Any without a agreed ovderdraft etc are charged £5 a day!!!

Personally I am outraged by these changes. My late father worked for them for 28 years and I've grown up on the Halifax brand etc.
I've got 5 accounts with them and four of those are Current accounts!!! Due to my misses still being off work on maternity and the UK's TAX on everything you ****ing touch this has to be the final kick in the bollocks doesn't it.

Our joint account goes into the red pretty much every month now since April. It doesn't matter what I do we still go in it. I rarely use the joint account but when I do I feel guilty. Each month the same places come up on the statement and it aint bloody mine but thats another matter.

Now I know £20-£23 may not seem a lot to most (me included) per month until my misses goes back to work but what about if I have to move money around into different accounts etc leave my other accounts open to charges if I become overdrawn!!!
What about these poor buggers who don't have an overdraft £5 a day!!! Come on.

I may be going OTT with my way in thinking? My point is this.
You flog your bollocks off all the time to be TAXED and double TAXED. Everything you do is TAXED!!

Make the most of the 15%VAT at the moment thats all I say. Wonder how much my mortgage will be as of January unless Gordon Brown and co want extend it forever!!! ****s.

All these Halifax changes take place as of 6th December 2009. Just in time for Christmas.


Mr Titwitch

Trout

iTrader: (1)

So you are using someone else's money to run your life and you call paying for that a tax.

You also object to having to pay to use someone else's money to run your life.

As for saying there is nothing you can do about it - that is a bit like me eating all the pies and complaining I can't lose weight.

Smart, very smart.

hux309

Hmm i haven't received this letter, then again i haven't upgraded my account for years so im really wondering if i'll be affected, i think i phone call is in order, if i am i guess that's half my christmas bonus disappearing.

Yup seems i am ho hum, i for one will be paying it off, there's no way im letting hbos take the mick like this, i shall also open a reward account, may as well claw back a fiver from them.

boomer

What i find offensive is the tone of the letter

Several years ago i changed from a bog standard "current account" to their "high interest current account" because it paid pretty much the same interest as their savings accounts (and i am never overdrawn).

It seems like they are now going to automatically change this to a "pikey account", and assume that i am always in the red - 99% of the explanatory notes talk about what it costs to go overdrawn; 1% say that they have other "reward" accounts that i can change to. So i now have to take the trouble and hassle to change from what was a premier interest paying account but which is now a "you are a pikey so we are going to screw you with charges that would make BrightHouse proud" account (oh, and we are no longer going to pay you any interest either - but we don't make that clear either!).

Ba5tards

mb

stilover

All banks are the same really. I'm always changing my Halifax current account for the latest "High interest account".

Phoned up and had 2 options.

1) Reward account - Free - Pays £5 a month interest.

2) (Some other account) - £12.50 a month to have it - comes with 15% off car/house insurance. RAC cover etc.

Chose the Reward account as the Halifax are never anywhere near on Insurance, so why get 15% off, when I can get it cheeper else where.

I could move to another bank, but so many thing go in and out of that account, it'd be a nightmare changing.

Dave1980

I am with them and just got a letter through about reducing my overdraft by £500. At the moment being made unemployed and not having full time work i am in it and cant just stump up £500 by next month to reduce it as they think i dont need it, seriously thinking of changing bank accounts.
Since Lloyds took them over they have gone seriously down hill!.

Ste RB5138

Thats a nasty letter to get through the post, I haven't had a letter yet from Halifax.

Stevesbluewrx

iTrader: (4)

Trout,

I see your valid point. I to cannot stand people who ponce off the systems etc.

I think your missing my point. It may seem like I am taking the wassit with the Halifax. I guess to a point I am? But for everytime I go into my overdraft (since my partner has been on maternity leave) it get's paid back as soon as I am paid.

It's a repeated cycle at present as I am the only bill payer in the house keeping my family etc. I don't even use my car that much on this basis to cut back on out goings.

I don't like going into my overdraft what so ever but it's the way it is at present sadly.

Cheers
Steve

PS. If you stay off the pies I'll sort my overdraft out.

Trout

iTrader: (1)

Now there is a challenge!!

My point, perhaps a little harshly put, is that an overdraft is a service on the bank's gift to give you - so you would expect to pay for a service, and it is not a tax!

Anyway good luck with the baby!

hodgy0_2

move banks or put up with it -- it's called a market, make use of it

EddScott

I'm surprised they can even get away with that.

How can they change the conditions of an overdraft retrospectively? Could you not argue that had you known they would start these charges you wouldn't have agreed the OD?

Increasing the fines if you go over etc fair enough because thats in the T&Cs but adding extra charges ***** nilly is taking the rise.

If they send this letter to me, I'll just move banks. Been meaning to for a while so this will be the catalyst if they do. The APR on the OD is nigh on 30% is it not so an extra 1 or 2 quid a day is a con. Playing on the fact that most people can't just pay off their OD and walk away. Disgusting behaviour.

Stevesbluewrx

iTrader: (4)

Trout, no offence taken buddy.

Maybe I should double bag up to prevent such cases with the misses off work?


I'm looking into this. My partner is annoyed more than me. She wants to go with another bank but I've been with Halifax for years. Maybe it's time to make the most of the market as you say.

Steve

windyboy

Herself has several accounts with them including a current account, she is going to have to a alot of money every month just to have the overdraft, she's thinking of changing accounts as they were very quick to offer the extra overdraft ammount during the summer before we went on holidays and now they are going to charge her loads for having something that they offered her in the first place. I know she shouldn't of went so far into the overdraft but thats another story.

windyboy

EddScott

This would be my argument. How can they offer you a larger OD and then completely change how they charge you for it.

I have a 3K OD with Halifax and dip into it every month at some point. This month is difference because I'll be getting a bit extra so I could close the account and move. Don't want to as I was hoping to use it on either a car or new business.

Edit - one would suggest that it might be worth paying off the OD with a credit card on 0%. Some cards will allow it as a cash transfer - Egg, MBNA, Virgin.

hodgy0_2

if you do -- just make sure you don't close the Halifax ones (or even threaten too) until you have your alternative accounts set up

otherwise (as happened to me) they get a bit arsy and just close it down before you have chance to move all you DD's etc away

speedking

Have had the letter.

Once they tried to charge me 3 x £35 for three transactions because a payment in hadn't arrived. The transactions were small purchases of a few pounds that took us overdrawn, but were covered the next day.

I managed to convince them that £135 was a disproportionate fee for going overdrawn by a few pounds for a day, and they let me off 2 and only charged me £35.

Under the new regime I would only have been charged £1.

So there will be some winners among the losers (no pun intended ) For people who dip into an overdraft for a week at the end of the month this could mean a significant saving?

I don't see why they can't introduce a new charging structure. You can decline your overdraft facility at any time and go somewhere else with better conditions.

EddScott

Sort of. You have a person with a 3K OD and they earn 2K a month. They use the OD to make a large purchase so for a good few months they are always in their OD and possibly over the 2.5K. Huge cost to customer.

Customer says enough and goes to another bank - You don't know me or my bank history, I earn 2K a month but I'm always in the red so need to come onboard with instant 3K OD.

You might have to watch your step as they slam the door behind you.

Whole point of this is to shaft people who are in their OD and can't get out of it.

I got charged for going over after I paid for our driveway. I asked for it to be put back. The manager looked at the account, saw that I was in my OD and said no dice. I said fine I'll close my accounts and hopefully you'll all lose your jobs when this rural branch closes. She just smirked knowing full well I couldn't move because I was stuffed with this OD.

As far as I see it, its going to cost me £3K to move banks but now I have it, once I do move banks I'm going to savour every signature on our 3 accounts when I close them.

Gear Head

iTrader: (2)

I also had this letter a few days ago. Although I agree with Trout to some extent I fail to see how a bank can give you an overdraft account one day, with one set of rules and then change it the next. Every now and then I dip into my agreed 5k overdraft, but only by £100 max. Seems slightly unfair when I have savings in my other halifax account don't you think? Surely if I have more saving than overdraft, they shouldn't charge me for being overdrawn on one account?

Going into branch on saturday to see what they say. I can't see how £1 per day for being overdrawn (on an agreed basis might I add) is proportionate or fair.

superstar1

The best bit is what it says at the top of the letter:

Get a little extra help from the Halifax!!!!!